My computer can't see my transmitter!

 Now that Ethos 1.6 is starting to get some positive reviews as people learn the dance steps to  get Ethos 1.6  installed, people who haven't updated Ethos since the 1.4 era are interested in updating.  This is great.  The problem is that they sometimes can't see their transmitter when the they plug in their USB C cable.  And this is of course frustrating.  So lets go over what it's most likely not and what the problems most likely are.

What the problem most likely isn't.

The USB port on your transmitter most likely didn't die.  Yes, people often like to start here as the most likely cause.  Over the past few years we've seen some dead USB ports on transmitters, far less often than you expect. But this is usually caused by some overtly careless handling of the transmitter.   And these repairs can be very costly.   Yet, I've heard from people numerous times who feel that they need to send their transmitter in because "the USB port went bad."   I'm giving you a 95% possibility that your transmitter is perfectly fine.

What it most likely is.

#1.  The USB cable. It seems that the USB C connector is the new standard for USB.   Cell phones, tablets, and just about anything that can take a charge including your transmitter has the USB C connector. This is a good thing.  In most cases we're focused on charging your device.   Thus, you're getting more and more USB C charging cables showing up to your house. USB C charging cables are not data cables.  In order to work with your transmitter you will need a USB data cable.

#2  The drivers on your computer-  A few years back Windows 7 was no longer supported with updates. This October, the same will be true of Window 10. Usually, but not always, when you have a computer that has had regular firmware updates it should be fine to use with Ethos Suite.  If you've been getting by with an old laptop to do your updates, one that hasn't been updated in a while, this may be a problem   You can type "Check for updates" in the start menu to see if your computer needs updating.  You can also type "reliability"  to see if ongoing issues have plagued your computer.  

#3.  MicroSD Card-  If you're dealing with an X20/S that relies on a MicroUSB card at some point you may have been tempted to throw in a new MicroUSB card.  They're $10 for 64 gigs, bigger is better, right?   Nope.  The formatting of these cards makes it difficult for your transmitter to read it. Even if you have the other transmitters that don't use MicroUSB card to operate, if you stick one of these large cards in your transmitter it's often more hassle than it's worth.


Solutions


Take your transmitter and cable and plug it into another computer.  The other computer DOES NOT need to have Ethos Suite on it.  If you can see the transmitter drives pop up when you plug it into the PC your cable is fine. It may be a USB driver issue on your original PC.    If you don't see your transmitter, it may be a USB cable problem.





1.  Data Cable

Here's a link to a USB Data Cable on Amazon.   There is nothing magical about USB data cables. They all basically work well. When you look for one, make sure it says something about data.  Often you'll see that they are used for monitors.  


2,  USB Driver Issues -You may be working with a generic USB driver on your computer and it's suddenly not cutting it.  One pilot was telling me that his computer could see his X20S but not his X20 Pro.   A fast fix will be to go to Zadig  https://zadig.akeo.ie// and download and install an updated USB driver. 

3. Get a better memory card- If you don't know how to repartition a USB drive (trust me, it's more work  than it's worth)  the faster and better solution would be to find this MicroSD card.  

When all else fails-try, try again!

If you've exhausted all your resources and nothing seems to work you can send in your transmitter for a repair.  Please find your closest FrSky service center, contact them or fill out the form (in North America you can fill out the form without contract service first) and send it in.  If there is indeed a problem with FrSky hardware and the transmitter is under warranty  it will be covered.  If there isn't a problem and you would like the service department to update  your transmitter, there will be a service charge.  It's far less expensive, faster, and easier to hunt down the issue before simply sending in your transmitter for someone else to deal  with it. You are going to want to use Ethos Suite in the future. Thus, finding the solution on your own is the most desirable solution.