Trying to connect to Blackbox x32 with Macbook issues

Has anyone been succesful in connecting to a BlackBox x32 using a Macbook? I have a USB-C to USB-B cable that plugs into both the MacBook and the BlackBox, I have loaded the Silicon Labs VPC driver. The port shows up in the CONTROL software. I have verified that port can be seen by the Macbook, but I get this exception. I have rebooted the macbook a bunch, reinstalled the driver multiple times. I am running Sonoma 14.2.1 OSX

[13:10:09] [ connect ] PORT INFO: Port is now open: /dev/tty.SLAB_USBtoUART - Attempting to detect Firmware
[13:10:09] [ connect ] Checking for firmware on /dev/tty.SLAB_USBtoUART
[13:10:09] [ connect ] Detecting Firmware: Method 1 (Autoreset)
[13:10:09] [ connect ] Detecting Firmware: Method 2 (Ctrl+X)
[13:10:10] [ connect ] Detecting Firmware: Method 3 (others that are not supported)
[13:10:13] [ connect ] ERROR!: No supported firmware detected - See docs:blackbox:faq-usb-connection-failed [OpenBuilds Documentation] for more details. Closing port /dev/tty.SLAB_USBtoUART
[13:10:13] [ disconnect ] PORT INFO: Port closed

Thanks in advance

 

Installed a windows 10 virtual machine on my MacBook today and got it talking to the BlackBox x32 using the same cable as I tried with the Mac. I downloaded the latest VPC client from Silicon Labs for the Mac but it didn’t seem to connect properly. Once I installed the Windows version of the driver in the VM the Control software was able to identify the Black Box on COM3. Still could not connect with the MacBook.

if I turn WiFi on for the BlackBox will it be available for me to connect to via the MacBook to upload files or maintain the configuration?

 

I removed the Run/Flash jumper but it still didnt work. I suspect that the system extension on Sonoma is not getting loaded properly causing the issue to occur.

 

I uninstalled the VPC driver again this morning and reinstalled. I can see the BlackBox listed under the USB section of the System info now (I couldnt before). But the Control still doesnt connect up to the BlackBox.

 

Attached is the info.plist file - it shows v 6.0.2 for the extension

 

The driver is still listed as Disabled in the System Info for some reason

 

As soon as the installation flagged that it needed approval - I went into the System Settings | Security and Privacy panel and approved the request. No more than 15 seconds between the message showing up and the approval

 

I think there are 2 problems:

1. The Silicon Labs VPC system extension seems to have been broken under Mac Sonoma based on some recent support

what version of OSX are you running? I am on Sonoma 14.2.1

 

Did you install the VPC before you upgraded to Sonoma or after?

this is very frustrating.

 

I reviewed all of the links that you posted and confirmed that my machine is configured like they suggested. I even disabled the System Integrity Protection (SIP) as per one of the articles.

dov@Dovs-MacBook-Air ~ % csrutil status
System Integrity Protection status: disabled.

The difference between my situation and the other guy that posted may be that my laptop never had an earlier version of Mac OS on it - it was always Sonoma which is after the changes that were made for High Sierra. In the Kernel doc you referenced - it mentioned that once you have something approved it will be grandfathered in for future updates.

When I run the Windows VM on my Macbook, it is able to connect to the BlackBox x32 thru the same cable that fails under Mac OS. Somehow Windows knows how to handle the hardware better than the Mac does.

I configured the Wifi on the BlackBox while I was connected thru the virtual machine and it worked for awhile until I restarted the blackbox but now I cant see it when I scan for the network. When I check back thru the VM, I can see the GRBL settings for my Wifi but it doesn't look like it connected properly.

Bottom line I am still stuck where I was on Sunday

 

Will the OpenBuilds Interface device solve the problem? Not sure how I could adjust the configuration parameters for my machine set up though

 

I created a discussion thread on the SiLabs forum - Community - Silicon Labs

Hopefully someone there can help. Fingers crossed

 

I removed the Silicon Labs driver I installed and rebooted. The screen shot from my Control only shows the usbserial-0001 interface, which doesnt work. The System Report shows the device being recognized. When I had the SiLabs driver installed I would see a different interface listed in the CONTROL software (SLAB_USBtoUART) which also did not connect properly

 

Yes it does. I think that information is stored in a protected database as part of the configuration. Deleting the driver did not clean that up