[ANSWERED] Failed to find USB device

I can not get either of my powerlincs to connect to my Mac. I have read the online forum and talked to Smarthome. I have the 1132CU and a 2414U. When they are plugged into my computer, the computer does list them under the USB tree on the About Mac. Smarthome tells me that the 2414U does not work with Snow Leopard which I am running (Mac OS X 10.6.4). They said they don’t know if the 1132CU works. You would think one of them would work. With the 2414, Indigo does nothing when you hit the connect button. In fact a dialogue box comes up saying no linc was found. With the 1132, it seems to connect in indigo, but if you try to add a device, it says there is no powerlinc. Any ideas?
Rickid

[jay (support)]

I replied to your email before I saw your post:

We have a lot of users using 2414U's on Snow Leopard. Unfortunately, we've also had a few users report the problems you're seeing and all of them have been solved by replacing the 2414 which leads us to believe that some marginal 2414's do fail under Snow Leopard.

You do know that the 1132CU is an X10 only interface, right? When you say you try to add a device and it says there's no PowerLinc, that makes me think you're trying to add an INSTEON device which the 1132CU doesn't support…

[matt (support)]

It would also be helpful if you copy/pasted the errors you are seeing in the Event Log window after it fails to connect. Lastly, make sure you have the correct interface type chosen in the Preferences dialog, and try different USB ports and cables.

I am now having this problem. "Failed to establish connection with interface."

I'm also getting this error at login to my computer:

The system extension “/System/Library/Extensions/IndigoOverrides.kext” was installed improperly and cannot be used. Please try reinstalling it, or contact the product’s vendor for an update.

I have a standard USB 2414U interface.

[matt (support)]

What changed between when it was working and when it started failing? New OS X version? Change Macs?

Try deleting that file (it will probably prompt you for your admin password -- enter it), and then re-run the Indigo installer and reboot to see if that helps.

What changed between when it was working and when it started failing? New OS X version? Change Macs?

Try deleting that file (it will probably prompt you for your admin password -- enter it), and then re-run the Indigo installer and reboot to see if that helps.

Deleting the file and reinstalling Indigo worked! I'm back up and running.

I had a permissions issue -- and don't ask how that happened -- and that may have been the culprit. It was resolved a week before this issue started but it's possible that the resolution didn't touch that file and it didn't show up until now.

Thanks!!
BYron

Short version of this post: Try repairing permissions and resetting the PowerLinc 2414.

Long version:

bcmayes said he may have had a permissions issue. My experience is somewhat similar.

I had repeated problems with wake from sleep on my 27" late-2009 iMac: various USB devices, including the PowerLinc 2414, would be unrecognized. Unplugging and changing where they were plugged in would usually solve the problem, albeit with LOTS of unplug/replug nonsense.

The problem got so bad that I sometimes couldn't wake the computer (I tried two different keyboards in multiple USB ports, without success). Eventually, after rebooting, I was able to get into single-user mode (holding down Cmd-S upon hearing the bong) and ran the often-helpful utility AppleJack which I have had installed on all my Macs for years. Among other things, AppleJack repairs permissions.

This fixed all my USB issues, but the PowerLinc -- although now recognized by the iMac, per System Profiler -- would not respond [see error message below]. Unplugged it from the wall outlet, held down its reset button for 15 seconds, replugged into the wall, and Indigo saw it immediately.

USB and PowerLinc and Indigo have been working with zero problems since then (which is only since yesterday, but one can hope...).

Posted here in case this helps someone else.

**************************************
Example error message from Indigo after USB permission fix but before PowerLinc reset:
Sep 20, 2012 4:51:12 PM
Connected to SmartHome PowerLinc USB E
Error resending previous command (timeout)
Error usb data write: timeout
Error usb data write: clearing pipes
Error usb data write: failed2 (0xE00002EB)
Power Failure possible power failure
Error usb data write: not open (closed during write)
Interface Failure failed to establish connection with USB interface PowerLinc 2414U

Sep 20, 2012 5:06:37 PM
Connected to SmartHome PowerLinc USB E
PowerLinc address 0E.12.A2, firmware version 2.13
PowerLinc standalone operation disabled
Indigo directly controlling automation logic

EDIT: Should have noted that I'm using Snow Leopard (10.6.8 ) and Indigo 5.1.5.

I have this issue with Mac OS X 10.8.2 and Indigo 5 using a Insteon 2413U. Works fine with Indigo 4.0, but fails on version 5. Any Help?

