Skip to content
Binho Support
binho.io (opens in a new tab)Contact Us

Binho Nova: Troubleshooting

Fixes for a Binho Nova that is not detected, shows an unexpected LED colour, sits in its bootloader or has trouble with its pins.

The computer does not see the Nova

Section titled “The computer does not see the Nova”

The Nova is a USB serial device (CDC): a COM port on Windows, /dev/ttyACM* on Linux and /dev/cu.usbmodem* on macOS. Windows 10 and later, macOS and Linux include the driver.

  1. Try another USB cable and port. The cable must carry data, not only power.

  2. List the connected Novas:

    pip install binho
    binho info

    It prints each Nova’s serial number, COM port and firmware version, and says if a Nova is in bootloader or DAPLink mode.

  3. On Linux, add the current user to the serial group, usually dialout, so it may open the port: Solving USB Connection Issues on Linux.

  4. Close any other program that has the COM port open. Only one program can use it.

What the status LED means

Section titled “What the status LED means”

At power-up the status LED is yellow: the Nova is waiting for a program to open its COM port. When an application opens the port, the LED turns blue. A Nova that stays yellow is not being opened by the software: check that the program is using the right COM port.

Mission Control 3 does not see the Nova

Section titled “Mission Control 3 does not see the Nova”

Mission Control 3 does not support the Nova. Use Mission Control 2. See Supported Devices.

The Nova shows up as a USB drive

Section titled “The Nova shows up as a USB drive”

That is bootloader mode. The Nova enters it when ENTER BOOTLOADER MODE is clicked in Mission Control 2, and a firmware update uses it. To finish an update, copy a Nova .fig firmware file onto the drive and reconnect in Mission Control 2. See Firmware. If a file is rejected, check that it is the Nova’s file: the Supernova, Pulsar and Atira use different firmware. More on bootloader mode: Firmware and Bootloader.

Nothing happens on the pins

Section titled “Nothing happens on the pins”
  • The Nova uses 3.3 V logic only. It has no adjustable target voltage, so level-shift if the board runs at another voltage.
  • Connect ground between the Nova and the device under test.
  • The 3V3 and VUSB pins can power a small target, and the whole Nova draws at most 1 W from USB.
  • Check which pin does what in each mode: Hardware Reference.

Still stuck? Email [email protected] with the output of binho info, the operating system and the steps that led to the problem.