ST-Link V3 not detected in Mac M2

[Louie88]

Hi,

I had to install STM32 tools on a MacBook Pro 2023 M2. I have a STM32H7474I-Disco board which works fine under Windows 11. When I connect the evaluation board to MacBook it pops-up a window to enable ST-Link driver. I enabled the driver but the usual new STL-Link USB drive with demo links does not appear in Finder... 

STM32CubeIDE (Programmer) reports no ST-Link is connected to MacBook. I am using the same USB cable as in Windows with an USB Type-A to Type-C adapter which works with all the external USB sticks, HDs.

I installed, STM32IDE, MX and Programmer and they seem to work right but the ST-Link V3 is not found.

When I connect the STM32H7474I-Disco board to MacBook Pro M2 then the LCD of the discovery board blinks 3-4 times (not enough power?) then stay on and runs my demo app just fine. Interesting...

Do you have any idea wha I did wrong?

Thanks,

Louis

 

[STTwo-32]

Hello @Louie88 

I suggest you to take a look at this FAQ. It should be helpful.

Best Regards.

STTwo-32

[Louie88]

Thanks, but it happens on MacBook Pro M2 (with latest MAC OS) not Windows. The Type-A to Type-C adapter is tested with many USB sticks/drives on that Mac including an 512GB Samsung M2 external SSD. I do not think this is a Type A to C adapter issue.

Louis

 

[STTwo-32]

The article is not tooking about a adapter issue or a problem on only windows PCs. Please read the article carefully and try all proposed work arounds. I think they should be helpful.

Best Regards. 
STTwo-32

[Louie88]

The mitigation suggestions in the referred post:

1. Try to connect to another USB Type-C® port on your computer if available. Alternatively, using a USB Type-A port of your computer usually solves the issue. Done. MackBook Pro has 3 identical high speed USBC ports. None of them works with ST-Link V3.
2. Connect the STLINK-V3 via an external USB High-Speed hub to the USB Type-C® port of your host computer (tested hub reference: Anker332 5in1). I can't do this but the USB-A to C adapter works with every high speed memory sticks, hard drives, SSDs we have. All the peripherals work fine with this MacBook Pro using the same USB Type A to C adapter.
3. Use a different standalone probe to connect to your target board: ST-LINK/V2, STLINK-V3PWR, Segger J-Link. No chance, we do not have external ST-link adapters, like many others in this forum.

I do not know what else I could try. It is hard to believe that STM32H7474I-Disco board was not tested with a MacBook.

Louis

 

[Louie88]

Hi STTwo-32,

Just two short facts:

1. The same USB cable, the same Type A to C adapter and the same Discovery board (I used with MacBook) just work fine without any problem in 3 years old (not brand new) Windows 11 Notebook PC in a USB Type C port. This proves that the issue is not in the cable, nor in adapter and nor with USB speed.
2. The ST-Link V3E port is a pure high-speed USB 2.0 port. Any not older than 8 years USB type A to C adapter must work. (ST32H7474I-Disco manual on page 14.

Thanks,

Louis

[Louie88]

Hi STTwo-32,

I borrowed an STM32H723ZG Nucleo board and I connected it with the same USB C to A converter and the same USB cable to the MacBook and I found the same: ST-Link still was not recognized...

Because we did not have other USB-C Hub we used our 8 (++) years old "no name" (i-Tech or something like that) USB 3.0 Type-A Hub (with 10-100 LAN port). The original Samsung USB C to A adapter (came probably with Samsung Galaxy S10 phone) was STILL connected one the USB C port of the MackBook Pro. The USB 3.0 Type-A Hub was connected to the adapter and the STM32H7 discovery/nucleo board was connected to the HUB.

And voila, with this complicated connection the MacBook recognized the ST-Link and STM32CubeIDE/Programmer recognized the ST_Link device. Everything worked just fine.

Who understands this? (I attached a picture about the complicated test setup).

So, my advice to everybody who runs into the same problem with Mac OS computers is: try to use a minimum USB 3.0 (or higher) USB HUB to connect STM development boards to USB C port of MacBook or MacOS computers.

Thanks for all help.

Louis

Ui.: Sorry, I forgot the picture...

[jsola]

I also had to "downgrade" my USBC to USBA adapter to an old USB hub LogiLinkUA0139, and now I can connect to STLINKV3 from my mac M2. Thanks for the tips!

[Andrew Neil]

@jsola  So that does sound like the issue described in this article:

Possible communication failure between STLINK-V3 and some recent computers

 

@Louie88 that was the FAQ linked by @STTwo-32 to start with.

[jsola]

@Andrew Neil Indeed. I tried with two different hubs now, and it works with both.