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Getting error: Propeller chip lost on COM17 — Parallax Forums

Getting error: Propeller chip lost on COM17

tomboardmantomboardman Posts: 68
edited 2013-05-12 12:02 in General Discussion
When I try to load DevKernel.spin for PropForth for use with the Parallax Serial Terminal, I get the error "Propeller chip lost on COM17". It loaded couple of times, but now I get the error consistently. I see this error has occurred with other users, but I have not found info on how to solve it. I am using a new QuickStart board, Rev B

Comments

  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2013-05-10 11:10
    I get the error a lot too, found if you keep trying it eventually loads
  • jazzedjazzed Posts: 11,803
    edited 2013-05-10 11:14
    Please make sure to use the latest Propeller Tool version. There were some changes made to accommodate some of the Quickstart board's special features.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-05-10 11:14
    Are you working on a clean and clear surface without anything that conducts electricity? Sometimes we set a board atop a pile of junk and short out connections.
  • tomboardmantomboardman Posts: 68
    edited 2013-05-10 14:36
    Swapped the board with a new QuickStart and USB cable and still getting the error. Propeller tool is v1.3.2. Tried loading to EPROM many times without success. Will try on different PC.

    I was successful with the EPROM load on a different PC!
  • bee_manbee_man Posts: 109
    edited 2013-05-10 22:27
    FTDI has a utility to reassign COM ports. Try reassigning your COM17 port to a lower number ie: COM1.

    http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Util...%20Utility.zip
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2013-05-10 22:58
    bee_man wrote: »
    FTDI has a utility to reassign COM ports. Try reassigning your COM17 port to a lower number ie: COM1.

    http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Util... Utility.zip

    Make sure COM1 isn't being used by something else.

    I'm pretty sure the higher COM port number isn't the problem. The QuickStart can be finicky with the older version of the Prop Tool. If I'm having this problem a lot, I press the reset button quickly (about 1/2 second IIRC) by pressing F10 or F11. The reset button trick almost always works for me.

    As jazzed said, the newest version of the Prop Tool shouldn't have this problem.
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2013-05-11 01:45
    Looks like v1.3.2 is the latest version and it still plays up, I've found changing ports physically also helps, sometimes you have to change ports every time you wish to load a program or as said before just keep trying and eventually it loads.

    There are times when it will work every time and others when it plays up all the time, Sometimes if you hit the F10 or F11 key very quickly after accepting the error dialog you can get it to carry through ok, although this isn't a solid solution.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-05-11 03:15
    tomboardman wrote: »
    Swapped the board with a new QuickStart and USB cable and still getting the error. Propeller tool is v1.3.2. Tried loading to EPROM many times without success. Will try on different PC.

    I was successful with the EPROM load on a different PC!

    Swapping with the second QuickStart makes it all clear the this is a problem with PC, not the board.

    I rarely work in Windows (I've been using Ubuntu Linux for several years), so I can't really help with whatever it is doing. Can anybody else help?

    Linux and Windows have a very different way of setting up and controlling serial ports.
  • bee_manbee_man Posts: 109
    edited 2013-05-11 07:18
    Duane Degn wrote: »
    Make sure COM1 isn't being used by something else.
    :

    The FTDI driver uses virtual COM ports, some programs including the latest Prop Tool seem to be happier if you stay in the real COM port range of COM1-COM4.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-05-11 08:23
    It seems MS has created another boondoggle in virtual COM ports, an allocation mechanism that doesn't play well with legacy software.

    I do understand there are real hard wire COM ports, USB ports with serial adapters, Wifi and Bluetooth links, and maybe others.

    But how does one get to a 17th port on the average machine? We used to have Com1 through Com4 and that was more than enough for most situations.
  • blittledblittled Posts: 681
    edited 2013-05-11 13:52
    I have a similar issue. I have a Quickstart board that cannot communicate as well. I can with a second Quickstart (or any other Prop based board) using the same cable communicate with the PC. I am using the most current Prop tool.
  • bee_manbee_man Posts: 109
    edited 2013-05-11 18:20
    Loopy Byteloose wrote: »
    But how does one get to a 17th port on the average machine?

    Each time you plug in a new USB device it gets assigned a COM port. You may only have one device connected but it maybe on COM17. The FTDI utility allows you to shift around the assignments. Certain computers, mine included, don't seem to like the real high numbers when connecting with the Prop Tool. It gets real crazy when you have 8-10 different USB robots, IPAD's, IPOD's, Android devices, printers. You get to COM17 very fast.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-05-12 07:03
    I strongly suspect that the situation is that MS has tried to get BIOS written to especially enhance newer versions of Windows while not sharing the code with Linux users.

    In the process, there are likely a list of BIOS that are graded from excellent to poor. My Toshiba NB250 is an MS friendly, Linux hostile BIOS; while my ASUS notebook is very Linux friendly, seems to operate fine in W7 as well.

    But MS keeps trying to play the paranoid card and claim you need the latest version of Windows in a hostile world. They cater to the hardware makers by leaving behind legacy computers via incompatibility with the latest newest version. And so, one is marched through an endless chase for updates and paying to stay functional.

    People are weary of this. Linux is very stable, very secure, and legacy hardware is well supported.
  • ajwardajward Posts: 1,130
    edited 2013-05-12 07:38
    I have this problem occasionally on my netbook with com ports higher than 4. I lose connectivity with the Prop randomly, for no apparent reason. Only thing that brings it back is a reboot. <grrrr> (Fortunately, on the netbook, this isn't a long process.)

    @Loopy - I hear ya! My last experience with M$ was when I went to the shop to get an upgrade from W2K. "You want how freakin' much....?". ;-) Today my desk has two iMacs and a quad core Linux box (Fedora 18). There is also my netbook running XP for programming the Stamps. (XP came with the netbook)
  • prof_brainoprof_braino Posts: 4,313
    edited 2013-05-12 10:55
    Is this only on using the Quickstat? I did not notice this after using the prop plug.

    When I did notice on the Quickstart, the "magic resistor" trick fixed it. This was an issue addressed in Proptool 1.3, I believe. 10k pull up resistor from QS 38 to QS 33

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/140078-Weird-problem-uploading-to-QuickStart?p=1098093&viewfull=1#post1098093

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/137928-PropGCC-SimpleIDE?p=1094355&viewfull=1#post1094355

    If this remotes the issue on the problem PC, it could indicate something is still going on.

    The other thing that comes to mind is power, it there anything else plugged into the USB on the problem unit?

    The last thing in my bag 'o tricks is clear the virtual common ports, so it enumerates as com2 or com3. I don't know if this has any benefit, but its what I did when I last addressed this issue.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2013-05-12 11:57
    prof_braino wrote: »
    Is this only on using the Quickstat? I did not notice this after using the prop plug.

    I've only noticed it on the QuickStart. I do think the resistor trick helps but I can usually get the PC to talk with the QS with a couple of F11 and "enter" presses in quick succession. The loading seems to work better if I press "OK" to the error very quickly and then quickly press F11 again. I think it's related to the press reset and then F11 trick I also use.

    Maybe I should upgrade to the latest Prop Tool. I just don't like how the library gets moved with each update.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-05-12 12:02
    Unlike older Propeller boards, the QuickStart is entirely powered from the +5 USB port. While the FTDI chip is good, it may just be that the board is a bit lean on power for everything. I still prefer to use the older boards and a wallwart.

    All these devices that are supposed to be powered soley by a USB port of 500ma at 5VDC are doubtful to me. I'd be just as happy with a 9pin RS232 cable and independent power. I don't generally need the extreme baud rates that USB can do.
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