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Omega 2s not working with Mini Dock serial terminal connection?



  • New Omega 2 and 2+s: tried Windows 7 running Putty -> USB connection to the Omegas in a Mini Dock as described here - https://docs.onion.io/omega2-docs/connecting-to-the-omega-terminal.html#connecting-to-the-omega-terminal-serial .
    LEDE loads Ok but no BusyBox command line and no response to any keyboard entries. Same setup with V1 Expansion Dock - BusyBox does load, the command line is accessible and it works fine. Omegas 2 (in same Mini Dock) are working as expected when I connect via wifi Putty SSH, BusyBox opens and command line works. The Mini Docks were purchased in 2015 and '16. These same docks and serial connections to my Omega 1 work with BusyBox.

    My concern is for when I toast the wifi configuration then can no longer connect to an Omega 2 via SSH ... this is when I will need to use a Mini Dock to connect via serial to the BusyBox command line ... I believe others have written here about this problem or a similar Omega 2 serial connection to Console access issue. Have you experienced this?

    Frankly, for USB/serial connections to the Omega 2 I believe there is some hardware or configuration issue with the Omega 2 and Mini Docks - BusyBox doesn't load and keyboard input doesn't work. I welcome any fix, I'm not afraid of solder or changing a config line - I'd like to get this working.



  • @Ken-Conrad Perhaps a power issue? When using the USB-serial interface, the power obviously comes from your USB port. All kind of problems can happen if the power is limited. I have ho problems using the serial interface (Expansion Dock).



  • Thanks for your suggestion. Yes, with an Extension Dock BusyBox works when connecting to my Omega2 via serial connection. The problem I wrote about is a USB/ serial connection problem with the Mini Dock.

    I doubt that it is a power problem because -

    1. I have used the same USB computer port and same USB cable to successfully connect to (ie power) the Omega2 on the Extension Dock.

    2. I used a USB power meter - http://www.ebay.com/itm/272009867116 to learn that the Omega2 on the Mini Dock is drawing only 160 - 190mA. 190mA is not a problem for a standard PC USB port, which is rated to 500 mA.

    I will rephrase my question ... Can anyone confirm the following - that their Omega2 or Omega2+ mounted on a Mini Dock works with a Putty serial connection (on a Windows, Mac or Linux machine) via USB cable to that Mini Dock's USB mini port, to start BusyBox and use the command line??

    Also, as others in the Community of users have stated, the Mini Docks' reset button does not work to reset the Omega2 or 2+. Hardware or firmware issue?



  • @Ken-Conrad Nice USB tester, btw. You've pretty much isolated the mini-dock as the problem. My next step would be using a scope on the RX0 and TX0 pins.



  • @Ken-Conrad well the reset works on my mini Dock since firmware 1.9 so you might want to give that a try.

    As far as the serial output to a terminal is concerned. On mine it will show the bootup sequence just fine through mobaxterm but only that..after that nothing and i have to access mine through ssh..

    Regards,

    Leo



  • @fossette Yes, that USB power meter is a bargain at less than $4 postpaid.

    Perhaps I should clarify - with the Omega2 in the Mini Dock serial terminal issue, in the Putty terminal screen I see LEDE booting and loading all the way to the end of that process, except that BusyBox never loads and then there is no command line. Using a 'scope ... to check whether there is any keyboard transmission on Rx0 line? and then see if I can trace a signal to the Rx0 pin on the omega2?

    Thanks,
    Ken



  • @Leo-de-Blaauw Thanks Leo for confirming your serial connection has no BusyBox or command line , also. We are now a community of two, I am convinced there are others out there.

    I believe all the Omegas I tested have been updated to firmware 1.9. I will re-confirm that reset is still a problem with 1.9 on the Mini Dock.



  • @Ken-Conrad said in Omega 2s not working with Mini Dock serial terminal connection?:

    with the Omega2 in the Mini Dock serial terminal issue, in the Putty terminal screen I see LEDE booting and loading all the way to the end of that process, except that BusyBox never loads and then there is no command line.

    That behavior doesn't make much sense...

    Using a 'scope ... to check whether there is any keyboard transmission on Rx0 line? and then see if I can trace a signal to the Rx0 pin on the omega2?

    That's what I meant, doesn't look relevant in regard to your latest details. Would perhaps the firmware re-assign the purpose of those pins midway through the boot process thus performing a harakiri "feature". I'm at a loss now.

    I'm not sure that BusyBox "never loads" though. You could see that with its Process ID (or ps start time statistic) if there is a long period of time before the SSH launch.


  • administrators

    hi all,
    To clear up any confusion:

    The old Mini Dock will power the Omega2/Omega2+ but will not operate properly for serial communication. This is due to the original Omega's logical high voltage being 2.5V and the voltage divider designed into the USB-to-Serial circuit.

    The new Mini Dock will 100% work with the original Omega, Omega2, and Omega2+



  • @Lazar-Demin said in Omega 2s not working with Mini Dock serial terminal connection?:

    The old Mini Dock will power the Omega2/Omega2+ but will not operate properly for serial communication. This is due to the original Omega's logical high voltage being 2.5V and the voltage divider designed into the USB-to-Serial circuit.

    The thing is, you seem to have made several versions of the old mini-dock. I forget his name, but a user here posted pictures of his dock that do not match the schematics you have on your Github -- why not have the schematics for all the versions?



  • @WereCatf said in Omega 2s not working with Mini Dock serial terminal connection?:

    a user here posted pictures of his dock that do not match the schematics you have on your Github -- why not have the schematics for all the versions?

    That would be Luciano S. see his photos here. @WereCatf, you have my vote.



  • @Lazar-Demin Welcome back to this community. Your reply confirms what I concluded a month ago when I started this thread - serial RX0 doesn't work on the "old" Mini Docks for Omega2s. (Wouldn't V1 Mini Dock sound better?) For me, an Omega2 without serial Console access is driving blind.

    By the way, I looked up the Kickstarter page where I pledged for my Omega2s. The photos of the Mini Docks look identical to "Old" Mini Docks I have here, same layout chip count, etc ... I could feel misled.

    I'm willing to forget that stuff IF you would kindly advise how I can modify (ie using solder and some part or wire) these "Old" docks to have serial work with the Omega2. You/ Onion might also apologize to the Omega veterans who have been scratching their heads and throwing some parts around while attempting to make their "Old" mini docks fully work with the Omega2s. You could have simply told us in the roll-out of the Omega2s, in tech such changes are accepted as "progress and improvements".



  • @Ken-Conrad A voltage-divider is basically just two resistors. Remove the one that goes to GND and replace the other one with a 0 Ohm-one or remove it and short the pads. I can't tell you which resistors they are on the dock, however, without actually having the dock.



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