Troubleshooting connectivity issues with Loadstar Sensors sensors or interfaces

On rare occasions, we get tech support calls from users whose computers have trouble detecting a sensor or interface. The steps below outline what you can do to troubleshoot the issue.

Check Device Manager

First make sure the load cell or interface shows up in the device manager. All our devices use an FTDI device driver to convert serial port signals to a USB virtual COM port. This virtual COM port will appear in the device manager as an "USB Serial Port" device under the "Ports" section. To launch the device manager,

• In Windows 7 or 8, just search for "Device Manager", or go to "Settings...PC Info...Device Manager'
• In Windows XP, right click on My Computer, then "Properties...Hardware...Device Manager'
  

Driver Installation

If the USB serial port entry does not show up then the drivers may not be properly installed. Reinstall the drivers from our Drivers page. The following devices need a S2U USB dongle to connect to the computer. Please make sure you are using such a dongle. You cannot use an off the shelf USB cable to connect the following devices to the computer.

• DI-100U
• DQ-1000U
• DQ-4000U
• DS-4000U
• iLoad
• iLoad TR
• iLoad Pro
• iLevel
• The DI-1000U and its variants do not need the S2U dongle. You can use an off-the-shelf cable to connect a DI-1000U to a computer.

Old Style		New Style

Also check the cable connections to make sure they are tight. If necessary try replacing the cable. If you have a lost or misplaced the dongle and/or cables, or if you have faulty cables or dongles, you can order new ones from Loadstar Sensors.

Other things to check:

• DI-100 -> Is the LED blinking? If not the dongle and/or cable issues. The DI-100 unit itself may be faulty.
• DI-1000 -> Check the power switch is turned on. (Some older units do not have power switches)
• iLoad series-> Try pushing the cable HARD into the load cell to ensure a good connection.

Dongle/Cable Failures

If the device manager does show a serial port entry and you still have connectivity issues, it is very likely that the dongle or the cable is damaged. If the unit is still under the 90 day warranty, we will replace the defective parts for free. Otherwise you can just order the needed replacements online.

Terminal Program

If you can connect, but the sensor reads 0 or invalid values, then you have to check the interface settings to see if the calibration data has been corrupted. To check the settings, you need a terminal program that can read and write to serial ports. If you are using Windows XP, the built-in Hyperterminal program can be used for this purpose. Otherwise, the open source program Putty can be used. This can be downloaded from here (for Windows) or from http://www.putty.org (Windows or Linux).

After launching Putty (putte.exe), click on "Serial" and then fill up the parameters as shown in the figure below:

Then click on Serial and setup serial port parameters. Make sure to set the Flow Control to None.

Then click on "Open". The terminal screen will be displayed. Hit the enter key a few times. You should see the letter "A". You can then different commands (depending on the device) to check the parameters.

Remote Support using join.me

To obtain remote support from Loadstar Sensors, you can use http://www.join.me web site. Navigate to the web ste using your browser (Your screens may look different from those shown below), then click on "Start Meeting".

You will then be asked to download a file and run it. You can either run it right away or save it on your computer and run it whenever necessary for remote support. (After the first time, you may be asked to register for a free account)

After you run it, you will see a screen similar to the one shown below with a 9 digit code. Please call us and provide this code. After we connect to your computer with this code, then click on the "Share Screen" button. We will then be able to look at your screen and help you troubleshoot.