Hi to Everyone,

I?ve been using this temperature recorder for a number of years. To get
it to work on Debian, I had to install a program with Python, according
to a doc I had found. This generated a directory named elitech-datareader-1.0.5, which provides commands to program the
recorder as well to recuperate recorded data. I still have this on my
Debian 11 system, and it still works.

Problem isÿ: over time, the recorder became wet inside, so I decided to
buy a new one of the same model. The new one I received is exactly the
same RC-5? but it appears that the software has changedÿ: it no longer
works on my system. The elitech site only proposes software for Windows
and Mac?, but it said the same thing in the old days (maybe 2017) at the
time I had found what still works on my old RC-5.

The old RC-5 is an USB device. Whenever plugged into a usb portÿ:

$ lsusb

ÿ Bus 001 Device 088: ID 1a86:7523 QinHeng Electronics CH340 serial
converter

If I replace the old RC-5 by the new one, the above line disappears for
the lsusb output, but another line appears insteadÿ:

Bus 001 Device 089: ID 246c:9001 FMSH MSC+HID

**************************

Whenever plugging the new RC5 into usb device, this automount

/dev/sdd

onto

/media/bd/Data Logger

Butÿ:

cd /media///bd/?Data Logger?

then ls -l => total 0

Let?s see the outputs when I try both old and new RC-5 using the old
driving systemÿ:

Older RC-5ÿ:

bd@debian-stretch:~/elitech-datareader-1.0.5$ sudo elitech-datareader --command get /dev/ttyUSB0

1 2026-01-19 18:31:49 24.3

2 2026-01-19 18:32:49 24.2

3 2026-01-19 18:33:49 23.9

4 2026-01-19 18:34:49 23.6

bd@debian-stretch:~/elitech-datareader-1.0.5

New RC-5ÿ:

sudo elitech-datareader --command get /dev/ttyUSB0

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "/usr/local/bin/elitech-datareader", line 11, in <module>

load_entry_point('elitech-datareader==1.0.5', 'console_scripts', 'elitech-datareader')()

File "build/bdist.linux-x86_64/egg/scripts/elitech_device.py", line 23,
in main

File "build/bdist.linux-x86_64/egg/scripts/elitech_device.py", line 55,
in command_get

File "build/bdist.linux-x86_64/egg/elitech/__init__.py", line 43, in
__init__

File "build/bdist.linux-x86_64/egg/serial/serialutil.py", line 282, in __init__

File "build/bdist.linux-x86_64/egg/serial/serialposix.py", line 289, in open

OSError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/dev/ttyUSB0'

bd@debian-stretch:~/elitech-datareader-1.0.5$

I surely understand that /dev/ttyUSB0 must not be the correct target for
the new RC-5

Thanks in advance for your help

Bernard

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Mon, 19 Jan 2026 19:01:25 +0100
Bernard <bdebreil@free.fr> wrote:

The new one I received is exactly the same RC-5? but it appears that the

(old RC-5)

ÿ Bus 001 Device 088: ID 1a86:7523 QinHeng Electronics CH340 serial

(new RC-5)

Bus 001 Device 089: ID 246c:9001 FMSH MSC+HID

It sounds like the new one is not "exactly the same RC-5". It sounds like the manufacturer changed the hardware, and is pretending that it's the same RC-5 as the old one.

Check out https://github.com/civic/elitech-datareader/issues/45 where someone else tried to use the same version (246c:9001 is the identifier).

A question to consider: Is it too late to return the new one and get your money back? Maybe the solution is to switch to a device from a manufacturer that doesn't lie to their customers.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Mon, Jan 19, 2026 at 07:01:25PM +0100, Bernard wrote:

Hi to Everyone,

I?ve been using this temperature recorder for a number of years. To get it
to work on Debian, I had to install a program with Python, according to a
doc I had found. This generated a directory named elitech-datareader-1.0.5, which provides commands to program the recorder as well to recuperate recorded data. I still have this on my Debian 11 system, and it still works.

Problem isÿ: over time, the recorder became wet inside, so I decided to buy
a new one of the same model. The new one I received is exactly the same
RC-5? but it appears that the software has changedÿ: it no longer works on
my system. The elitech site only proposes software for Windows and Mac?, but it said the same thing in the old days (maybe 2017) at the time I had found what still works on my old RC-5.

