First launch a terminal window. Instructions how to launch one can be found in our introduction to the terminal.
If you don’t know if python3 is configured on your machine yet, follow our instructions to set up pip3. Ensure your laptop is connected to a broadband connection, then type the following in the terminal and press Enter.
pip3 install --user pyserial
With pyserial installed, we can run a command to inspect the serial ports on your computer and figure out which one is the Vanguard board.
Plug in your Vanguard board to your laptop with the USB cable. Type the following then press Enter
python3 -m serial.tools.list_ports
This should list a series of available ports, for example on my machine it looked like…
$ python3 -m serial.tools.list_ports
/dev/ttyS4
/dev/ttyUSB0
2 ports found
Now unplug your Vanguard board and run the command again. One of the listed ports should have disappeared. Make a note of the full name, including any dots or slashes, for example by selecting and copying the text. This will be the port name used to connect to your Vanguard board in later steps. Replug and re-run the command to confirm.
In my case when I unplugged my Vanguard board it was the/dev/ttyUSB0 port which had disappeared from the list…
$ python3 -m serial.tools.list_ports
/dev/ttyS4
1 ports found
If there is no change in the list when you unplug/replug your Vanguard board, then revisit the earlier step Configuring USB drivers to make sure the CH340 serial drivers are properly installed.