Circuit Playground Express not appearing

[fsbilimoria]

I recently bought a CPX, and the bootloader folder won't show up on the computer. I am using a data cable and tried on different usb ports. Upon plugging the board in, the neopixels do the rainbow animation, but when I press reset (whether singly or doubly), the rainbow colors freeze and the solid green never appears.

[adafruit_support_carter]

Double check that you have a CP Express:
https://www.adafruit.com/product/3333

And not a CP Classic:
https://www.adafruit.com/product/3000
or CP Bluefruit:
https://www.adafruit.com/product/4333


How to tell:
https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-cir ... vs-express

[fsbilimoria]

Definitely an express, as seen in pic

[adafruit_support_carter]

Yep. That's an Express. Thanks for verifying.

After double pressing the reset button, the NeoPixel ring on the CPX should light up. Is it red or green?

[fsbilimoria]

Neither: the rainbow animation freezes and does not change

(edit: good lord I did not realize these photos would turn out so huge)

[adafruit_support_carter]

That's acting like it's not seeing the double press. Have you tried multiple times with different timings of pressing the reset button twice? Sometimes the cadence can be tricky to get.

[fsbilimoria]

Yes, I've tried slower and faster with the same result

[adafruit_support_carter]

OK. It can be tricky sometimes, but shouldn't be that bad.

What operating system are you running?

Does the PC respond at all when the CPX is plugged in? Like make a "something connected" noise?

[fsbilimoria]

Windows 11. The computer does make the connected sound when I plug it in, and then the disconnect sound on the first button press

[adafruit_support_carter]

Having the sound is promising. At least the PC is seeing the CPX and doing something.

There are some known reasons for the folders not showing up. Read through here and see if any of them might apply to your setup:
https://learn.adafruit.com/welcome-to-c ... leshooting

As another potential simple check - if you have access to another PC, see if the CPX will show up there. Use the same USB cable, etc. so it's only the PC that is different.

[fsbilimoria]

Sorry this response took a while. I tried it on another computer I've used with circuit python boards, and got the same result.

[adafruit_support_carter]

Windows 11. The computer does make the connected sound when I plug it in, and then the disconnect sound on the first button press

Going back to this - what shows up in Device Manager after plugging it in but *before* pressing reset.

[petespaco]

Just for grins, maybe try a different USB data cable?

[fsbilimoria]

I have also tried multiple known data cables.

In Device Manager, a port appears as "USB Serial Device (COM10)". A "USB Composite Device" also appears under USB controllers. There could be others in the other categories, but those are the most obvious. They both disappear after hitting reset.

[adafruit_support_carter]

What's your goal for programming the CPX? Are you planning to use Arduino? CircuitPython? MakeCode?

How are you getting the rainbow animation to start again once it stops? It sounds like any pressing of reset causes it to freeze

when I press reset (whether singly or doubly), the rainbow colors freeze and the solid green never appears.

So at this point, if you press reset again, it just stays frozen?