I can't communicate with my UbiSwitch Module's CLI

BotBlox Hardware
1

– Copied from customer query –

My team are trying to talk to the UbiSwitch over a UART connection. Initially this is from the on-board microcontroller. When this did not work, they tried directly with a USB to serial converter. They are not seeing any splash screen on startup, which the documentation suggests they should expect.

We ordered 10 UbiSwitch modules which were delivered on 1st May 2024. Are these likely to have had BloxOsLite on them (which was released shortly before this date)?

If not, would we expect to see anything on the UART on start-up, and what is our easiest path to upgrading the firmware?

2

There is one of four potential reasons for the behaviour you see.

Reason 1: You have UbiSwitch Module Revision A

Revision A cannot run BloxOSLite management software. I checked your order and I don’t believe you have revision As. But definitely worth a quick check, take a look at the bottom of the board. BB-UBS-A-1 is revision A, BB-UBS-B-1 is revision B.

Screenshot 2024-09-11 at 11.08.48.png

Reason 2: You have an unflashed UbiSwitch Module, Revision B, with 64Kb Microcontroller

Annoying, there are currently two versions of revision B out there in the wild; one with a 64Kb microcontroller, and one with a 128Kb microcontroller. This was due to us needing to increase the size of the microcontroller later to accommodate more functionality. Both can run BloxOsLite, but the difference is that the 64Kb version cannot be updated via UART, whereas the 128Kb can.

To solve this, you need to flash it with the firmware. Instructions on how to identify whether your board is 64Kb or 128Kb, and how to flash it can be found here.

Reason 3: You have an unflashed UbiSwitch Module, Revision B, with 128Kb Microcontroller

In this case, you simply need to flash the module with the latest firmware. Follow this guide here.

Reason 4: UbiSwitch is flashed correctly, but there’s some issue with communication

All UbiSwitches we ship now have the firmware pre-loaded. You can check if yours is preloaded if the red LED illuminates for a few seconds on startup. If that happens, and there’s still no communication, then just the usual checks (right COM port, common ground between converter and UbiSwitch, TX and RX the right way round) apply.

The red LED is here.
Screenshot 2024-09-11 at 11.25.49