GPS doesn't work after hibernate

Maheriano · 03-20-2009, 01:16 AM

I took the computer out to do major updates a few weeks ago. I installed XP Service Pack 2 and about 300 updates that I haven't done in the last 3 years since I put the computer in the car. I also installed a newer version of Road Runner and updated all that stuff too.

Since then whenever I stop/start the car and it comes out of hibernation, it doesn't find the GPS receiver on the USB port until I reboot the computer. I tried using iGuidance and it won't find it. Then I close Road Runner and open iGuidance3 on its own, search the COM ports for a GPS receiver and it says there are none. I reboot and problem solved, works perfect.

I am using xPort3 to split the GPS information coming in on port 4 out to ports 5 and 6 for Road Runner and iGuidance3. I also confirmed that Road Runner is set to port 5 and iGuidance is set to port 6, both at baud 4800 which is what xPort 3 is set to as well. I didn't change any of those settings, it's just not picking up the GPS receiver on the USB port after hibernation now.

WuNgUn · 03-20-2009, 08:32 AM

Roll-back the updates...
If it worked fine before, leave it...most of the updates are just security fixes anyway.

Curiosity · 03-20-2009, 02:50 PM

Did you plug all the USB devices back in the same ports? I have three 4-port hubs and have plugged it all back in wrong and had trouble with the touchscreen and GPS mostly. They can't share the same hub. Or a webcam, wifi, bluetooth on an unpowered one surges so bad when it starts that the others quit or just suck all the power and nothing works.

Maheriano · 03-21-2009, 06:50 PM

There's no hub. Just the 2 ports on the motherboard and 2 extended ports that plug into the board.

Curiosity · 03-22-2009, 06:47 AM

Wow, maybe it really is something in the updates? Last time I updated, I used nlite with an old no SP CD and slipstreamed SP3 on it, plus a bunch of other drivers. Nothing really changed though. There was a Prolific driver update at some point. May not be the latest though. You might want to check that.

Maybe the power options were changed on the root hub?

Maheriano · 03-23-2009, 10:25 PM

No idea, I'm going to try flipping the GPS/touchscreen USB cables that are plugged directly into the board and see if that does anything....I doubt it. Mainly because Capture is also throwing errors randomly, I think it's because the webcam is not being detected after coming out of hibernation for the same reason. It sucks too because I've seen some crazy stuff on the road that I wish I had recorded.

sxott · 04-06-2009, 06:04 PM

If you figure this out let me know.

I had an ayay sir USB GPS and it never worked right with hibernation, it would eventually come back on but it took ages like 15 minutes sometimes.

Then I got a BU353 and it has the exact same issues.

I have winxp + iguidance and have always had that set up though different versions of Iguidance. I also used Xport and the issue was the same with or without it (well perhaps it will never come back w/o it I haven't tested that yet).

What I found was if I simply unplug and plug the usb it comes back on immediately. So right now I have the cord hanging out of my dash and just pull the connection part way out then put it back in and get a GPS lock in a few seconds.

I actually came on here to see if there was a spring loaded button I could find to wire the USB through so it would disconnect when I pressed the button. I thought it might be a motherboard issue where the USB wasn't reinitialized or something, but who knows.

Curiosity · 04-06-2009, 10:49 PM

Do you have the GPS on a hub with something else? AFAIK having on the same hub as the touchscreen causes problems for everyone.

Lots of switches would work by clipping the power wire of a USB cable and running it through the switch. A SPST/SPDT slide switch would work, or a toggle, or a normally closed or SPDT pushbutton.

entranced · 06-30-2009, 06:58 AM

Did you guys ever find a solution to this? The GPS mouse I used to use (from MS S&T 2006 bundle) died, so I replaced it with another one from another S&T2006 (they were both really cheap on Woot). Both appear to be Sirf III, though the second one is about half the size. I have the same problem with iGuidance and and plugging the GPS directly into an Epia10,000 (this carputer is like 4 years old!) The old GPS never had that problem.

