:: Research Group Embedded Interaction :: Media Informatics :: Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
Particle USBBridge How-To
Please see the latest USBBridge Software from TecO which comes with a 'personalized' driver for the USB2Serial chip from FTDI! There is also a how-to describing how you can update your old bridge.
Please see our Particle How-To page for an overview as well and our page on the XBridge.
The USBBridge installation is describe in the read me at TecO's developer page.
Loopback Device Installation
If you intend to use the USBBridge on e.g. a laptop that is not connected to a network all the time, it is the best to install a network loopback adapter. Otherwise, without a network connection, the USBBridge software will not work.
To install the Microcosft network loopback adapter, perform the following steps:
- Start the Add Hardware from the Control Panel.
- Click 'Next' to go to the introduction dialog box.
- Select 'Yes, I have already connected the hardware', then click Next.
- Scroll to the bottom of the list of hardware, select 'Add a new hardware device', then click 'Next'.
- Select 'Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced)', then click 'Next'.
- Select 'Network adapters', then click Next.
- Select Microsoft as the manufacturer, select 'Microsoft Loopback Adapter' as the adapter, then click Next.
- Click 'Next' to go to the confirmation page.
- Click 'Finish' to complete the installation.
There now will be a new adapter under 'Network Connections'.
Driver Installation
Before starting, get the latest drivers for the USBBridge. You can find them at http://www.ftdichip.com. Now, plug in the USBBridge in any USB port. Make sure to manually select the directory with the newly downloaded drivers.
USBBridge Program - Windows Version
In contrast to the XBridge, the USBBridge requires the USBBridge program to run. If not running, no data is available in e.g. APS Config or the Particle Analyzer. After starting the USBBridge program, make sure to enter '5556' as receive port. Click the 'Start' button then. Sometimes this works only after we used port '6000' as receive port (clicked on 'Start', 'Stop') and changed the receive port back to '55556'. See the pictures below. They describe how to set up the ports correctly for usage with the USBBridge.
Setup of Ports for not interfering with existing XBridges:
Setup of Ports for using the APS Config with an USBBridge.
Setup of Ports for using the Particle Analyzer with an USBBridge.
You should now be able to use the APS Config, the Particle Analyzer or any other program based on the libparticle as usual. You can use your software without any changes.
USBBridge Program - Java Version
The Java Version of the USB Bridge is available on the TECO website. It requires substantially more resources and does not perform too well on e.g. my laptop (Pentium 4 Mobile 600 MHz). This will result in much packet losses. But the program itself runs fine on faster machines.