Is my XBee working on my Prop BOE?

smithdavidp

Boy......when you get started with the Prop BOE it seems like money juct flows out of my pocket. Anyway I had to go to Radio Shach to buy some 3.3 1/4 watt resistors for my Ping Sensor and some 3.9 1/4 Watt resistors for my servos. While there I saw that they had the Xbee package kit, a $99.00 value and a PMB-648 SiRF GPS Module. My brain told me no but my heart said go for it. I left Radio Shack some $168.00 heavier on my credit card. I pluged the Xbee module on to my Prop BOE (above the ram memory card holder) with it faceing the same direction as the Xbee picture on the Prop BOE. I pluged the other Xbee module onto the USB card. I installed the X-CTU software and ran the test. It found the serial port (7) and identified the modem. It failed all the other test. Distance test had data time out errors only. Typing in the terminal only gave a single set of characters. It looked like there may have been some shadowing but nothing near the spacing that the manual shows. The packet test only showed 1 "Hello World" in the window and not two as the manual describes. The leds on the USB module gave every indication that data was being sent out. If I look at the Prop BOE there is a blue LED that flashes with each typed key. It seems as though the Prop BOE is receiving but refuses to transmit. None of the "AT" commands worked at all. I could not get the Prop BOE to return an "OK" or channel letter. Have I missed a step somewhere? Also the X-CTU software has been updated so it does not work the same as the software used in the Xbee installation instructions. For example. The section that tells you to type "Hello World" then push the enter button and then push the send button. Well......there is no "Enter" button to be pushed. And the Range test is not at all the same as in the Xbee instructions.


What have I missed or done wrong?


Thanks for your time


Dave (the newbee) Smith

Duane Degn

Dave, did you use the jumper wires from the IO pins to the XBee pins?

What program did you use for the PropBOE?

Duane Degn

Dave,

Take a look at this tread.

http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?138066-Going-through-XBee-Tutorial

smithdavidp

I pulled the wires from P0 and P1 and verified, with a digital ohm meter, that there was a connection to Do and D1 at the top of the XBee chip. There was no resistance in the circuits. Sorry about taking up so much space but they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Duane Degn

So you don't have any code loaded into the Prop right?

You can do a quick loop back test by using just one wire and connect Do and Di together. This just used the PropBOE as a power supply but it should let you know if the XBees are working (I think).

GordonMcComb

You might start with the XBee KickStart, and not bother with the X-CTU software to begin. Assuming you didn't change any settings in your XBees when you used the X-CTU program, you should be able to use them out of the box, with their defaults, and echo back data sent from one to the other. This verifies operation, and lets you experiment from a known base.

The KickStart page shows how for the QuickStart board, but it's even easier with the PropBOE. Use the XBee socket on the PropBOE as the main transceiver, connected to P0 and P1 as shown, and just wire up the "remote" XBee for echoing. Use either carrier on the PropBOE's breadboard. Don't forget the jumper between its DIN and DOUT pins. That's what makes the data echo back.

https://sites.google.com/site/parallaxinretailstores/home/parallax-xbee-wireless-kit

Once you know this part is working you can load up X-CTU, change baud rates, try different channels, and all that fun stuff.

-- Gordon

smithdavidp

You, sir, are a Prince amoung men. I removed the two wires, jumpered D0 to D1 with a single wire and it works just as advertised. Thank you so very much.

Tymkrs

If you look at our youtube channel for the past month/month and a half, our xbees are on the PropBOE and I go through each step of the tutorial provided under the Xbee Wireless Kit:

http://www.youtube.com/whisk0r

I go through both just a normal feedback loop to test the basics with X-CTU, and also controlling LEDs/Buzzers. Next week I'll be showing control of a parallax RC servo as well.

smithdavidp

Thanks. I have them up and running. They are doing strange things though. I tried to set their addresses and upon doing so there were a lot of dropped packets. The base was set at MY= 1 and DL= 2 and the remote was set at MY= 2 and DL=1. Do you need to remove the D0-D1 jumper? I don't see how that should have any effect on the address. They work fine at 0 and I did not change the PAN I.D.
Another question is the ATDB. Is the data showing each number per channel or are all the numbers for the same channel? All of these may become an issue as I may have to go to another Micro to accomplish my project which would mean that my topology would be Base is MY=1 and the DL will equal either 2 or 3 depending on which micro I am sending data to. The first Micro will be MY=2 and DL=1 and the third will be MY=3 and DL=1 just as it is shown on page 36 of the "Getting Started with XBee Modules".

smithdavidp

O.K. so I got everything working and have gone through the tutorial. Some suggestions if I may. For users of the Prop BOE there should be a page, for people starting for the first time, describing the jumper wires.
Starting out: There is no need to take a resistor size wire and stick it between chip pins DO and DI to get the XBee to go into repeat loopback mode. This runs the risk of damaging the pins of the XBee chip when you try to reinstall the chip over the jumper. A jumper wire placed between DO and DI, near the on board LED(s) (J5 Header), works great.
Getting Started with XBee RF Modules. 1st page should read "Be sure to remove the loopback jumper used during initial testing. The vacated sockets will then be jumpered from PO to DO and from P1 to DI after removing the loopback jumper wire. Do not reinstall the loopback jumper unless it is for diagnostic purposes. Have fun discovering the many assetts that the XBee has to offer.
Of course pictures would be in order here.

Tymkrs

Another question is the ATDB. Is the data showing each number per channel or are all the numbers for the same channel?

>> I believe this is per channel. So it's like saying how good is the reception given a different frequency.

