Request for help with "Serial port exception"

[hoall]

Hi,

I am just getting started with the TinySA Ultra. I already upgraded the firmare to the latest version tinySA4_v1.4-177-g1687fbc.bin.

I found your project and did the following steps on my Linux Mint 22:

1. git clone
2. cd into it
3. python3 -m venv env
4. source env/bin/activate
5. pip install -r requirements.txt
6. python3 QtTinySA.py

Everthing works so far except that I get a pop up stating "Searial port exception". The commandline gave me a few hints:

python3 QtTinySA.py Database QtTSAprefs.db found at /home/felix/.config/QtTinySA QtTSAprefs.db open: True QtTinySA v0.11.8 MESA: error: ZINK: failed to choose pdev glx: failed to create drisw screen Serial port exception. A possible cause is that your username is not in the "dialout" group.

So I added myself to dialout, logged out and back in. Still the same issue.

Regarding the MESA error I found this as an solution:

LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 python3 QtTinySA.py

My python magic is not strong, so I kindly ask for your help. My first naiv thought is that it could be the venv?

Kind Regards

[g4ixt]

I haven't seen that MESA error before. The 'serial port exception' comes from error trapping in the 'testPort' function, so that may be a separate issue but you could try running it as 'root' (sudo) and if that stops the serial port error you will know that's a permissions issue. It needs to be able to access the USB port, so perhaps check if you are also in the 'plugdev' group?

The MESA issue is something to do with your graphics drivers I think. Try searching on Google for "MESA: error: ZINK: failed to choose pdev glx: failed to create drisw screen" and see what that shows.

You could also try the Linux executable and if that is the same then it's probably not you venv.

Ian

[water-carrier3]

I'm getting the same error on Manjaro using the QtTinySA.bin after chmod u+x. I added myself to the dialout and plugdev group.

To be fair i don't think it's a grouppermission issue because i was already added to the uucp group (Arch version of dialout) and I did get it to work when I ran the binary under root which was neither part of dialout/uucp/plugdev...

[g4ixt]

I will try to help but I am not a Linux Guru despite having used it for many years. Could you try this at the command line without the tinySA connected, then with it connected:

ian@pi4-8gb:~ $ ls /dev/ttyA*
/dev/ttyACM0

ian@pi4-8gb:~ $ ls /dev/ttyA*
/dev/ttyACM0 /dev/ttyACM1

So on my Pi4 the tinySA is on port /dev/ttyACM1
Now in a serial port terminal application, such as GTKTerm, chose that port in "configuration" and press enter. You should then see this:

?
ch>

If you type: version
and press enter you should see something like this:

ch> version
tinySA4_v1.4-177-g1687fbc
HW Version:V0.4.5.1
ch>

If you do this it will at least prove that your serial port is working and communicating with the tinySA with your normal user login.

By the way in case you notice that my example above is on PiOS, the binary file doesn't work on Pi hardware, as it wasn't built for ARM64, but the Python does:

ian@pi4-8gb:~/QtTinySA $ python3 QtTinySA.py
QStandardPaths: wrong permissions on runtime directory /run/user/1000, 0770 instead of 0700
Personal configuration database found at /home/ian/.config/QtTinySA
Database open: True
QtTinySA v0.11.7
Serial port /dev/ttyACM1 open: True
/dev/ttyACM1 test 0 : tinySA4_v1.4-177

[water-carrier3]

Sorry I didn't came back to this immediately.
I'm also sorry because apparently I didn't test this properly since at the moment I've come to realize that I can run QtTinySA.bin without being root...
So I probably should have logged out and in this after adding myself to the dialout group. My bad!

[hoall]

Hello,

I am really sorry for my late response. Currently I am really busy, I am going to give it another try following your advice this weekend. Have a good week