Connection Troubleshooting

Overview

For an overview of the connection process, see ECU Connection.

If you are still having problems after following this guide, you can visit the GEMS Forum or contact GEMS for assistance.

Common Connection Problems

There can be many causes of connection problems. The most common causes are usually straight forward and easy to solve:

  • Does the ECU have power?
  • Is the cable connecting the ECU to the PC securely attached?
  • Have you selected the correct port in your connection settings?
  • If connecting via a Serial connection, are you using the correct baud rate? (Baud Rates)

Ethernet Firewalls

IP Address Allocation

GEMS ethernet enabled ECUs require the IP address to be automatically allocated. This is the default setting for most computers so in most cases the ECU will be detected and connect without changing any settings. However if the settings are not correct you may need to change to get coms started. Go to the network connections window either by searching Network connections or from the control panel. Double-click on the ‘Ethernet’ Icon.

This will show the Ethernet Status window. Click on ‘Properties’.

You should then see the Ethernet Properties window.

Select Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IPv4) and click ‘Properties’.

The “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically” options should be both selected and the 5 manual selection boxes should be empty.

If they are not empty click on ‘Use the following option’ and delete the contents and then reselect the ‘Obtain … Automatically’ options.

Firewall settings

If the connection is still not working and if the ECU name is found in the Connection Setup... window, the Firewall rules may need adjusting.

These should normally be set by installing GWv4 but if there has been an update it may need resetting. The simplest method is to re-install GWv4.

During the install or at application startup, if you are asked to allow GWv4 in the firewall then ‘Agree’.

It may be necessary to add the GWv4 to your firewall manually, particularly if you are using a 3rd party firewall such as Norton®. Instructions for allowing GWv4 through 3rd party firewalls will vary - refer to your firewall vendor for details.

For allowing the application through the Windows Defender Firewall, refer to Microsoft Firewall & network protection in Windows Security.

If you are having trouble configuring this, either visit the GEMS Forum or contact GEMS for assistance.

Telemetry Stream Mode

Some ECUs use the same serial port used for GWv4 connections for telemetry output.

Such ECU’s will start streaming telemetry data from the port a short time after the ECU has been powered on. If this has occurred then power cycle the ECU while GWv4 is attempting to connect.

It helps to have the correct baud rate set in these circumstances, since using the automatic baud rate detection can take a while and the ECU may enter into telemetry stream mode before the correct baud rate has been found.

You can set the baud rate directly from the Connect Progress dialog or in the Advanced tab of Connection Settings.

For a list of baud rates for many of our products, see Baud Rates.

“Cannot Open Port”

If the connection popup says “Cannot Open Port”, this suggests that the port cannot be opened due to one of the following situations:

  • You are using a USB-Serial adaptor and plugged into a different USB port so it is no longer on the came COM channel.

    • To resolve this, open ECU | Connection Setup…
    • Select the appropriate port.
    • ConnectShift+F7

  • The port is in use by another application. Applications cannot usually share serial ports. Close / disconnect any other applications that could be using it.

    It may also be worth trying to temporarily disabling your virus scanner in case this is causing a conflict. We would recommend physically disconnecting your PC from the internet if doing so.

  • The port is in use by a program that recently crashed. Reboot the system and try again.

USB to Serial adapters

USB to serial adapters vary significantly and some products do not work well with GWv4. We have found that ATEN adapters tend to work well and we can supply these to you on request.

There are also some USB-Serial adaptors on the market that are using counterfeit microprocessors. In such cases the adaptor vendors may have disabled the device. It is possible to check for this in Windows Device Manager.

If you are having trouble connecting with a USB to Serial adapter try using a different USB port on your PC. This sometimes resolves problems, particularly on laptop PC’s running off the mains that could introduce noise on some USB ports but not others.

Sometimes the USB connector does not make good contact with the socket. A small squeeze of the connector on the cable with your thumb can sometimes improve things. This is only necessary if the PC cannot see the adapter at all (it does not appear in the windows Device Manager).

What else can I try?

  • Check that there is sufficient battery voltage to the ECU. This is generally 12 volts. If your battery voltage is low, then you may experience comms drop-outs or no comms at all.

  • Is there sufficient protection from electrical noise on your connection cable? Can you connect when the ECU is powered but the engine is not running?

  • Check the communications cable using a continuity tester or multi-meter. In particular, test the TX and RX lines between the ends of the cable.

  • Open the Comms Monitor to check if data is being sent by the PC and being returned by the ECU. Requests from the PC are displayed in blue text and responses from the ECU are displayed in red. You should see a red response for every blue request.

  • Check the ECU Status Window to see if there have been any errors.

I get a blue screen or a reboot when using the connection setup window

This is due to a bug in driver software.

Try bringing up Windows® Device Manager and checking if you have a “Soft Data Fax Modem” under the “Modems” item. If you do, this is known to have caused problems in the past but recent editions of GWv4 have a workaround that should avoid the problem.

Right click the item and select ‘Disable’.

It could also be due to the X25 driver. If this is installed then please try removing it and connect using a serial port instead.

It could also be due to a conflict with the LEGO Mindstorms driver. For now, the only solution is to remove the libusb filter driver which will require some software. The ordinary driver should be OK.