Prerequisites
Before using the Product Name, a few steps and checks need to be completed.
Direct access to USB hardware
For the API to retrieve USB information from connected devices, it must have direct access to the hardware. This means that running in a Virtual machines (VM) such as Parallels, VirtualBox and Microsoft Hyper-V are not supported as the virtualisation prevents the API from determining which USB device is connected to which physical port. Also, it is not unusual that such a virtual environment will not have access to serial devices necessary to communicate with the hub to query information.
Thunderbolt™ with Windows
You may need to update your Thunderbolt™ Bus Drivers and possibly the BIOS on Windows. Once the Thunderbolt™ device has been accepted to connect, you may need to turn it off and on again for Windows to connect physically
Sync capable charger for USB information
For the API to return USB device information such as the VID, PID, Manufacturer, Description or Serial Number, there must be a USB connection from the host machine to the connected device. This is only present on sync-capable products. Charge-only products have a USB connection to the charger but not to connected devices. The API is functional with charge-only chargers but cannot return the USB device information.
Version for universal firmware products
When used with this API, products using the universal firmware must have firmware version 1.52 or later installed. We recommend that the latest version is installed available from our website or through Cambrionix Connect; a table of all products and the firmware used is below.
| Firmware | Part Number | Product Name |
|---|---|---|
| Universal | PP15S | PowerPad15S |
| Universal | PP15C | PowerPad15C |
| Universal | PP8S | PowerPad8S |
| Universal | SS15 | SuperSync15 |
| Universal | TS3-16 | ThunderSync3-16 |
| SMART | TS3-C10 | ThunderSync3-C10 |
| Universal | U16S Spade | U16S Spade |
| Universal | U8S | U8S |
| PDSync | PDSync-C4 | PDSync-C4 |
| Universal | ModIT-Max | ModIT-Max |
| Motor Control | Motor control board | ModIT-Max |
USB drivers
The Product Name daemon (CambrionixApiService) must be able to communicate with the local hub. The hub will appear as a USB device. The USB device will be accompanied by a virtual communications port (VCP). The virtual communications operates like a standard serial communications port, or COM port as it is often called. The operating system must have the appropriate VCP (Virtual COM Port) driver installed.
| Linux® | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| The default support in the kernel is sufficient. Do not install the D2XX drivers as this conflicts with the required VCP drivers. | The default support in OS is sufficient. Do not install the D2XX drivers as this conflicts with the required VCP drivers. | The D2XX support can coexist with the VCP support. These drivers are automatically installed on newer versions of Windows 10. |
Operating System
We have tested the Product Name and can confirm that the following operating systems work with the Product Name. There may be other OS that will work but may not have been tested:
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Windows 10
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Windows 11
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macOS 11 (Big Sur)
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macOS 12 (Monterey)
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macOS 13 (Ventura)
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macOS 14 (Sonoma)
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macOS 15 (Sequoia)
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Linux Ubuntu
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Linux Debian
With Linux, we only perform testing using the OS mentioned above. An ARM hard float (armhf) version has also been tested on oDroid and Raspberry Pi.