The old RC-5 is an USB device. Whenever plugged into a usb portÿ:

$ lsusb

ÿ Bus 001 Device 088: ID 1a86:7523 QinHeng Electronics CH340 serial
converter

If I replace the old RC-5 by the new one, the above line disappears for the lsusb output, but another line appears insteadÿ:

Bus 001 Device 089: ID 246c:9001 FMSH MSC+HID

[...]
You might want to do "sudo dmesg | tail" shortly after inserting the device (say a couple of seconds or five). Perhaps that allows us to see what the kernel is making of this. Poking around in the Intratubes suggests that this
is a "combined USB device" offering a storage and a HID (that's the MSC+HID) interface.
Cheers
--
tom s


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 19/01/2026 19:55, tomas@tuxteam.de wrote:

On Mon, Jan 19, 2026 at 07:01:25PM +0100, Bernard wrote:

Hi to Everyone,

I?ve been using this temperature recorder for a number of years. To get it >> to work on Debian, I had to install a program with Python, according to a
doc I had found. This generated a directory named elitech-datareader-1.0.5, >> which provides commands to program the recorder as well to recuperate
recorded data. I still have this on my Debian 11 system, and it still works. >>
Problem isÿ: over time, the recorder became wet inside, so I decided to buy >> a new one of the same model. The new one I received is exactly the same
RC-5? but it appears that the software has changedÿ: it no longer works on >> my system. The elitech site only proposes software for Windows and Mac?, but >> it said the same thing in the old days (maybe 2017) at the time I had found >> what still works on my old RC-5.

The old RC-5 is an USB device. Whenever plugged into a usb portÿ:

$ lsusb

ÿ Bus 001 Device 088: ID 1a86:7523 QinHeng Electronics CH340 serial
converter

If I replace the old RC-5 by the new one, the above line disappears for the >> lsusb output, but another line appears insteadÿ:

Bus 001 Device 089: ID 246c:9001 FMSH MSC+HID

[...]

You might want to do "sudo dmesg | tail" shortly after inserting the device (say a couple of seconds or five). Perhaps that allows us to see what the kernel is making of this. Poking around in the Intratubes suggests that this is a "combined USB device" offering a storage and a HID (that's the MSC+HID) interface.

Cheers

Thanks for your reply. Below is the result of the suggested test. I have
also ckecked /dev/usb/

bd@debian-stretch:~$ sudo dmesg | tail

[550017.843525] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] 256 512-byte logical blocks: (131
kB/128 KiB)

[550017.843833] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Write Protect is off

[550017.843838] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Mode Sense: 00 00 00 00

[550017.844131] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Asking for cache data failed

[550017.844138] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Assuming drive cache: write through

[550017.844149] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.862903] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.871806] sdd:

[550017.890693] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.890706] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Attached SCSI removable disk

another test below :

$ cd /dev

$ ls -lt


dev/

crw-rw-rw- 1 root tty 5, 2 22 janv. 16:19 ptmx

brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 48 22 janv. 16:18 sdd

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 360 22 janv. 16:18 block

drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 140 22 janv. 16:18 disk

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 3520 22 janv. 16:18 char

crw-rw---- 1 root disk 21, 4 22 janv. 16:18 sg4

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 140 22 janv. 16:18 bsg

crw------- 1 root root 248, 1 22 janv. 16:18 hidraw1

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 60 22 janv. 16:18 usb

crw-rw-rw- 1 root tty 5, 0 22 janv. 16:05 tty


$ dev/

$ cd usb

$ dev/usb$

$ ls -lt

$ dev/usb$

$ ls -lt

total 0

crw------- 1 root root 180, 0 22 janv. 16:18 hiddev0

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 19/01/2026 19:55, tomas@tuxteam.de wrote:

On Mon, Jan 19, 2026 at 07:01:25PM +0100, Bernard wrote:

Hi to Everyone,

I?ve been using this temperature recorder for a number of years. To get it >> to work on Debian, I had to install a program with Python, according to a
doc I had found. This generated a directory named elitech-datareader-1.0.5, >> which provides commands to program the recorder as well to recuperate
recorded data. I still have this on my Debian 11 system, and it still works. >>
Problem isÿ: over time, the recorder became wet inside, so I decided to buy >> a new one of the same model. The new one I received is exactly the same
RC-5? but it appears that the software has changedÿ: it no longer works on >> my system. The elitech site only proposes software for Windows and Mac?, but >> it said the same thing in the old days (maybe 2017) at the time I had found >> what still works on my old RC-5.

The old RC-5 is an USB device. Whenever plugged into a usb portÿ:

$ lsusb

ÿ Bus 001 Device 088: ID 1a86:7523 QinHeng Electronics CH340 serial
converter

If I replace the old RC-5 by the new one, the above line disappears for the >> lsusb output, but another line appears insteadÿ:

Bus 001 Device 089: ID 246c:9001 FMSH MSC+HID

[...]

You might want to do "sudo dmesg | tail" shortly after inserting the device (say a couple of seconds or five). Perhaps that allows us to see what the kernel is making of this. Poking around in the Intratubes suggests that this is a "combined USB device" offering a storage and a HID (that's the MSC+HID) interface.

