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Broken SX key and prop plug?! — Parallax Forums

Broken SX key and prop plug?!

CampeckCampeck Posts: 111
edited 2010-11-23 05:38 in General Discussion
The SX forum doesn't get much traffic and this is more of a general question any. I think my SX key is broken. I just pulled it off my shelf to start a bit of learning and when plugged in vista says it can't recognize the device and SX software doesn't find any COM ports. The SX key also seems to be warm to the touch and I don't know if it used to do this. Is there any way to fix it if it's broken?

WHAT? Now my propeller plug is doing the same thing...

Ok so I moved both of them to another computer. The Prop Plug worked. Then The SX key worked for about 5 sec then XP said that it malfunctioned. Plugged the PropPlug back in and it didn't work. So Now I am suspecting the SX Key is blowing my USB ports. But I plug the PropPlug back into vista and it works. Plugged it back into XP and it doesn't work.

What is going on?!

Comments

  • CampeckCampeck Posts: 111
    edited 2010-11-20 14:04
    And now I have gotten the SX key to work again. This is highly intermittent. Hope nothing is broken...
  • MicrocontrolledMicrocontrolled Posts: 2,461
    edited 2010-11-20 14:27
    My SX key, and I think all of them, get hot at the large metalic componant near the pin headers. It isn't a malfunction, although I had this same problem with mine when I first got it. It was on the computer end, though.
  • RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
    edited 2010-11-20 16:12
    If this had been posted in the SX forum (where it really belongs) I would have seen it earlier and responded to it......

    When you are plugging in the SX-key and it gets hot do you have it plugged into your target board with the SX or does it also get hot just plugged into the computer?

    Robert
  • CampeckCampeck Posts: 111
    edited 2010-11-20 17:35
    haha. Yeah you are like the one person who has ever responded to me in the SX forum.
    But since I got it working time was not of the essence. Thank you for your concern on answering me quickly however!

    It gets warm when the connected to the comp over USB whether in the target board or not. I was also having some difficulties with Debugging. Is The SX key just super susceptible to timing variations that can cause errors? But then that doesn't answer why the PropPlug stopped working for a bit.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-11-20 20:48
    Have you tried a different cable?
  • CampeckCampeck Posts: 111
    edited 2010-11-20 22:25
    No. I seem to be in short supply of USB to USB mini.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2010-11-20 22:27
    That could be the cause of the intermittent operation.
  • CampeckCampeck Posts: 111
    edited 2010-11-20 23:03
    I will see if I can't get a hold of one.
    But the SX Key does heat up just being plugged in by USB? Could someone double check for me?
    Thanks!
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2010-11-22 08:22
    It seems very obvious that both the SXkey and Prop plug are unlikely to fail at the same time. So it is either the software (USB drivers?), the OS, or the USB cable.

    I doubt that the IDE would be the problem because you have two different IDEs for the Propeller and the SXes.

    Since the Prop plug runs cooler, get that working first. Some SXKeys do run hot, but the crystal or resonator should be removed from the board during their use.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,401
    edited 2010-11-22 14:32
    Campeck, a bit late to the thread but I want to let you know that we still have some inventory of SX Keys so I could get you a replacement if the one you are using has failed. Feel free to contact me offline kgracey@parallax.com.

    Thanks,

    Ken Gracey
  • CampeckCampeck Posts: 111
    edited 2010-11-23 05:38
    Thanks Ken! For now I do not think it will be necessary, as besides running a little hot (which I could have just missed before) and the dubugger needing a couple of resets it seems to be working. I will have more time to play with it this coming weekend. Parallax is so great!
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