Starting out: There is no need to take a resistor size wire and stick it between chip pins DO and DI to get the XBee to go into repeat loopback mode. This runs the risk of damaging the pins of the XBee chip when you try to reinstall the chip over the jumper. A jumper wire placed between DO and DI, near the on board LED(s) (J5 Header), works great.

>> Yeah I originally did this because I didn't realize that the headers by the xbee slots were connected to the xbee pins - RoyEltham later corrected me . So while doing the feedback loop, a simple wire between D0 and D1 is adequate. But when done using the feedback loop, like you said David, hook the D0 and DI from the Xbee to the appropriate pins according to the code.

smithdavidp

Well....let me open my binder here....FullDuplexSerial was the first, then the X-CTU, then I jumped over to the XBee quick start page then most of the programs in the Parallax "Getting Started with the XBee RF Modules. The problem that is being missed by a few folks is that there are quite a few people that are new to the Propeller line of processors. We started out with the BS2 series and then we are told that hey!!! we have a neat new board with a lot of prephials. Not one of us even had a Propeller demo board let alone a Propeller learning kit. So none of the pictures, we saw, looked anything like the Prop BOE. Then, of course, there are the Toymakers U-Tube series that showed us that it could work. My issue....well it's really not an issue.......more of a complaint is that there is an information overload going on with the Prop BOE. 3 days of experimenting, searching, and begging for help is enough to make anyone get discouraged. Seeing Blogs like "Okay I'm just going to throw it away" really makes a neub feel like they were snookered into buying somthing that has no documentation for the product they just ordered. The folks that have experience forget that there are young babys out there that are just learning to walk. Parallax is one of the few companies, that exsist today, that take on the role of mommy and daddy to help those babies learn to stand on their own and finally take their first steps. Working with somthing every day tends to make one forget that there are people opening up a package for the first time. For example. I'm an old mechanic. If you were to take two 700R4 automatic transmissions Have them completly dissembled and ask me and someone that has experience in electronics and programming to re-assemble them and make them operate correctly I'm pretty sure I'd make the electronics person look like a fool. And on top of that I would have a hard time understanding why they cant do a simple thing as getting the check balls in their correct channels. We would even give them all the manuals for automatic transmissions. But we wouldn't give them the exact manual for that 700R4 transmission. I apologize for such a lengthy answer but it's the only way I know how to explane the issues that I have had.

smithdavidp

P.S Let Atdiy know that I have been on the receiving end of her profession. Tripple Bypass in 1993 and a stint and 3 angios this past June. I am very curious to see how she does with the Prop BOE. ;-)

smithdavidp

Hmmm….. I really haven’t given that scenario muchthought. My project only requires theProp to give information that it has received. Although I have been looking into the PINK Ethernet Wi-Fi Module. Thismay, or may not, solve one of my communications within my project. I have just gone as far as to confirm that myPC is receiving data from the prop board which it does. I’m working on the servo, and power, end ofthings right now. That’s the problemwith the Propeller. So many things youcan do with it that it makes it hard to concentrate on any single item for verylong. It’s a great problem to havetoo. I love it!!!! Try using the Xbee quick start and the Xbee tutorials. Read them before you buy your modulesthough. There are some differences inmodule types that you need to be aware of.

smithdavidp

Ok, another stupid question. If I want to update the Propeller, with input from my PC, do I simply jumper RTS and CTS (on the XBee sockets at J5) to RTS and CTS at the R/H top of J5 marked Serial?. This would then put the XBee in communication with RTS/CTS for the Prop using the same data lines as the USB input. And everything would be connected to pins 30 and 31 on the Prop chip? My second question is wouldn't it be better to run the XBees Baud Rate at the same Baud Rate as the Propeller if the circuit works the way I described it?

Tymkrs

Hi David! Most of the projects I have been working on has been on the PropBOE, we were fortunate to get an early version of it to mess around with for the show and blog. So on that note, there's a lot of noobish work I've done with it - making LEDs blink, switches, rc servos, and of course the XBee. So if you've seen the Youtube, but not the rest (blog/forums), here are the links for those:

http://tymkrs.tumblr.com (on the right hand side there's an Archive link - easy to look through all of the old posts that way).

I'll see if we can do a video on the prop BOE. Whisker's been after me to use my new camera to show off some of the projects

Tymkrs

smithdavidp wrote: »

P.S Let Atdiy know that I have been on the receiving end of her profession. Tripple Bypass in 1993 and a stint and 3 angios this past June. I am very curious to see how she does with the Prop BOE. ;-)

Yay for cardiac surgery (but hopefully not having it again!). Please stay healthy

Tymkrs

smithdavidp wrote: »

Ok, another stupid question. If I want to update the Propeller, with input from my PC, do I simply jumper RTS and CTS (on the XBee sockets at J5) to RTS and CTS at the R/H top of J5 marked Serial?. This would then put the XBee in communication with RTS/CTS for the Prop using the same data lines as the USB input. And everything would be connected to pins 30 and 31 on the Prop chip? My second question is wouldn't it be better to run the XBees Baud Rate at the same Baud Rate as the Propeller if the circuit works the way I described it?

So I'm not exactly sure what you mean by updating the Propeller? If you mean reprogramming the RAM/EEPROM, then through the USB is adequate. I haven't had to connect the RTS/CTS to any pins. I have changed what the XBee or a peripheral is doing through code running on the Propeller, however, and that just requires the typical D0 and DI pins to be connected according to what pins your code says they should be connected to. And with that, I used X-CTU. See following pic:

And the youtube videos will show how I use X-CTU to control a peripheral. Hopefully somewhere I touched on the question you were asking?