It's not a huge hassle, but it can be awkward sometimes if I have a new visitor in my passenger seat and I have to reach under and behind (carputer under passenger seat) to unplug and replug the USB to the GPS. It sometimes looks like I'm trying to snuggle up next to them, lol.

Maheriano · 07-07-2009, 12:53 PM

Here's an update from what I've found so far, I've got another thread going on the same issue:
- I did a weekend trip outside the city using the GPS and it worked all weekend in and out of hibernation no problem, not a single issue. Therefore I thought it was my parkade messing with it because when I got home and parked my car underground again I had the same issues the next morning.
- Then I did another day trip outside the city and this time I was having issues once again so I knew it wasn't the parkade at home that was doing it, it had to be something else. I was back scratching my head again.
- Then I finally figured it out....I got tired of leaving my screen on the audio screen and decided to leave it on the GPS screen for a few days as a nice visual change for me. To my surprise, the GPS worked flawlessly for a full week without a single issue and I realized I had done the same thing on my original weekend trip. It wasn't the parkade at all, it was the fact that my GPS receiver was going into sleep when I didn't use the actual GPS screen for extended periods of time. If you look at the specifications on most GPS units, they have a cold start and a hot start which affects the locking times and it seems like when my GPS receiver was trying to come up from a cold start out of hibernation, it would lock and not register at all. The only way to battle it is to leave my computer on the GPS screen so it resumes via hot start only.

So there you go, no fix but I did find out the cause.

fixerofallthing · 07-07-2009, 01:01 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Maheriano

Here's an update from what I've found so far, I've got another thread going on the same issue:
- I did a weekend trip outside the city using the GPS and it worked all weekend in and out of hibernation no problem, not a single issue. Therefore I thought it was my parkade messing with it because when I got home and parked my car underground again I had the same issues the next morning.
- Then I did another day trip outside the city and this time I was having issues once again so I knew it wasn't the parkade at home that was doing it, it had to be something else. I was back scratching my head again.
- Then I finally figured it out....I got tired of leaving my screen on the audio screen and decided to leave it on the GPS screen for a few days as a nice visual change for me. To my surprise, the GPS worked flawlessly for a full week without a single issue and I realized I had done the same thing on my original weekend trip. It wasn't the parkade at all, it was the fact that my GPS receiver was going into sleep when I didn't use the actual GPS screen for extended periods of time. If you look at the specifications on most GPS units, they have a cold start and a hot start which affects the locking times and it seems like when my GPS receiver was trying to come up from a cold start out of hibernation, it would lock and not register at all. The only way to battle it is to leave my computer on the GPS screen so it resumes via hot start only.

So there you go, no fix but I did find out the cause.

I am curious why Xport didn't fix this, because it is always polling info from the receiver and the receiver would not know what is usings its data? I got so frustrated with USB GPS receivers I just went serial and I have 10 sats locked immediately on resume from hibernation and it never glitches. If you have a serial port on your MB you may think of trying it. I will never go back to USB GPS.

Curiosity · 07-09-2009, 10:39 PM

I remember something like that a few months ago. I think it was a dead battery in the GPS. It wasn't locking up, but took a lot longer to get a fix. So you might want to check that.

Maheriano · 07-10-2009, 12:00 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Curiosity

I remember something like that a few months ago. I think it was a dead battery in the GPS. It wasn't locking up, but took a lot longer to get a fix. So you might want to check that.

It runs on USB power, I don't think there's a battery in it.

fixerofallthing · 07-10-2009, 12:41 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Maheriano

It runs on USB power, I don't think there's a battery in it.

I think they have a "supercap" or something like that. It is a capacitor that discharges slowly like a battery to save settings inside receiver. I remember reading on hear about someone trying to use a watch battery to fix with poor results.

Curiosity · 07-10-2009, 02:33 PM

Right. It depends on the model though. It could be a nicad or supercap, or maybe lithium if it doesn't recharge.

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