Sunday, February 04, 2018

Creation Crate Crashes macOS X Sierra or macOS X High Sierra


Background (If you just want to find out how to fix it scroll down to the Solution section)

So Creation Crate is a 12 month subscription service where they send you a package containing hardware to build interesting electronics devices.  It also requires coding. They give you the code to type into their app or you can download the source files from their website.  If you are interested in teaching your child basic coding I recommend having them retype it in from the instruction book.  My son was excited enough he did this diligently and then we spent a few minutes fixing syntax errors the compiler found.  It was a good learning experience about programming basics and debugging syntax errors in my opinion.

What They Don't Tell You Upfront

So first, all these projects are based around an Arduino Uno board as opposed to a custom Creation Crate board, so you will be using the Arduino IDE software to program it.  I'm a big fan of Raspberry Pi and wasn't really invested in also learning Arduino hacking but since everything is packaged together, in theory, you don't have to become an Arduino expert or hang out in Arduino forums.

I figured to save on costs the first kit would include the experimenter's breadboard and the Arduino Uno and the other 11 kits would just include the hardware specific to them.  It turns out they send you a new Arduino and breadboard with every kit.  I guess they don't want you to have to tear apart your previous project to build a new one.

I did find where I believe they are getting these items at a very low cost:



Drivers?

So here is where the problems start.  In order to run this on a Mac you need to install drivers (think printer driver or scanner driver… basically a small program that tells your computer how to recognize and talk to a hardware device).  Creation Crate gives you a location to download the macOS X drivers.  It's called the UNO R3 Driver and they give you this URL (password is given in the documentation but I won't post it here)   The only problem is that driver is dated November 1st 2015.  Now it's my understanding this will work with most Mac OS X versions, but not the latest Mac OS X 10.13 High Sierra or 10.12 Sierra.  And that's the crux of the problem.

Issue Description

So what does happen?  Well I've tried on two different Macs and saw somewhat different behaviors.

On my MacBook Air it never gave an option to allow the driver to run in the Security & Privacy System Preference settings so I believe it installed the files but they weren't allowed to ever run.  So in the IDE you use to enter the code and upload it to the Arduino board, the board simply never was seen and it basically said there were no devices plugged in.  (BTW contact customer service about this and they will say it is probably a bad USB cable.  I tried several different cables with the same results of course.)

On my son's Mac mini the drivers did install and I did get an option to allow them to run in the "System Preferences"->"Security & Privacy"->"General" control panel.  A button specific to this driver appeared that asked me to allow it to run.  This was closer to the procedure I expected.  So now after restarting when I plugged the Arduino board in to the USB cable the computer would immediately crash, shutdown, and restart.  This is what most people are seeing.

Solution

Well you need a newer driver.  Creation Crate as of the writing of this blog on 2/4/2018 is not aware of this yet and is not supplying it.  Luckily an updated driver is available for download on GitHub.  You can find the repository here with a detailed ReadMe.

Assuming you've already install the old drivers and experienced the crashing of your Mac you'll need to remove them first, which requires using the Terminal/command line.  I had to use the following command:
sudo rm -rf /Library/Extensions/usbserial.kext
Then from the repository I downloaded the CH34x_Install_V1.3.zip file and ran the .pkg installer it contained.  Then I restarted, and I was able to upload my program to the Arduino board just as described in the Creation Crate instructions.  All of this is detailed in the ReadMe at the link I gave above.

Thanks to Adrian Mihalko who setup the GitHub repository with the new driver and wrote the documentation describing how to use it.

Keywords: Mac OS X macOS High Sierra macOS Sierra

29 comments:

Rohan said...

Nice blog! I truly appreciate it that you shared with us such an useful post. Are you defying any issue using coinbase wallet. You need to call Coinbase support number +1-833-430-6449 .this is true phone number for coinbase call here and ask for any kind of sevice related to coinbase.more info visit here: https://www.atozaltcoins.com/c/coinbase-support-number/.

Rohan said...

Its really very helpful for me.Thanks for sharing. you may reach out to our Mycelium Support Number +1-833-430-6449 for any issues related to mycelium exchange. Our live support team will help you every time from everywhere in the world, users are required to provide their registration details, user id and verified mobile number to get help, more info visi there: https://www.atozaltcoins.com/a/mycelium-support-number/.

Rohan said...

If your TREZOR Wallet is not loading
In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with trezor? Dial Trezor Support Number 【+1-833-430-6449 】Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with trezor? Dial Trezor Support Number +1-833-430-6449 Phone Number and fix all record issues.more info visit here: https://www.atozaltcoins.com/t/trezor-support-number/.

numbersonweb said...

Armory wallet is an open source bitcoin wallet which provides more features than other wallets Such as cold storage and multi-signature support. Armory wallet is free to install on your system. You can send your Bitcoins through Armory. If you are unable to send your Bitcoins through armory then Armory provides a toll-free number +1-833-430-6449 Armory Support Phone Number. You can call on it without charges and take help with your issues.

Unknown said...

