No instrument detected on port COM** (or if only the Test port is available in the software’s Serial Port Parameters dialog)

These error messages are a sign of something being wrong with either the computer or the USB-to-Serial converter. 

• Make sure the power supply is plugged in and the green power light is on. If it is not receiving power, try using a different outlet or resetting the GFI (if equipped) on the outlet. If the power supply has failed, purchase a new one by contacting a sales representative.
• Make sure the correct communications port is selected and available in the Serial Port Parameters dialog. Check Device Manager (go to Start: Control Panel: System and Security: Device Manager) to make sure the USB-to-Serial converter is installed and working properly. It should be reported as USB Serial Port (COMXX) within the Ports section. 
• Check the USB-to-Serial converter. Confirm that you can see a light on the converter when trying to establish a connection. If the converter is detected but has a warning symbol next to it, try reinstalling or updating the driver (go to Device Manager menus and select Action: Update Driver Software...). The latest driver is available here. If the converter is not detected, try a different USB cable and/or a different USB port. The port number will change when the converter is plugged into a different USB port, but the software will automatically detect these changes and reflect currently available ports. We recommend eliminating any hubs or extension cables between the computer and the converter.
• Make sure a properly working converter/port is not in use by another application or the Vectrino Profiler software. Close any application that was previously using the port to release it and make it available for use. If multiple instances of the Vectrino Profiler software are open, close all but one, then in the menu bar select Communications: Disconnect All to free any in-use ports.
• Inspect the instrument communications cable for damage such as nicks, cuts, or crushed sections. Broken wires or physical damage to the cable will cause communications problems. To purchase a new cable contact your sales representative.
• Make sure the connector on the Vectrino Profiler cable is securely inserted into the bulkhead receptacle and the connector pins are clean.
• If the problem can be fixed by rebooting the computer, that would suggest that the problem is more with the computer than the converter. You could try another PC if one is available and see whether that fixes things. Otherwise:

Port failure or port in use by another application.

The “Port failure” message appears when an attempt to open the serial port fails (which means that the port is either “broken” or non-existent, or that it’s been taken over by another application). Ensure that the USB converter and all cabling is firmly connected and that nothing is coming loose during the operation.

Vectrino 2: buffer read error

The “Read error” message appears when the application stops receiving data for a long period of time.

"Incompatible firmware load"

This error message is most often associated with the firmware and software versions being very out of sync. If you haven’t updated your firmware for a long time but are trying to use the latest Vectrino Profiler software, the firmware can simply be incompatible with the new software version.

If this happens to you, download the older version of the Vectrino Profiler software attached to this FAQ, and connect to your instrument using that. Update your firmware to the latest version through the old software, then try a fresh install of the latest software and connect again.

“Could not create the Java Virtual Machine”

If your 32-bit Java virtual machine has been updated to 1.7.0_09, your Vectrino Profiler acquisition software may now display this error. This is due to an increase in memory footprint with the new JVM. In order to get your software running again, go to the directory in which the software was installed (the default is “C:\Program Files\Nortek\VectrinoII”) and edit the file “Vectrino-II.l4j.ini”. This file contains the line

-Xmx1200M

Change the 1200 to 1024:

-Xmx1024M

and save the file.

Note that this is only a problem if you are running a 32-bit version of the 1.7.0_09 JVM.

Converter issue

The converter does have a weakness: the pins may be pushed into the converter (see image below). If this turns out to be the problem when you are trying to communicate with the Vectrino Profiler, you can simply open the converter and push the pin back into position as a quick repair. We would appreciate it if you let us know if you receive a faulty converter.