New to using prop plug and spinneret

K Squared

Hi guys! So I'm new to using a prop plug to program boards. I've had experience with using embedded systems and microcontrollers that just plug into a USB port and then I can use their respective program to put the code onto the board without having to provide additional power to the board. However, I'm having issues with trying to program the prop plug with the Propeller Tool as it says that "No Propeller chip found on any serial port. Unable to open COM4." I've enabled COM4 in the terminal, is there anything else I need to do to get it to work? I can see that COM4 is used under my Device Manager from my computer. Do I need to provide power to the plug or the spinneret besides the USB cable to my computer?

For powering the Spinneret board, what do I use? I'm thinking of just wiring a 9 volt battery to power it, will that work? For my previous work the power source was just from the USB cable or a built in port for a battery so I'm not sure what to use. I've also checked out http://spinneret.servebeer.com:5000/ as I saw that it was a good place to start in another thread but haven't done anything with it yet because of the prop plug problem

My goal of my project is to create what is seen in this video: http://hacknmod.com/hack/diy-text-message-powered-keyless-entry/ So if anyone has any suggestions about how to go along with this, that would be great!

Mike G

Hello K Squared and welcome to the forum.

You must power the Spinneret separately. I use the Auxiliary Serial I/O header (J6) which is close to the Ethernet Connection.

W = No connection
R = +5v
B = Ground


See the Spinneret Manual for PIN IO and specifications.

K Squared

Thanks for the help Mike. Do you know if I can use this http://www.parallax.com/Store/Accessories/CablesConverters/tabid/166/txtSearch/spinneret/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/386/Default.aspx to be able to connect a battery via breadboard? Or is there some other kind of cord that I can use?

Mike G

Yes, that cable will work. However, battery power will be a pain.

I snipped the end of a servo extension and wired it to a repurposed 5V cell phone charger.

K Squared

Got the cord and a power source I put together in a different project and everything seems to be good. But how do I put multiple files of code onto the prop plug? I'm using the code from here: https://github.com/billychasen/sms-door-opener with the correct modifications to IP/MAC/etc. of course. Do I just use one file? I also see there's been a past thread about what I'm trying to do: http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?132875-Spinneret-Web-Sercer-to-Opening-a-door-via-text-message and I'll try out the Twilio tutorial hopefully over Thanksgiving.