gecko will not connect on any comp.

[IRS]

Well... i honestly have no clue what the heck could be wrong this time.. I was toying around with GUI and .NET as usual. everything is going fine.. then for some reason both will no longer connect to the USB gecko. Gecko OS says that the USB gecko is in the right memory slot.. however the computers wont recognize it (both of the laptops i have used before.. one being windows XP and the new one being windows 7.) both fail on recognizing the device and connecting to it. any ideas what the heck would cause this error? i check the gecko itself (opened the cover) nothing looks damaged.. scorched or anything.. i dont get how the thing would just "stop" working out of no where...

any help would be appreciated... thanks.

I R S

[IRS]

as i said before. nothing appears physically wrong with the gecko. i also tested it on my old wii that wouldnt read discs to see if WiirdGUI would even attempt to load or anything.. same error as the new wii. also NO computer recognizes the gecko as a drive any longer.. im going to try to re custom install it to see if it works.. anyone wanting to give me some fast tips on installing drives that the computer does not recognize would be appreciated.. (i did it already on this comp.. but i forgot what i was doing...

[dcx2]

Do you hear the hot-plug sound when you connect/disconnect the USB cord from the PC?  and/or do you see "USB Serial Converter" under the Universal Serial Bus Controllers node in Device Manager?  or any yellow question marks or exclamations anywhere in Device Manager?

When you attach a USB device to a computer, it pulls up on the data lines.  The PC sees this pull and says "oh hey look at that...we've got ourselves a USB device that just attached to the bus!  Mr. unknown USB device, will you please enumerate for me?"

The device will then say "sure Mr. PC, here are my descriptors."  The PC will then use the descriptors to find the right driver.  The device will then show up in Device Manager.

If you hook up a device, but the CPLD is broke, then it will probably make it through enumeration, and it will appear as a "USB Serial Converter", but with the EXI<->serial conversion is broken, there will be no communication with Gecko OS.

If the FTDI chip is broke, then it will probably announce its presence on the bus...and then fail to reply with the descriptors.  In this case, Windows will complain about unknown device (with VID/PID 0000/0000).  It knows that something is attached to the bus but it has no idea what the device is so it can't load any drivers.

However, if something is wrong with the cable or connector on the USB Gecko, it's possible that the device will not even announce its presence on the USB bus...and you will get no messages and nothing in Device Manager.  In this case, try a different cable, and/or make sure that the cable connects securely with the device.

[IRS]

Do you hear the hot-plug sound when you connect/disconnect the USB cord from the PC?  and/or do you see "USB Serial Converter" under the Universal Serial Bus Controllers node in Device Manager?  or any yellow question marks or exclamations anywhere in Device Manager?

I do not get the hot plug in noise. thats one of the things im trying to figure out exactly.. I had the USB Serial Converter there.. but now like a moron i deleted it off of this computer.. and was trying to re-install it in hopes of getting it to work again.. only problem.. i forget exactly what it was i did to install it the first time.. (not the smartest move i know that lol)

When you attach a USB device to a computer, it pulls up on the data lines.  The PC sees this pull and says "oh hey look at that...we've got ourselves a USB device that just attached to the bus!  Mr. unknown USB device, will you please enumerate for me?"

after deleting the serial converter (ie erasing the data from the computer..) it should** recognize it as a new driver.. however i got nothing in the manner of the computer detecting a new device. it just complete "fails" to recognize that it is connected.. for any computer...

The device will then say "sure Mr. PC, here are my descriptors."  The PC will then use the descriptors to find the right driver.  The device will then show up in Device Manager.

If you hook up a device, but the CPLD is broke, then it will probably make it through enumeration, and it will appear as a "USB Serial Converter", but with the EXI<->serial conversion is broken, there will be no communication with Gecko OS.

If the FTDI chip is broke, then it will probably announce its presence on the bus...and then fail to reply with the descriptors.  In this case, Windows will complain about unknown device (with VID/PID 0000/0000).  It knows that something is attached to the bus but it has no idea what the device is so it can't load any drivers.

