Propeller identifyproblem
Procentaren
Posts: 6
Hi,
I have just bought a demoboard, and are testing it.
It looked fine in the beginning. I·tested the first tutorial in the manual.
And then just for fun I loaded some demos from the library. Like singingdemo.spin.
That worked also, both when loaded to RAM and to EEPROM.
Now a week later I have tested it again. But my·PC·can't identify the chip anymore.
The only thing that happens is that singingdemo.spin starts running from the EEPROM.
Nice tune, but a little limited
I have read this website and forum for hints, and tested·the advices I found.
Reloading driver, and change latencyvalue for the port.
But no result.
When trying to identify, it says scanned COM1, scanned COM3. But no propellerchip found.
COM3 is the USB-port.
Then the singingdemo.spin starts.
Disconnecting and connecting USB-plug makes blue and red LED to flash a couple of times.
And the PC makes the sound to indicate new hardware connected.
The operatingsystem is XP, I tried·the board on another computer (W2000). But with the same result.
On the drawing of the demoboard it says that blue LED is TX, and the red LED is RX. But from which point of view ?
Blue LED on the board is flashing once when trying to identify.
Now I'm out of ideas. The chip ought to be OK, since·it can sing for me.
But obviously it can't connect to the PC anymore.
I have just bought a demoboard, and are testing it.
It looked fine in the beginning. I·tested the first tutorial in the manual.
And then just for fun I loaded some demos from the library. Like singingdemo.spin.
That worked also, both when loaded to RAM and to EEPROM.
Now a week later I have tested it again. But my·PC·can't identify the chip anymore.
The only thing that happens is that singingdemo.spin starts running from the EEPROM.
Nice tune, but a little limited
I have read this website and forum for hints, and tested·the advices I found.
Reloading driver, and change latencyvalue for the port.
But no result.
When trying to identify, it says scanned COM1, scanned COM3. But no propellerchip found.
COM3 is the USB-port.
Then the singingdemo.spin starts.
Disconnecting and connecting USB-plug makes blue and red LED to flash a couple of times.
And the PC makes the sound to indicate new hardware connected.
The operatingsystem is XP, I tried·the board on another computer (W2000). But with the same result.
On the drawing of the demoboard it says that blue LED is TX, and the red LED is RX. But from which point of view ?
Blue LED on the board is flashing once when trying to identify.
Now I'm out of ideas. The chip ought to be OK, since·it can sing for me.
But obviously it can't connect to the PC anymore.
Comments
So I think that part is OK.
I haven't tested the chip for some days now. But today I tried it.
And believe it or not. Now it's working.·It's possible to identify the chip.
And it's working on both computers I have.
When I had problems,·both computers failed to identify the chip.
But.....
I tested to load another program to RAM. It·worked.
But·when trying to load it to EEPROM it said·something like "lost communication to chip on com3".
I don't remember the exact words.
I tried to identify, fine.
A new try to load to EEPROM. This time it worked.
And now it's working fine all the time.
Mysterious, isn't it ?
1.Get an old laptop and use it just for the Propeller Tool. Clean it up and Restore your OEM Windows if it's slow.
Windows 98 is good. XP is good. ME will work. NT and 2000 have awful serial i/o though; 30 second delays even!
After that ... Don't use it online or update anything!!!
2.Even better: Use the REAL COM PORTS on the old laptop with transistors and have no USB problems!
Live happily ever after.
3.Even better (if you can do it) Run Propeller tool in Wine in Linux. No one EVER said Linux is too slow.
Why these work? If you try programming Propeller in Windows with an online broadband internet connection,
then all the antivirus and windows updates and firewall burps and spyware will surely interrupt your Spin uploads!
(and all that junk will slow everything down the rest of the time)
Right now·the communication with the chip is working.
But if/when it fails again, I will·consider your recommendations.
But can I really use W98·?
When installing the propeller tool (V1.05.8) it says that it works for W2K and above.
·
V1.05.8 that came on a CD with the demoboard, is from november 2007.
I have just downloaded ·V1.2·· And it's from june 2008.
It's a bit confusing though. To me the number 05 is higher than the number 2 ?
But never mind.
The program is working. So I hope·the communicationproblems are fixed now.
Sorry! I was thinking of another technical program when I said it works on Win98, so trust your Proptool specs.
(*) Except for the annoying switching back to Windows Desktop when running in full-screen MS-DOS Prompt :-(
But now I have tested it again, and·there's still a communicationproblem.
I'm getting more and more convinced that it's a hardwareproblem with the board.
If·I disconnect it for an hour or so, and then reconnect it. I can communicate with it for a short while.
But then it fails again.
Cooling or heating the board makes no difference.
I have bought·the program·viewport to use when programming. But it has the same·problem.
I also have two propeller protoboards and a propeller plug. That combination works fine.
So my plan now is to remove the existing circuit for communication on the demoboard, and solder a connector for the external propeller plug. The connections are small but I hope it's possible.
What do you think, can it be a solution ?
·
It does sound like a hardware problem around the FTDI chip... Sounds like the reset circuit is working, so it must be something on the RX or TX lines...
Do you see anything wrong around the FTDI chip?
Perhaps try pushing down hard (but not too hard) on the FTDI chip while trying to identify. Do the same with the USB connector. And, finally with the Prop chip, if none of those work.
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My Prop Info&Apps: ·http://www.rayslogic.com/propeller/propeller.htm
I tried pressing a screwdriver on the FTDI-chip, and now it's working again.
Obviously it's a contactproblem with a soldering. But I don't think it's possible to fix for an amateur.
But if it fails again I know where to look.
Thank's for the·advice.
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Links to other interesting threads:
· Home of the MultiBladeProps: TriBladeProp, RamBlade, TwinBlade,·SixBlade, website
· Single Board Computer:·3 Propeller ICs·and a·TriBladeProp board (ZiCog Z80 Emulator)
· Prop Tools under Development or Completed (Index)
· Emulators: Micros eg Altair, and Terminals eg VT100 (Index) ZiCog (Z80), MoCog (6809)
· Search the Propeller forums (via Google)
My cruising website is: ·www.bluemagic.biz·· MultiBladeProp is: www.bluemagic.biz/cluso.htm
I would contact Parallax technical support. They have a track record of being very good with helping to rectify faults such as this.
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<This space for rent>
Post Edited (BradC) : 7/27/2009 3:36:57 PM GMT
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My Prop Info&Apps: ·http://www.rayslogic.com/propeller/propeller.htm