Ultra-newbie question - how do I use the USB interface???

David Bayliss

Ok,

Have my SX-Key complete with documentation; fell at the first hurdle. All the documents want me to plug into a SERIAL port and select a SERIAL port from the SX-Key configuration menu.

Of course muggins here went for the USB option ... so how do I persuade my SX-Key software (i'm using 3.2.92h) to use the USB interface?

David

Shawn Lowe

Do you have the USB or Serial Sx-Key?

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Shawn Lowe


When all else fails.....procrastinate!

David Bayliss

USB - I think using COM3 worked ... although I still can't get the system to single-step ... I'll keep digging ...

David Bayliss

Hmmm ... by scanning and rescanning the forums I got this working ... but parallax really could make this easier out of the box.

It transpires that on two of my machines (both vista) the default freq setting of 1Mhz does not allow the SX-Key to work - change it to 4MHz and everything seems ok ...

This is a really cool system which I love - but there really is too much unneccesarry 'clunk' in there ...



David

RobotWorkshop

There are a couple reasons that all the docs reference a Serial port. The first is that the original SX-Key was serial based and plugged into a Serial port. The other is that the new USB SX-Key looks like a new Serial port to your PC when you plug it in. Whenever you plug in the USB SX-Key you should notice a new Serial port that wasn't there before and disappears when it is unplugged. Just select that COM port and you should be in good shape.

In regards to debugging and trying to single step your program you have to make sure that the SX-Key is the clock source for your project. Any resonators/crystals have to be removed or the debugger will be grayed out. You can usually leave in a resonator in place for programming however.

Robert