However, if something is wrong with the cable or connector on the USB Gecko, it's possible that the device will not even announce its presence on the USB bus...and you will get no messages and nothing in Device Manager.  In this case, try a different cable, and/or make sure that the cable connects securely with the device.


ok. well i think ive determined that its the USB 2.0 cable in that my wii's recognize the device properly.. so its not a total failure on that side of the problem.. I have checked.. rechecked.. and tried to "wiggle" the connectors to see if anything would connect.. work or anything and i have them as well connected as they ever were before.. is it some how possible for the USB cable to up and fail randomly and just need to be replaced? if so what is a good place to get a replacement? (tried looking at bestbuy and couldnt find anything that looked like what i was looking for..) i would also kinda like a faster fix.. as im starting school soon.. and have a nice sized lead on a cool hack (map swapping) and would like to be able to finish it before monday.. :(

-edit-

also i was checking the device manager to see if there were any labels for the serial converter.. nothing with a yellow sign next to it.. no name that is for the USB Serial Conveter shows up in the device manager either. (probably in due to me being stupid and removing it..) however on the other comp i know that the driver is still there and properly working... so now i just have to get the darned thing to be recognized by my computer and getting it to work properly.. now to try to find an error with the connector cable..

also thanks dcx2 your help is always very appreciated :)

[dcx2]

You want a usb mini-b cable.  Like this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=usb+mini+b+cable

If you can, try to get one with ferrite beads.  The beads will look something like this.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_bead  It's okay if the cable doesn't have them though.

[conanac]

Just to share, last time I had this similar problem (i.e. Wii through HBC and GeckoOS apps recognize the device, but PC cannot), and after I changed the USB cable, it has been working again.

I think in my case, after a few years of usage, the life of the original USB cable has hit its expiration time.

[IRS]

ok :) i shall track one down! *looks around local stores websites*

im hoping its just the cable... i dont want to wait for my gecko to get here.... again.... :\ and thats what doesnt make any sense to me.. nothing appears wrong on the actual chip for the gecko.. nothing bent.. scratched or anything.. it looks pristine and brand new..

*edit before post*

what i dont get it.. my gecko is only a few months old.. more of around 2-3 so it cant have THAT much wear on it (unless leaving it hooked up nearly 24/7 counts...) but then again.. it was shipped via airmail.. from thailand.. heat could have gotten to it. lol who knows. i just hope it works though.

*moar edit*
off to radioshack in the morning to see if i cant find it there.. it shows online that they have them.. now to actually make sure *wish me luck* lol

[dcx2]

ew, Radio Shack?  Isn't there a Best Buy near you?  Or even a Wal Mart?

[IRS]

lololol yes id prefer bestbuy. and walmart is insanely close. ill check both of those first then.. i am guessing you dont have good experiences with radioshack then? (never purchased stuff there myself...) ill check to see if those places have them..

also on a side note of helping other people.. what would be a good board to post some ASM tips in? (id like to basically expand on the ones that are in the collective..)

[dcx2]

Radio Shack is very expensive and their selection is very limited.  Yuck.  I would totally prefer Newegg to Best Buy or Wal Mart etc.  And I would prefer DigiKey to Radio Shack.

I tend to post my guides in the Wii Game Hacking Help thread.  I eventually plan to make an ASM thread in the Collective (sooner or later) that links to the various guides, examples of people's codes, etc.

[IRS]

haha ok understood ;) and i would order from newegg.. but i dont really want to have to wait that long.. so a place that has what i need and instock (better than radioshack) i would prefer to buy from.. ive found a couple places already..

and ok! you should go ahead and do that ;) i know when i was trying to figure them out that i was getting lost a lot... and your examples/explanations are very thorough and helpful for "thinking" in the same manner that the ASM works. the faster people get that.. the better hackers they are ;) lol

[IRS]

ok. (yes dcx2 radioshack sucks lol. got a usb cable just to test to see if that was the problem. nope. good news is its not that..)

when i just opened up my comp again i got the rare "sighting", the pc indicated error with usb connector ->clicked on it. pulls up a few descriptions....

well these are the print screens i got from that. i still have the windows up.. so any detailed stuff you would like to know i can grab real fast. but i figured these 3 were the most relevant.






sorry for the noobness.. not really sure what that means though.. do i need to just buy a new gecko? (basically meaning this one is fried somehow?) or is there some way of fixing it? ie.. re-installing the data for the usb gecko.. back on it again?


if it just takes you to my photobucket account.. its the first 3 pictures. feel free to browse though :P i have a few pictures of the hacks ive been working on (the first dark one is my favorite.. and i need the gecko to finish it entirely. its supposed to be a full data map swap.. but im having a little pain in swapping the  maps graphics around)

[dcx2]

Those pictures are in an album that has a password.

[IRS]

damn... lol ok finding a different method.. :\

*fixed*

[dcx2]

You tried a new cord and you get the same result?

That's what happens if the device isn't responding with descriptors during enumeration.  You will get the unknown device.  On the details tab, the Device Instance Id dropdown box will show VID and PID are both 0000