P&E Multilink programmer USB problem fixed... sort of

[Circlotron]

I've got a P&E Micro USB Multilink Universal programmer that I use on S08 micros. Had it for about 2-1/2 years and mostly it works just fine, but if you make a connection to a micro has already been secured, after you load the programming algorithm it tells you the only option is to erase the device. So you go Yes and it immediately loses the USB connection. Unplug and replug then scan for connection to programmer, reset micro and (usually) you're in. Sometimes you have to go through this procedure a second or third time till you finally get in. This is only if the micro has been secured. Happens on my Win 8.1 laptop and Win7 on VirtualBox on Linux Mint Mate 19.3. A friend has the same programmer and it does exactly the same thing on his Win 10 laptop.

After fiddling around and trying a whole heap of different things I had an epiphany, as you do. I put an old USB 1.1 hub between the PC and the programmer with the idea that it would slow data down from 480Mbps to 12Mbps. Voila! It finally worked properly! What could be wrong though. Could I just have a dud programmer?

http://www.pemicro.com/products/product_viewDetails.cfm?product_id=15320180&productTab=1

[coromonadalix]

you could check in your computer bios if you have a half duplex or full duplex setup, maybe it would act the same as the usb 1.x card ??

Could be the hardware technology, drivers  etc ...    i use the ''old''  original P&E micro  Cyclone variant, and sometimes it does some quirks ... but it works  loll

have an old tl866 programmer,  must update the FW in a 32bit os, if i do it in a 64 bit os, it will partially flash and get stuck,  have to recover it in a 32 bit pc ... once updated it work flawlessly

[nctnico]

I've got a P&E Micro USB Multilink Universal programmer that I use on S08 micros.
After fiddling around and trying a whole heap of different things I had an epiphany, as you do. I put an old USB 1.1 hub between the PC and the programmer with the idea that it would slow data down from 480Mbps to 12Mbps. Voila! It finally worked properly! What could be wrong though. Could I just have a dud programmer?

No, these things are just utter crap. Probably the timing in the driver is too tight. I actually returned one to Farnell for having the same issues but the replacement was just as bad.