Mini Gerbil debugging – no communication with PC software
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| Symptom Detail | Likely causes and their solutions (in recommended sequence) |
| Power LED shines, but inconsistent or no connection to PC software | Wrong software – Mini Gerbil works with Lightburn, and some other software is possible (but unsupported). Mini Gerbil is not compatible with K40 Whisperer Incorrect Device selected in Lightburn – select ‘Gerbil STM’ Mini Gerbil is used with a USB hub, especially one shared with other peripherals like a USB camera. Plug Mini Gerbil and other USB devices into PC directly, not via a common hub. The USB cable is power only, it needs to be a USB data cable. Replace. Faulty USB cable. Replace. USB plug is not making proper contact with socket – check for looseness. Use alternative cable. Faulty K40 grounding. See https://awesome.tech/k40-laser-grounding-instructions/ Missing Windows Driver: Win10 does not require a virtual com port driver however earlier versions of Windows do need a driver. To identify if the driver is not working properly, check Windows device manager (search for “Device Manager”, right click and open/run it) and look under COM & LPT ports, you should see VCP ST microelectronics icon (MG plugged in, Power on). An exclamation mark indicates that the driver is not working properly. An absent driver means that either the cable/plug/MG board is not working/defective, or you need to install the windows driver (for Window versions before 10). See https://www.st.com/en/development-tools/stsw-stm32102.html  |
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