Some flight sim users experience issues when connecting the Rowsfire A107 V3 panel with Mobiflight—failed firmware uploads, unstable device recognition, or COM port errors.
Recently, one customer went through an in-depth troubleshooting journey that uncovered the real cause behind these problems. And surprisingly, it wasn’t a hardware fault at all.
Here’s a clear summary of the entire process and what other users can learn from it.
✅ 1. Initial Issues the Customer Experienced
The user reported that the A107 V3 panel behaved inconsistently:
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Firmware upload sometimes works, sometimes fails
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Mobiflight repeatedly prompts for “firmware reload”
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Arduino Nano upload errors
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Device Manager showing unstable CH340 driver status
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Tried different USB cables and ports — same issue
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Even after one successful upload, the next day it fails again
At first, this looked like a potential hardware or Arduino board issue.
✅ 2. What the Technician Checked During Support
Our technician patiently worked with the customer through multiple troubleshooting steps:
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Confirming correct firmware upload mode (Nano vs Mega)
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Verifying whether the panel was A107 V2 or V3
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Checking Mobiflight Modules recognition
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Trying different bootloaders (Old vs New Bootloader)
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Reinstalling CH340 USB drivers
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Ensuring Mobiflight / FSUIPC / SimConnect were not blocking ports
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Testing multiple USB data cables and ports
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Monitoring Device Manager for proper device refresh on plug/unplug
The panel briefly worked after one upload—but the issue quickly returned.
This indicated a deeper systemic conflict rather than random failure.
🔥 3. The Real Root Cause (Hidden and Easy to Miss)
After several hours of independent testing, the customer discovered the TRUE culprit:
Other flight sim software was auto-starting and grabbing the same COM port before Mobiflight could use it.
Specifically:
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SimAppPro (WinWing software)
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Wingflex Bridge
Both programs automatically launched with Windows and silently occupied the Arduino’s COM port.
When the COM port was locked:
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Firmware upload fails
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Mobiflight can’t detect the device
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Device info becomes inconsistent
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It appears as if “the Arduino is unstable”
But in reality, the hardware was fine—the port was simply taken.
⭐ 4. The Final Fix (Simple but Effective)
The customer found a stable long-term solution:
✔ 1. Disable auto-start for SimAppPro and Wingflex Bridge
(Prevent them from launching automatically with Windows)
✔ 2. Always start Mobiflight first
Once Mobiflight opens the COM port before any other software:
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Firmware uploads succeed
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The panel is detected reliably
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No more “firmware reload” errors
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Everything works normally every time
The user tested this multiple times and confirmed it is 100% stable.
📌 One-Sentence Summary
The A107 V3 connection issues were not caused by hardware, but by WinWing and Wingflex software auto-starting and occupying the Arduino’s COM port before Mobiflight could access it.
Disabling their auto-start and launching Mobiflight first completely solves the problem.
