Troubleshooting VoxPro Controllers
Introduction
This Application Note covers how to troubleshoot the VoxPro Desktop Controller (VP Controller), including links to download a test app and PDF files on getting VP Controller parts or service.
USB Controllers
The VP Controller has a captive 10-foot USB cable which carries communications to the VoxPro software and power from the PC. The VP Controller draws 500mA from its USB port, which is a relatively large draw for a USB device, thus some USB ports may not be able to supply sufficient current, especially when other USB devices are being powered off other USB ports. PCs typically have multiple USB ports, but they may be a mix of USB-2 and USB-3 ports—which are NOT the same (they have different bandwidths and different current supply capability) so if a VP Controller doesn’t work on one port, try another. For best performance use a USB-2 port with the VP Controller.
Using a cheap USB extender cable is probably the most common source of VP Controller problems. If the VP Controller is using a USB extender, the first thing to do is to remove the extender and plug the VP Controller directly into a USB port on the PC to see if the problems then “go away.” Keep in mind that the supplied USB should not be extended over 15 feet. When a long run of cable is required, invest in a good quality active USB extender. Do not try to connect the VP Controller using a USB port on an inexpensive KVM extender, which is intended for a keyboard and mouse, since they will rarely work right with the VP Controller.
In rare cases, a VP Controller may work fine on one PC but won’t work at all on another. We’ve seen this occur with a wide variety of USB devices, so it’s not limited to the VP Controller. Don’t be afraid to swap a VP Controller between PCs, or between USB ports, since that’s a quick troubleshooting technique.
When the VP Controller is connected to a PC it should appear in two places in the Windows Device Manager: under Universal Serial Bus Controllers as a Universal
Serial Converter, and under Ports (COM & LPT) as USB Serial Port (COMx). If one or both entries are missing, and the Device Manager is displaying an Unknown
Device with a yellow or red exclamation icon, then there’s either a hardware problem with that port or the VP Controller, or you don’t have a compatible USB
device driver installed.
One common problem that can occur is Windows assigns a high COM port number to the USB Serial Port. The VP Controller seems to work best with a low COM Port
number, like 1 - 5. If you find that a higher port number was assigned, the port number can be changed by right-clicking on USB Serial Port (COMx) and selecting
Properties. Select the Port Settings tab, then click Advanced…. Click the down arrow in the COM Port Number entry box and select the lowest available port
number from the drop-down list. You will need to reboot the PC to then use the new COM Port number.
Windows 11
The VoxPro Controller's built in USB to Serial adapter uses the FTDI chipset. The driver built into VoxPro may be older than what your computer/controller recognizes. If your Windows 11 PC does not recognize the controller, download and install the latest FTDI driver here.
Serial Controllers
The earliest generations of VoxPro used a serial VP Controller. A common problem with serial controllers is a lack of an RS-232 port on newer PCs. On a PC that has been in use for several years, the serial ports can drift out of spec over time since their hardware components tended to be very inexpensive, so replacing the PCI serial port card in a desktop PC should resolve the
issues. There are also lots of serial-to-USB converters available, but the only one we recommend is the Aten UC232A (Aten UC232A on Amazon.com) since it’s proven to reliably work with the serial VP Controller.
issues. There are also lots of serial-to-USB converters available, but the only one we recommend is the Aten UC232A (Aten UC232A on Amazon.com) since it’s proven to reliably work with the serial VP Controller.
A serial VP Controller does not show up in the Windows Device Manager, nor does the Device Manager seem to recognize hardware failures in serial devices, so it probably won’t give you any clues about problems with the PC’s serial port or with your VP controller.
Testing The VP Controller
A test application is available to check operation of your VP Controller’s buttons, scrub wheel, and display. Here’s a link to download the test app: CPTest download link
Save the CPtest.exe file into your VoxPro folder that in the C:\Program Files (x86)\ folder. The VoxPro folder is named VoxPro PC for VP4. For later versions the folders are labeled VoxPro5, VoxPro6, or VoxPro7.
Double-click the CPTest.exe file to run the app. The app's window, shown below, shows a graphic of the control panel buttons and the scrub wheel. The buttons are colored when not being pressed, and the scrub indicator is colored with <<>> when the scrub wheel is not touched.
Pressing and releasing each Control Panel button will test its switch function. The on-screen button turns white while pressed. Releasing the button and the on- screen button returns to be colored right away. If an on-screen button doesn't turn white while being pressed, or doesn’t return to color when released, then that switch may need to be replaced or the button may be binding on the VP Controller housing. To test the scrub wheel, as soon as you touch it the scrub indicator turns white. As you rotate it in a clockwise direction, you’ll see one to four right-arrows ( > to >>>> ) according to how quickly you spin the scrub wheel.
Rotating the wheel in a counter-clockwise direction shows one to four left-arrows (< to <<<<) to indicate how rapidly the scrub wheel is being rotated.
The What's Your Mood selection at the top sends the selected word to the display moving that word around the display like a screen- saver so you can verify all segments in the display are working properly. When you close the app, you'll see Bye bye! shown at the upper left corner of the display, which remains until the VoxPro app is started or the control panel is unplugged from the PC.
Missing DLL File Errors
If you run into a missing DLL file error message for mfc120.dll and/or msvcr120.dll, that indicates your PC doesn’t have a certain version of .net installed so here are links to download either missing DLL file:
Save the file(s) to your VoxPro app folder, which also has the CPTest.exe file.
Repairing The VP Controller
The VP Controller is made for Wheatstone by JLCooper Electronics of El Segundo, CA. They are the sole source for parts and repair services for the VP Controllers. Here’s a link to a VP Controller parts list, a JLCooper RMA form, and a JLCooper Parts Order form: JLCooper Parts and Repair Info
Wheatstone will do a warranty exchange on a VoxPro Controller if notified within the first 30 days of shipment from either Wheatstone or an authorized reseller if it's an out-of-the-box failure--with the usual warranty disclaimer about abuse, damage from lightning surge, and such is not covered under warranty. This is the only time that a VoxPro Controller can be returned to the Wheatstone factory. Once it is beyond 30 days in the field, but still within our one-year warranty period, the customer will need to contact JLCooper for under-warranty repair.
All out of warranty repairs must be arranged directly with JL Cooper. Note that JL Cooper will not accept for repair any units over seven years old.
VoxPro 3 and 4 Only
In VoxPro 3 and VoxPro 4 users could select the older (and now long obsolete) “Classic Mac” controller which was a keyboard-based controller. If you’re using that controller, you must have the Classic Mac option selected in Settings > Control Panel. This option must NOT be selected if you are using the RC-400 or RC- 500 series VP Controllers.
The Administrator’s control panel settings are the default settings for all other user accounts. Only the Administrator may select the “PC Controller” option although other users may override this setting to choose the Classic Mac controller instead.
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