Serial port says "Serial 1" instead of "audio player"

veronica

I'm using Bpod Gen2 and Analog Output Modules to deliver sound.
Sometimes when I set up Bpod, the window for the first serial port on the Bpod console says audio player as if the machine could automatically identify that the module connected is an AOM. However, some other times it just says Serial 1. In both cases I see a COM port as an option when I open the USB config from the Bpod console, and I can pair it with the serial port I want. But the object is still called serial, so my code can't find the module.
What can I do for it to identify the audio player?
thanks!!

Josh

Hi Veronica,

When the state machine first connects to the Bpod application, it sends a request for any connected modules to return a self-description. Normally, when modules are idle, they continuously check their port for incoming commands - but if the module is (for whatever reason) in the middle of an operation (e.g. if it is stuck waiting for bytes to arrive over USB), it may not return a self-description. Module ports that do not return a description are automatically named 'SerialN' where N is the module index.

In cases where you're seeing 'Serial1', what was the rig doing just before (i.e. was there a crash? Or did the previous protocol end normally?)
If you press the 'Module refresh' button on the Bpod console, does it return to the correct module name?

-Josh

veronica

hi Josh,

thanks for your help! i am actually working on brand new rigs, so the machine and the module were not doing anything before. and the refresh button doesn't fix it. i have tried restarting matlab and launching Bpod again too, to no avail.

thanks again!

Josh

Hi Veronica,

About how often do you see 'Serial1' and how often do you see 'AudioPlayer1'?

If you unplug and re-plug the analog output module's USB cable and then press 'Refresh' on the GUI, does the module register itself correctly?

How long is the CAT5 cable you're using to connect the analog module to the state machine? If you swap out the cable for a new one (6ft or shorter, ideally as short as possible) does that fix the issue?

Thanks,
-Josh