International Bittrex support numberis +1-888-396-0583. This is worldwide support number for Bittrex issues and queries. Do not worry if you are facing any trouble related to Bittrex. Bittrex customer support is always ready for help users

numbersonweb said...

Mycelium is a wallet app which is used for storing bitcoins in a secure environment. It can run on both PCs and mobiles. If you are using Mycelium and having any technical problem in it then you have an option to contact the mycelium support number. The best part of the +1-860-266-2763 Mycelium Support Number is that it does not leave you in between if you are not able to understand the solution. As there is no time foundation for the call you will have all the time you need to get the solution. The benefit of contacting the +1860-266-2763 Mycelium Support Phone Number+ is that there is no need for you to search for the solution from the internet. All you have to do is contact them and tell the problem you are having or the question you have. They will provide you with the answer within seconds for which you might have wasted hours. For more data go on: https://www.numbersonweb.com/crypto-exchanges/mycelium-support-number/

arpdigitech said...


I really appreciate this informative blog! Our support team that is given a 24/7 area unit happy to assist you for identical. Any involved users could reach bent our Binance Support Number +1-877-780-8636. For any problems associated with Binance Phone Number.

arpdigitech said...


I really appreciate this informative blog! Our support team that is given a 24/7 area unit happy to assist you for identical. Any involved users could reach bent our Bittrex Support Number +1-877-780-8636. For any problems associated with Bittrex Phone Number.

arpdigitech said...

I really appreciate this informative blog! Our support team that is given a 24/7 area unit happy to assist you for identical. Any involved users could reach bent our Binance Support Number +1-877-780-8636. For any problems associated with Binance Phone Number.

ARP said...


I really appreciate this informative blog! Our support team that is given a 24/7 area unit happy to assist you for identical. Any involved users could reach bent our Bittrex Support Number +1-877-780-8636. For any problems associated with Bittrex Phone Number.

sdfgdfghsdf said...



I really appreciate this informative blog! Our support team that is given a 24/7 area unit happy to assist you for identical. Any involved users could reach bent our Bittrex Support Number +1-877-780-8636. For any problems associated with Bittrex Phone Number.

Anonymous said...

I really appreciate this informative blog! Our support team that is given a 24/7 area unit happy to assist you for identical. Any involved users could reach bent our Bitstamp Support Number +1-877-780-8636. For any problems associated with Bitstamp Phone Number.

HITBTC said...

I really appreciate this informative blog! Our support team that is given a 24/7 area unit happy to assist you for identical. Any involved users could reach bent our Bittrex Support Number +1-877-780-8636. For any problems associated with Bittrex Phone Number.

GoogleBaba said...


I really appreciate this informative blog! Our support team that is given a 24/7 area unit happy to assist you for identical. Any involved users could reach bent our Binance Support Number +1-877-780-8636. For any problems associated with Binance Phone Number.

HITBTC said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number 【+1-877-780-8636 】Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

Help For Us said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number ?+1-877-780-8636 ?Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

Anonymous said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number ?+1-877-780-8636 ?Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

arpdigitech said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Bitstamp? Dial Bitstamp Support Number ?+1-877-780-8636 ?Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Bitstamp? Dial Bitstamp Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

arpdigitech said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Bittrex? Dial Bittrex Support Number ?+1-877-780-8636 ?Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Bittrex? Dial Bittrex Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

Anonymous said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number ?+1-877-780-8636 ?Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

arpdigitech said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number ?+1-877-780-8636 ?Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

arpdigitech said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Bittrex? Dial Bittrex Support Number ?+1-877-780-8636 ?Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Bittrex? Dial Bittrex Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

ARP said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number ?+1-877-780-8636 ?Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Binance? Dial Binance Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

ARP said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Bittrex? Dial Bittrex Support Number ?+1-877-780-8636 ?Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Bittrex? Dial Bittrex Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

arpdigitech said...

In the event that You are confronting any sort issues with Bitstamp? Dial Bitstamp Support Number ?+1-877-780-8636 ?Phone Number and fix all record issues. On the off chance that You are confronting any sort issues with Bitstamp? Dial Bitstamp Support Number +1-877-780-8636 Phone Number and fix all record issues.

numbersonweb said...

Nice Blog, visit at HitBTC Support Number +1-860-266-2763 for the solution of HitBTC technical issues.

numbersonweb said...

Very good blog, please keep it on. If you are a Mycelium Customer and have any technical issues then dial Mycelium Support Number

Bullguard Support UK said...

If you fail to login Gmail then, it might be possible that you have entered the wrong email address or password. In that case, it is recommended to re-check the email address and password. If the problem still occurs then switch the browser and try to login again. And for proper guidance call Gmail Support UK .
Gmail Help Number UK
Gmail Login Issues

Productoffice said...

25 Digit McAfee activation code is mostly used to activate McAfee protection. It’s a unique set of the characters that comes in 5 blocks of 5, separated by a hyphen (-). Each block has a set of 5 characters which can be a combination of numbers and letters. This set of characters and numbers comes to a total of 20 characters
(XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX).


25 Digit McAfee activation code

[url=https://25-digit-mcafee-activation-code.000webhostapp.com/]25 Digit McAfee activation code[/url]