[matt (support)]

Did you recently upgrade your OS? Are you sure you have the latest FTDI drivers installed for the 2413U?

I'm 99.9% sure it isn't related to the Indigo 4 to 5 upgrade. Note the Indigo 5 installer doesn't touch the Indigo 4 files, so you can shutdown the Indigo 5 server and try Indigo 4 to see if it works.

Unfortunately I seem to have the same issue several others have posted here in the past. Indigo has a very tough time finding and staying connected to my PowerLinc 2413U, I'm using Indigo Pro 6.0.0 B10.

The PowerLinc is connected directly to my Mac's USB port (I've tried other USB ports, same issue). Every so often it finds it and I can execute some commands, most of the time it does not and gives me the error message of failing to connect the interface.

There was another suggestion earlier to look at the USB information on the Mac. This is what it shows:

FT232R USB UART:

Product ID: 0x6001
Vendor ID: 0x0403 (Future Technology Devices International Limited)
Version: 6.00
Serial Number: A600HSUV
Speed: Up to 12 Mb/sec
Manufacturer: FTDI
Location ID: 0x3d200000 / 2
Current Available (mA): 500
Current Required (mA): 90

Unfortunately Indigo is worthless without connecting to the interface so any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Below is a fraction of the log in case it might be helpful. Thanks.

2013-07-06 16:47:25 Application PowerLinc address 1C.F7.3C, firmware version 9.9
2013-07-06 16:48:02 Error resending previous command (timeout)
2013-07-06 16:48:05 Error resending previous command (timeout)
2013-07-06 16:48:05 Error SendInsteonMessage failed
2013-07-06 16:48:11 Error "Front Lights - Outdoor Appliance" on; send failed (no acknowledgment)
2013-07-06 16:48:43 Error PowerLinc not responding -- attempting reset
2013-07-06 16:48:43 Power Failure possible power failure
2013-07-06 16:48:46 Interface Failure lost connection with interface
2013-07-06 16:48:49 Application Connected to PowerLinc 2413U interface on port usbserial-A600HSUV
2013-07-06 16:48:49 Application PowerLinc address 1C.F7.3C, firmware version 9.9
2013-07-06 16:49:45 Error PowerLinc not responding -- attempting reset
2013-07-06 16:49:46 Power Failure possible power failure
2013-07-06 16:49:48 Application Connected to PowerLinc 2413U interface on port usbserial-A600HSUV
2013-07-06 16:49:48 Application PowerLinc address 1C.F7.3C, firmware version 9.9
2013-07-06 16:49:48 Interface Failure lost connection with interface
2013-07-06 16:50:20 Error PowerLinc not responding -- attempting reset
2013-07-06 16:50:20 Power Failure possible power failure
2013-07-06 16:50:23 Interface Failure lost connection with interface
2013-07-06 16:57:19 Application Indigo Cocoa client disconnected
2013-07-06 16:57:26 Application Indigo Cocoa client connected

[jay (support)]

Possibilities:

1. The USB cable is bad - try another one. If you have a USB printer it will be the same cable most likely.
2. You have significant signal noise on your power lines so the PowerLinc is getting confused and not responding.
3. The PowerLinc is failing. You can try a factory reset to see if that helps.

Thanks Jay. Some quick notes about your answers:

1- I will try a new USB cable. The one I'm using came with the PowerLinc and is brand new but I will give it a try with a different one.
2- I had a previous version of Indigo running at the property forever without any issues. I had to change the PowerLinc because my previous one was no longer supported. Also, the new PowerLinc is attached directly to the Mac via the USB cable.
3- I tried several factory resets, the PowerLinc starts back up, Indigo recognizes it right away, I may be able to send a couple of commands, and then it loses connection again.

I appreciate the help!

[jay (support)]

If the cable swap doesn't help and since it's new and still under warranty I think the next step would be to get a replacement and see if that makes a difference.

2- I had a previous version of Indigo running at the property forever without any issues. I had to change the PowerLinc because my previous one was no longer supported.

Unfortunately, signal noise can happen for a variety of reasons: some electrical device starts failing or some new thing you've plugged in for instance. That's the nature of power line signal noise unfortunately.

I just upgraded from Indigo 3.3 to Indigo 6 because the old version would no longer work once I upgrade to Mac OS 10.8. Now I have launched Indigo 6 and it says it can't find my Power Linc 1132CU. I have checked the USB cable and it is still plugged in since the last time I downloaded data to it. The interface configure menu show "PowerLinc Controller 2414U/1132UC (USB) selected. What else am I supposed to do to set up the connection?