Difference between revisions of "Troubleshooting Downloads"

Latest revision as of 15:37, 4 August 2014

If you are having trouble downloading from your device, please follow through these steps carefully.

Make sure you have installed a USB driver

First, ensure you have the correct USB driver installed. Depending on your device and the type of cable you use, this driver will vary. Please see the supported devices page on the MacDive website for a current list of supported devices and which drivers to use.

If your cable is not listed (ie it is from another vendor or is a DIY cable) then you will need to find out what chipset the cable or adapter uses and find the appropriate USB driver. Generally starting at the manufacturers website is a good idea.

Make sure the device is in transfer mode

Some models automatically go into Data Transfer mode when they are connected to an appropriate cable. Some, such as the Suunto Mosquito, require you to manually start transfer mode. Please consult your owners manual to find out the correct procedure.

Configure MacDive

MacDive attempts to guess where your dive computer is connected on the system. Sometimes other things can confuse it. Try going to Preferences -> Advanced, and clicking "Scan for serial port". If there are a few things in the list, you have to try and choose the correct one.

Some common ones are:

   * /dev/tty.usbserial-ST000001    (Suunto, FTDI Driver)
   * /dev/tty.usbserial-20030001    (Oceanic, FTDI Driver)
   * /dev/tty.usbserial (Reefnet Sensus Ultra, their driver)

If you find there are other things in the list (Nokia modems, iPhones, etc) please choose a different serial port and try again. MacDive will retain this value permanently, so this step is only required once. A little bit of logic will help you here - "Failed connecting to dive computer on serial port "/dev/tty.Bobs_iPhone" is probably not your dive computer!

Error Messages

Failed to connect to serial port XXX

If you get this message, please read it carefully - if you see a serial port such as "MyiPhone" or "BluetoothModem" in the error, or something else that is obviously unrelated to your dive computer, make sure you have used Scan For Serial Port in preferences and picked the appropriate one. Of course, these are not always obvious - they won't say "MyDiveComputer", but there are some things that will obviously not be correct.

Failed to read header information

If you get this error message, the most common cause is that you don't have a good connection to your device. For some, it can be tricky to get the cable on correctly. Jiggle it around and try importing a couple of times, it is frequently the case that the cable is just not quite connected right. In some cases, it is very easy to plug the cable in upside down.

USB Hubs

USB Hubs can sometimes interfere with a connection. If you are having problems, make sure your device is plugged directly in to your computer, not through a USB hub.

Jiggle

Certain devices can be tricky to get connected properly. They may show that they are in transfer mode, but may still not have a good connection. The OC1 is a common example of this. Sometimes you need to try importing a few times and giving the cable a bit of a jiggle around to get things to happen correctly. Don't give up immediately - as silly as it sounds, this is a very common issue.

Low Battery

Make sure your battery is not low. Some devices will not allow you to download data if they have low battery. Note: some devices will go into PC transfer mode with low battery, but still not let you download. If you have low battery, replace it and attempt to download again. Sometimes downloads will intermittently work with low battery, but you will run in to issues so it is best to get the battery changed.

If all else fails...

99% of problems are resolved by other things mentioned on this page. In almost all of the support email received about download issues, something on this page resolves it. So if you are sure you have tried everything and you still have no luck, the next thing to do is test your device with the official manufacturer software.

This is the best way to rule out that there is no fault with the cable or device. If you can't download with the official software, then chances are it won't work in MacDive either.

Before contacting support, please verify that you can do so.

Device Specific Notes

If you have any tips for your particular device, please email support so they can be added here.

Atomic Aquatics Cobalt

When you go to enable USB mode under Settings, ensure you press select a second time and you see the green "CONNECTED!" text.

OSTC

Please ensure you are at the main menu. Downloads will not work from sleep mode, or from other menus.

Oceanic VT4

Ensure your cable is connected the right way - it is very easy to plug in upside down!

Oceanic Pro Plus 2, 2.1, 3

By far and away the most common problem with these devices is plugging your cable in upside down. It fits both ways, as with the VT4, but will only work one way. If you have problems failing to connect, then ensure your cable is plugged in the right way.