Binho Pulsar: Troubleshooting
Find the symptom, then open the page. The steps are the same for the Pulsar and the Supernova, so each is written once and linked here.
| Symptom | Page |
|---|---|
| The adapter stops answering, times out, or resets itself | Adapter Stops Responding |
| The adapter shows up as a USB drive or as “bootloader”, or a firmware file is rejected | Firmware and Bootloader |
| The adapter is not found on Windows or macOS | Windows and macOS |
| The adapter is not found on Linux, or its serial number is empty | Solving USB Connection Issues on Linux |
| mc3.binho.io does not see or keep the adapter | Mission Control 3 in the Browser |
Specific to the Pulsar
Section titled “Specific to the Pulsar”- In bootloader mode the adapter mounts a USB drive named PULSAR. See Firmware and Bootloader.
- Firmware for the Pulsar is named
pulsar-app-<version>.afx. Never load Supernova firmware on a Pulsar. See Firmware. - Mission Control 2.16.1 and earlier do not work with Pulsar firmware 4.x. Use Mission Control 3.
- The Pulsar appears as both a USB HID device and a USB serial port. If the serial port is missing, or behaves as RS-485 or CAN-FD when UART is expected, check the mode: Virtual COM Port Modes.
- On Linux the Pulsar needs a
udevrule, installed once. See Solving USB Connection Issues on Linux.
Known limitations (firmware 4.6.x)
Section titled “Known limitations (firmware 4.6.x)”- VTARG on 4.6.x and earlier: a voltage Set connects the Pulsar’s supply onto a self-powered target. Use
use_external_voltage()with a self-powered target. - SPI reads above the wiring’s clock ceiling come back shifted one bit, reported as success. Read at a conservative clock and bound flash
WIPpolls. - A 0-byte SPI controller transfer returns
0x000Con 4.6.1 and earlier; 4.6.2 returnsINVALID_PARAMETER. Do not send 0-byte transfers. - I2C default timing on 4.6.1 and earlier: without a duty cycle, some frequencies run above the request (550 kHz → 600 kHz), and a rate above 3 MHz or below 11 Hz answers success while the bus runs at about 11 Hz. Set a duty cycle, or use 100 kHz, 400 kHz or 1 MHz.
- I2C target mode after heavy 16 KB bulk traffic can time out when it is armed. Reset the adapter before arming target mode.
- SPI target mode can skip the first byte sent back in the first transaction after a role change. Ignore the first transaction, or re-arm.
- CAN-FD mode: 16 KB bulk transfers are unavailable while the serial port is in CAN-FD mode. Switch back to UART pass-through for bulk work.
Still stuck? Collect the details listed in Collect Information for Support and email [email protected].