ZBasic Forum

I find that the IDE cannot open an FT232R USB serial converter, claiming the port is "either invalid or already in use".

I notice when using the same device on the Basic-X IDE that incoming data is garbled for about 200mS after starting the processor. I'd not noticed this before since I customarily start my code with a short delay. I only see this garbled period with the FTDI ports.

Is is possible that the IDE, too, is acting on a garbled response from the port driver?

GTBecker wrote:I find that the IDE cannot open an FT232R USB serial converter, claiming the port is "either invalid or already in use".

I notice when using the same device on the Basic-X IDE that incoming data is garbled for about 200mS after starting the processor. I'd not noticed this before since I customarily start my code with a short delay. I only see this garbled period with the FTDI ports.

Is is possible that the IDE, too, is acting on a garbled response from the port driver?

I have an FTDI-chip-based USB-to-serial dongle - one of those that has the DB9 and USB in one plastic unit, no cable. I just plugged it into my XP Pro PC for the first time since I installed this OS. I told it to look for drivers - I didn't provide it with a specific driver file. It installed as COM3 and shows FTDI drier version 2.0. The ZBasic IDE is able to use COM3 and ID the ZX24a.

It sounds like others use FTDI-based adapters successfully with XP SP2.

I've tried these on three machines here which produced the same behavior. Only one has the development drivers on it; the others just loaded XP's default FTDI drivers when I plugged the adapters in the first time. Other terminal programs and IDEs open the port - with a short suspect pause, it seems, at open - but can use the port.

Still, the ZBasic IDE doesn't like it.

GTBecker wrote:It sounds like others use FTDI-based adapters successfully with XP Pro, but the FT232R is relatively new and is not what you have in your dongle, I suspect.

I am running XP SP2. I have several USB adapters that work with the ZBasic IDE. In particular I have a FT232R circuit board that works just fine.

Does it work from the command line but not the IDE? Did you check the installation of the device drivers?

> ... I have a FT232R circuit board that works just fine.

OK, that's what I needed to hear. I guess it's local...

Thanks.

Solved. I removed an underlying old version of the IDE (0.27), and the current version, then used FTClean to remove the remnants of FTDI drivers before rebooting and reinstalling the ports and the IDE. All is well.