Cannot Maintain USB Connection For Firmware/Commander

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JustADude
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Cannot Maintain USB Connection For Firmware/Commander

Post by JustADude »

Hello. On my 2B, I'm finding that, in order to complete firmware updates or maintain a connection to Commander, I have to hold the 2B side of the USB cable firmly into my 2B in order to maintain the connection, or else Commander will report that it can no longer find the 2B, or a firmware update may fail and I'll have to retry. I've had my 2B for about a year now, and Commander gave me trouble from day 1 and assumed it was a driver issue, but ended up finding out the real issue when I wanted to update to the new beta: the connection between the 2B and my computer. I had to tightly hold the cable into my 2B for both the update and downgrade back to 2.106, and it's making me afraid to try again for fear of it not working the next time and I end up soft-bricking my 2B since it won't have a firmware installed. It's bad enough that, I had my thumb slip slightly and and my firmware update failed, causing some momentary panic before I found out the bootloader was still intact and I could try again. My thumb was quite sore after the 10 minutes or so it took to update the next time. Lol.

For more background, I'm not 100% convinced it's my 2B since it will pick up audio sources for stereo mode, so I believe the jack is fully functional, but then again audio has always felt kind of inconsistent/jumpy so I don't know. I've never found a file that's anywhere near as smooth as normal continuous/thrust modes and I'm not sure if that's just the nature of the audio processing or if something about the audio jack is messed up.

Is this a common issue? Would y'all happen to know anything that may cause this or what I might be able to do about it so I can feel safer installing new firmware?

Thanks


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mojitoman
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Re: Cannot Maintain USB Connection For Firmware/Commander

Post by mojitoman »

On my 2B the connection of the audio port seems to make better contact, by not pressing the plug in the socket, but rather retracting it about 1/2mm after plugging it all the way in.
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JustADude
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Re: Cannot Maintain USB Connection For Firmware/Commander

Post by JustADude »

mojitoman wrote: Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:52 pm On my 2B the connection of the audio port seems to make better contact, by not pressing the plug in the socket, but rather retracting it about 1/2mm after plugging it all the way in.
I gave that a shot on mine and unfortunately it didn't work. Mine has to be held pretty tightly against the audio jack in order for Commander to see the connection, and by extension the firmware updater.
JustADude
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Re: Cannot Maintain USB Connection For Firmware/Commander

Post by JustADude »

One realization I just made is it seems to work (in theory) if it's pressed hard enough such that the jack is fully/nearly flush with the 3.5MM plug; I'm pressing hard enough to bend the casing inward a bit. I'm gonna try buying a 3.5MM stereo extension on Amazon that's small enough to sit flush against the jack without any pressure and see if that lets me consistently update firmware and such.

Wish me luck. I'd love to be able to switch between 2.106 and the new firmware easily without worry of a soft-brick.
JustADude
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Re: Cannot Maintain USB Connection For Firmware/Commander

Post by JustADude »

Great news! Looks like using a 3.5MM extension that sits fully inside that little hole the 3.5MM jack is located in ensures I have a stable connection. I've pulled and wiggled the cables on both ends, and it seems to be solid. I can now use Commander for the first time and upgrade my firmware without worry. I might've just gotten some bad plastic on my 2B's outer shell that was angled outward too much from manufacturing, or a PCB that was set inside too deep for the connection to be stable.

I was able to change to the new firmware again without having to hold anything. It just worked(TM).

We're in business, lads!
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