Can't get windows 8 to see cn6 serial port

I have a UDOO dual basic (without ethernet or wifi). I was able to create a bootable micro sd and run Linaro Ubuntu 12.04 without any problem, but I have not succeeded in connecting to the serial port following the connecting-via-serial-cable tutorial.

I think I understand the steps. I installed the silabs driver (64 bit -- I have a Lenovo running Windows 8). I also checked that jumper J18 is connected. (I did not change any jumpers from the way it shipped.) Next I connected a USB cable (the charger/connector from an Android phone) to the UDOO cn6 usb connector.

I installed putty and tried to connect a serial session through every com port COM1-COM4 but it could not connect.

When I checked my Windows device manager, I saw there is one COM4 port assigned to bluetooth and no other COM ports. Turning off bluetooth didn't help.

When I look at USB devices, I just see generic hubs, and they are identical whether or not I plug in the UDOO.

To all appearances, plugging in the UDOO connector goes unnoticed by Windows. This suggests something beyond a driver problem. It's as if the connector just isn't powered on the UDOO side. Am I missing some Linux setup?

I'm also not sure if this only connects during boot. I think I tried that as well, but maybe not exhaustively.

(I'm also not seeing cn3 when I connect to the UDOO booted with Android, but that's for another day unless it's the same problem.)

Bottom line is that plugging into the micro USB ports is indistinguishable from leaving the cable unplugged. What am I doing wrong? Is there a command I need to run from Linux? Are my jumpers correct?

 

I still haven't had any luck with this. Can anyone tell me what I should expect to see? (Dual Basic/Windows 8)

I've tried this with Windows 8 and a Macbook. I've installed the silabs drivers in each case and next plugged a USB cable (borrowed from an android phone) into UDOO cn6 and the computer USB port.

I've tried this when booting the UDOO and at other times. There is nothing to suggest that either Windows or MacOs can see a device plugged in. Result is equivalent to letting the other side of the cable dangle in the air. J18 is connected (no change to jumpers since I bought the UDOO). Am I missing a step? The tutorial seemed pretty clear.

When I try to connect through Putty, it lets me set a configuration with COM3 but it won't connect. When I try with Tera Term it does not provide any additional com ports in the menu. Likewise on the Mac with serial tools. On Windows I have one other virtual COM4 for Bluetooth, but disabling bluetooth does not help.

I have verified that the internal serial port /dev/ttymxc3 works as expected and connects to the Arduino at 115200 baud. I completed the hello-world tutorial and made an LED blink on pin 13. I even updated it to allow me to type in the blink delays through the serial monitor. So Linaro Linux and the Arduino are both working, but I don't seem to be able to use the debug serial port at all.

Is there anything I need to configure on the UDOO side to turn it on (J18 is in). Is there a software setting? Has the author of the serial debug tutorial been able to get it to work on Windows 8 connected to Linaro Ubuntu 12.04?

Is it possible that my external serial connection is actually broken?

 

OK, I fixed this. It's actually pretty funny, though rather embarrassing.

I have a bunch of USB/mini-USB cables at home from different devices and assumed they were interchangeable. The one I picked to try out the serial debug connection was a power only cable! This only occurred to me after I had come close to giving up and mostly stopped thinking about it. After I thought of that, I tested the cable on something I knew would work (connect an Android phone to USB on a laptop) and the phone started charging but didn't connect.

So I tried a different USB cable for the UDOO serial connection and it works just as expected. Problem solved. Not sure what to conclude from this. The cable I scrounged was from a charger on a device that isn't supposed to be connected by USB so I'm not sure why I expected it to work as a USB cable except that it looked exactly like every other one and plugged into the same ports.