BS2px, Editor v 2.5.2, Professional Dev Bd, - can't see B Stamp chip

xanatos

OK... I just received two brand new BS2px chips from Parallax. I installed same into my Basic Stamp Professional Development Board. I went into my original editor (v 2.4.2) and did a Run>Identify. It did not see a stamp, just Loopback Yes, and Echo Yes.

I upgraded to the most recent editor (v 2.5.2). Same results.

I returned the original BS2sx chip to my Pro Dev Bd and performed another Run>Identify and saw BASIC Stamp 2sx v1.3 Yes Yes. Very happy results.

Just in case, I tried my second BS2px chip to see if perhaps, by some very slim chance, one of the BS2px chips was cooked from the start. It did not see that one either.

I seem to be unable to get my new editor software to see my new BS2px chip... any ideas here folks???

By the way, if I just attempt to download the program slots, it reports "No BASIC Stamps found".

I am thoroughly stumped and perplexed.

Thanks,

Dave

UPDATE: One out of every 20 or so Run>Identify operations I get the Port Status report:
COM10: BASIC Stamp 2px24 v1.0 Yes Yes

But the very next does NOT see the stamp, Just the Loopback Yes and Echo Yes.

Very frustrating.

xanatos

UPDATE: Mystery Solved. Here's how, should anyone else encounter the same - AND - a question for those wiser than I on the power issues described below.

After literally dozens of checks and rechecks, verifying I had the latest & greatest editor, etc., I put the BS2px chip into a different carrier board and powered it up, connected it to the cable, and there it was - just fine.

The only real difference between the two boards was that this one was powered by an on-board 9V battery, while the original board I use constantly was powered by a 6V 2A wall wart. My first clue.

So after I programmed my new BS2px in the alternate carrier board, I plugged it back into the Professional Development board, hooked up the cable, and - same original results - the editor only saw the stamp - maybe - one time out of every 12 Run > Identify operations.

So I switched from my 6V 2A Wall Wart to a 6V battery pack that has the same connector. And then the editor saw the stamp just fine, every time.

So apparently the px chip was drawing more current than the sx chip.

And here's where the question for the wise ones comes in: The Stamp Manual v2.2 specifies 60ma run current for the BS2sx, and 55ma run current for the BS2px, and yet the same power supply that feeds the BS2sx unfailingly every time, can not power the BS2px chip apparently at all. I realize that the Pro Dev Board has several other incident drains running that will affect the total current required by the board as a whole - but those drains are identical for the board whether the PX or SX version is in place... yet the SX - a supposedly slightly higher current-sucking chip - runs fine, while the PX can't.

How can this be?

Much happier now - but significantly perplexed by the power supply issue.

Thanks for any possible enlightenment!

Dave

Mike Green

It may have to do with the brown-out detector on the BS2sx vs. the BS2px. I don't know for sure, but they may have slightly different thresholds. The BS2sx isn't reacting to the low Vdd while the BS2px is (properly so).

xanatos

Thanks Mike. In any case it's good to figure the peculiarities of this chip since I'll probably be using a lot more of the px variety now. The ability to treat the EEPROM as flat memory is very useful!

Dave

davejames

xanatos wrote: »

The ability to treat the EEPROM as flat memory is very useful!

Hey Dave - care to elaborate on that statement? I thought the memory still was handled via "slots".

Later,

DJ

xanatos

Hi Dave,

With the BS2px, you can specify the slot to read and write from using the STORE command. For example, I have a program in slot 1 that reads the eeprom in slot 4 to reference against user input. Another program runs in slot 4 that I use to allow the user to manipulate that data in eeprom (delete, add, edit). It allows me to do stuff I could never have done without this feature. As far as I know, it's only available on the BS2p and px (probably the p40 as well). It's awesome!

It's also possible to write a program to "translate addresses" I'd call it so you can use the eeprom (or areas of it that you designate) as a single, flat memory area. The first example I saw of a program for this purpose is right in the Basic Stamp Manual (I have v2.,2 right now) - I think it was a demo program listed under the STORE command info.

Dave

davejames

...hmmm, interesting.

Thanks for the info.

xanatos

Interesting and very useful! :-)