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Propeller Keeps rebooting — Parallax Forums

Propeller Keeps rebooting

primisprimis Posts: 4
edited 2011-08-01 12:11 in Propeller 1
Hi, I'm new to the propeller. I set it up on a breadboard, and it worked well for about 10 minutes. I hooked it up to a TV and tested the ntsc output, that worked well. Then it went downhill...
I unplugged the 9v batery I was using as a supply while I moved it to a different tv. When I plugged it back in, the signal didn't register, just a white line flickered about once a second. I thought maybe it was the TV, so I moved it back to the original one, no good.
Then I tried a different demo, the serial terminal, that outputted about 4 letters to terminal, then reset, repeatedly.
Any ideas on how to fix this? or is it a dead chip?

Comments

  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-07-31 15:48
    Try a proper power supply.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2011-07-31 15:51
    primis,

    Welcome to the forum!

    I assume this problem occurs only when the USB port is disconnected from your PC; am I right? If so, this is a known issue. See these threads for more info:

    -Phil
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2011-07-31 15:58
    It could be you just need a new 9 volt battery.
  • primisprimis Posts: 4
    edited 2011-07-31 16:06
    Leon, it is a proper power supply, I built a two tier (5v and 3.3v regulators) with capacitors and everything, I just don't have a barrel jack that fits in a breadboard.
    and Phil, I'm actually not using a prop plug, I'm using a serial line with DTS hooked up to the reset line, much cheaper if you ask me.

    Thank you all for responding so quickly, I thought I'd have to wait at least a week to hear back!
    And Electric, you were right, I never thought it could be the battery XD
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2011-07-31 16:09
    primis wrote: »
    ...
    And Electric, you were right, I never thought it could be the battery XD

    primis,

    welcome to the forum, and welcome to reality. If it makes you feel any better, I spent 3 hours late Friday night freaking out about a project.... until I realized the power to the chip wasn't on.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 7,620
    edited 2011-07-31 16:25
    primis wrote: »
    Leon, it is a proper power supply, I built a two tier (5v and 3.3v regulators) with capacitors and everything, I just don't have a barrel jack that fits in a breadboard.
    and Phil, I'm actually not using a prop plug, I'm using a serial line with DTS hooked up to the reset line, much cheaper if you ask me.

    Thank you all for responding so quickly, I thought I'd have to wait at least a week to hear back!
    And Electric, you were right, I never thought it could be the battery XD

    I meant that you should use a proper supply instead of a 9V battery. They don't last very long.
  • Dr_AculaDr_Acula Posts: 5,484
    edited 2011-07-31 16:26
    I'm using a serial line with DTS hooked up to the reset line, much cheaper if you ask me.

    I agree you don't need a prop plug, but is that line connected directly to the prop, or via a resistor/capacitor high pass filter, or with a transistor? Could you post a schematic?

    Also, have you checked the volts on the 9V battery while it is running?
  • primisprimis Posts: 4
    edited 2011-07-31 20:45
    I got the schematic for the DTS programmer from a project called pocketerm. You need a .01 uF capacitor, two 10k resistors, and a NPN transitor. You can find the schematics here: http://www.brielcomputers.com/files/PTschematic.pdf all the stuff you need to know can be found in the upper-left.

    You'll also need a TTL serial level converter to change the +12/-12 VDC coming from your computer down to +5/0 VDC. The one used here is a MAX232 dual serial converter, you can buy one from almost anywhere, so I'm not going to endorse a specific link. (Lower left in schematic)
  • Dr_AculaDr_Acula Posts: 5,484
    edited 2011-07-31 21:24
    My circuits are derived from the pocketerm as well, and it seems a pretty reliable circuit. So (like Leon) I'd be suspecting the power supply next. Is the reset repeatable, and can you measure the battery volts?
  • Cluso99Cluso99 Posts: 18,069
    edited 2011-07-31 23:12
    Just to be certain, you do not have an FT232 chip on the pcb, do you?
  • primisprimis Posts: 4
    edited 2011-08-01 12:11
    It seems to have stopped, (bad cap on the power line, whoops!) but thanks for all the help!
    (and no FT232 chip, just a MAX3232 for level conversion on the serial)
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