Cheers

bd@debian-stretch:~$ sudo dmesg | tail

[550017.843525] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] 256 512-byte logical blocks: (131
kB/128 KiB)

[550017.843833] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Write Protect is off

[550017.843838] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Mode Sense: 00 00 00 00

[550017.844131] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Asking for cache data failed

[550017.844138] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Assuming drive cache: write through

[550017.844149] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.862903] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.871806] sdd:

[550017.890693] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.890706] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Attached SCSI removable disk


$ cd /dev

$ ls -lt


dev/

crw-rw-rw- 1 root tty 5, 2 22 janv. 16:19 ptmx

brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 48 22 janv. 16:18 sdd

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 360 22 janv. 16:18 block

drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 140 22 janv. 16:18 disk

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 3520 22 janv. 16:18 char

crw-rw---- 1 root disk 21, 4 22 janv. 16:18 sg4

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 140 22 janv. 16:18 bsg

crw------- 1 root root 248, 1 22 janv. 16:18 hidraw1

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 60 22 janv. 16:18 usb

crw-rw-rw- 1 root tty 5, 0 22 janv. 16:05 tty


$ dev/

$ cd usb

$ dev/usb$

$ ls -lt

$ dev/usb$

$ ls -lt

total 0

crw------- 1 root root 180, 0 22 janv. 16:18 hiddev0

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Thu, Jan 22, 2026 at 04:45:18PM +0100, Bernard wrote:

On 19/01/2026 19:55, tomas@tuxteam.de wrote:

On Mon, Jan 19, 2026 at 07:01:25PM +0100, Bernard wrote:

[...]

You might want to do "sudo dmesg | tail" shortly after inserting the device [...]

bd@debian-stretch:~$ sudo dmesg | tail

[550017.843525] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] 256 512-byte logical blocks: (131 kB/128 KiB)

[550017.843833] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Write Protect is off

[550017.843838] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Mode Sense: 00 00 00 00

[550017.844131] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Asking for cache data failed

[550017.844138] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Assuming drive cache: write through

[550017.844149] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.862903] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.871806] sdd:

[550017.890693] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.890706] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Attached SCSI removable disk

[...]
Ugh. This suggests that the device "appears" just as a block
device (I dimly remember some -- I think it was GPRS? -- modems
which did this, offering the windows (what else?) drivers on
the DOS file system. Once tickled with some undocumented magic,
they offered an USB serial, which behaved like a plain boring
modem, Hayes command set and all).
Sorry, at the moment I'm out of ideas. If you can, yell at the
vendor -- it feels useless, but is good for free software in
the long run.
Cheers
--
t


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Le 22/01/2026 … 17:20, tomas@tuxteam.de a ‚critÿ:

[...]

Ugh. This suggests that the device "appears" just as a block
device (I dimly remember some -- I think it was GPRS? -- modems
which did this, offering the windows (what else?) drivers on
the DOS file system. Once tickled with some undocumented magic,
they offered an USB serial, which behaved like a plain boring
modem, Hayes command set and all).

[...]
The maintainer of the usb-modeswitch package will surely be glad to know
you consider him a magician since they maintain a magical package ;-) https://packages.debian.org/en/stable/usb-modeswitch

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Thu, Jan 22, 2026 at 06:51:30PM +0100, didier gaumet wrote:

Le 22/01/2026 … 17:20, tomas@tuxteam.de a ‚critÿ:

[...]

Ugh. This suggests that the device "appears" just as a block
device [...]

The maintainer of the usb-modeswitch package will surely be glad to know you consider him a magician

I sure do :-)

since they maintain a magical package ;-) https://packages.debian.org/en/stable/usb-modeswitch

Thanks for the info: either it slipped my mind, or I just didn't know.
Cheers
--
tom s


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.2
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 22/01/2026 17:20, tomas@tuxteam.de wrote:

On Thu, Jan 22, 2026 at 04:45:18PM +0100, Bernard wrote:

On 19/01/2026 19:55, tomas@tuxteam.de wrote:

On Mon, Jan 19, 2026 at 07:01:25PM +0100, Bernard wrote:

[...]

You might want to do "sudo dmesg | tail" shortly after inserting the device >>> [...]

bd@debian-stretch:~$ sudo dmesg | tail

[550017.843525] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] 256 512-byte logical blocks: (131 kB/128 >> KiB)

[550017.843833] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Write Protect is off

[550017.843838] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Mode Sense: 00 00 00 00

[550017.844131] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Asking for cache data failed

[550017.844138] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Assuming drive cache: write through

[550017.844149] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.862903] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.871806] sdd:

[550017.890693] sdd: detected capacity change from 0 to 131072

[550017.890706] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdd] Attached SCSI removable disk

[...]

Ugh. This suggests that the device "appears" just as a block
device (I dimly remember some -- I think it was GPRS? -- modems
which did this, offering the windows (what else?) drivers on
the DOS file system. Once tickled with some undocumented magic,
they offered an USB serial, which behaved like a plain boring
modem, Hayes command set and all).

Sorry, at the moment I'm out of ideas. If you can, yell at the
vendor -- it feels useless, but is good for free software in
the long run.

Cheers

Thanks for your reply. Yelling at the vendor ?ÿ I don't see any
efficient means to do that... I've done two things so far : for once, i
wrote a comment about this purchase in the Amazon site, and I also sent
an e-mail to service@elitech.uk.com explaining the problem and asking
is, by any chance, it was still possible to get old RC-5 model with the
former hardware. We 'll see if there is any reply, but I am not too
optimistic on that matter...

Bernard

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.5
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)