Introduction

Promira™ Serial Platform with Advanced Cable Tester application is used to test next –generation USB Type-C™ cables and combinations of Type-C, standard A, and micro-B cables. This article will get you up and testing USB Type-C cables using a USB connection, the Promira Utility, and a web browser.

Note for updates

For any update from the original ACT application 1.00 release, in order to properly utilize the new features and run existing custom profiles you must follow the procedure to backup any custom profiles you’ve created, reset the profile database, and then restore any custom profiles. For ACT application updates from 1.10 and beyond it is recommended that you reset the profile database, but it is not required.

The full update sequence is:

1. Save any custom profiles
2. Update the firmware
3. Reset the profile database in the ACT
4. Import your saved custom profiles

How to save custom profiles:

1. Power on the Promira with Advanced Cable Tester and wait for the right-most LED to illuminate green, then login to the Advanced Cable Tester main web screen.

2. Open the “Profile Management” screen.

   

3. Select your first custom profile. (Standard profiles are marked with a *asterisk; custom profiles are not marked).

   

4. Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and click on the last custom profile. (Be sure you’ve scrolled to the end of the listbox).

   

5. Click “Export” and a <filename>.json file will be downloaded to your computer, make sure to save this.

How to update the Firmware:

1. Start the Promira Utility (v1.35 or later available at Download) and use it put the Promira in firmware update mode:

   1. Click the Promira button.

   2. Find your Promira device in the list. If it doesn’t appear yet, wait a little while for it to finish booting and enumerating, then click the button to refresh the list.

   3. Select the Promira which was found, and click OK.

   4. Click the Update License/Firmware button.

2. Copy the new firmware (.pmu file) to the Promira’s disk. Typically your PC will notify you that a new disk has been detected, and give you the option to browse it. You may need to manually navigate to it using Finder or Explorer.

3. Eject the USB disk

4. Power-cycle the Promira – the firmware will be automatically updated, which will take about a minute to complete, during which time the LEDs will blink blue.

How to reset the profile database and import your custom profiles in the Advanced Cable Tester:

1. Power up the Promira and Advanced Cable Tester and then open the main web page for the Advanced Cable Tester. From the main screen open the “About this Advanced Cable Tester” screen.

   

2. Click “Reset Databases.”

   

3. Return to the “Profile Management” screen.

   

4. Click “Import” and re-import your saved custom profiles.

Setting up the Promira™ Serial Platform with Advanced Cable Tester application

1. Connect the Advanced Cable Tester Hardware to the Promira platform, using the 34-Pin : 34-Pin Header Cable 40mm as shown below.

   

2. Connect the Promira platform to your PC using a USB Standard-A to Micro-B cable.

3. Follow the instructions in Section 5.2 – Connectivity of the Promira platform system user manual to configure Ethernet over USB interface.

4. Download and unzip the latest version of Promira Utility for your OS. (?)

5. Start the Promira Utility and use it to connect to your Promira by clicking the Promira button in the upper-left corner of the utility window.

   1. Click the Promira button.

   2. Find your Promira device in the list.

      

      
      If it doesn’t appear yet, wait a little while for it to finish booting and enumerating, then click the button to refresh the list.

   3. Select the Promira device which was found, and click OK

6. In order to start the Advanced Cable Tester application on the Promira platform you must enable it as the “Auto Start App:” by clicking on the pulldown.

1. Choose "com.totalphase.promact_cab" in the list, and click Apply.

   

2. Note the IP address shown in the window. This is the address of the device that you will need below in the process.
   

3. Power-cycle the Promira by unplugging the USB cable, and plugging it back in.

   Wait for the Promira platform's right LED to go from RED to BLUE and finally to GREEN.

Testing USB Type-C™ Cables

1) Open a web browser, and navigate to http://<ip-address-from-above>/
For example, assuming the IP shown was 10.1.4.233, then the URL would be http://10.1.4.233/

2) Login using the default credentials,

Username: admin

Password: ChangeMe

3) Insert a USB Type-C cable into the "U" and "D" ports on the Advanced Cable Tester Hardware.

4) Click "Start Test"

5) The cable will be tested, and results summary will be shown on the screen.

6) To see the detailed results, click on the results line that you are interested in viewing.

Notes

For additional information and features, take a look at the Promira Serial Platform System User Manual and Promira Serial Platform Advanced Cable Tester User Manual