SPC56B-Discovery + PLS UDE - persistent "Failed to open FTDI device driver" error

[Mohan_gowda]

Hi all,

I'm trying to get the PLS UDE Starterkit debugger working with the SPC56B-Discovery board (SPC560B54L5) and consistently hit the same error on every connection attempt:

PpcJtagTargIntf: Can't connect target!
PpcJtagTargIntf: Failed to open communication channel!
FtdiCommDev: Failed to open FTDI device driver!

Setup:
- SPC5 Studio 6.0 + HighTec GCC, project builds clean (0 errors)
- PLS UDE Starterkit 2021.05, correct target config (stm_spc560b54_bolero_discovery_starterkit_debug_jtag.cfg)
- Board shows correctly in Device Manager as "PLS USB JTAG Adapter for SPC5xxx A/B", VID_263D PID_4001, no driver warnings
- Reinstalled the driver using the bundled InstallPlsUsbJtagDriver script
- Ran UDE as Administrator, tried multiple USB ports, full system restart

Despite all of this, the error is 100% reproducible — every attempt, exact same message. Sometimes the device also disappears from Device Manager right after a failed attempt.

Has anyone run into this exact combination before? Open to trying anything at this point — happy to share more logs/screenshots if useful.

Thanks in advance.

[Erwan YVIN]

Hello,

For the SPC560B54L5 on the SPC56B-Discovery, the error occurs while UDE is opening the USB/JTAG communication channel, before it can establish the target connection. The next discriminator is whether the PLS adapter remains stable and enumerated in Windows Device Manager when UDE starts

 

The reported sequence—Can't connect target, failed to open communication channel, followed by Failed to open FTDI device driver—points to the debugger communication path rather than the application project

The board is identified as a PLS USB JTAG Adapter for SPC5xxx A/B with VID_263D PID_4001, and the bundled PLS driver installation procedure has already been tried

Please try the following:

1. Disconnect and reconnect the board, then check Device Manager before and during the UDE connection attempt. Record whether the PLS adapter appears, changes state, disappears, or reports an error.

2. Test the complete board, cable, and UDE setup on another PC, preferably one with a different USB controller. This is the highest-value discriminator.

3. Confirm that the board remains powered and that the onboard debugger does not lose USB power or reset when UDE opens the channel.

4. Do not install a generic FTDI driver over the PLS driver unless PLS explicitly instructs you to; the adapter must remain bound to the PLS-supported driver.

5. Keep the target configuration set to stm_spc560b54_bolero_discovery_starterkit_debug_jtag.cfg until USB enumeration is reliable.

6. If the failure also occurs on a second known-good PC, contact PLS UDE support with the complete UDE log, Windows version, Device Manager status before and after the attempt, USB VID/PID, board identification details, and the exact error strings.

A related ST Community report showed the same failure across boards, UDE versions, USB ports, driver reinstalls, and administrator mode, with one case also showing Windows Code 43 / “device descriptor failed.” That pattern is consistent with a host USB path or adapter-enumeration problem, but it does not prove a specific hardware defect

Useful references:

• Connection issue between PLS UDE software and board’s onboard JTAG debugger

• SPC56B-Discovery product page — board and onboard PLS debugger information

Best Regards

                Erwan