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Don't brick that QuickStart My Friend — Parallax Forums

Don't brick that QuickStart My Friend

DomanikDomanik Posts: 233
edited 2014-11-17 22:47 in Learn with BlocklyProp
Simple questions:
If I replace the eeprom on a propeller board (Quick Start, Activity Board, etc.), will the low end memory need to be have a bootstrap loader or something written into it before it works? So if I write 0xFF in address 0000 to 7FFF it'll be okay the next time a program is loaded and run? Will the USB-FTDI or Propeller take care of writing-loading the essentials from the simpleIDE into low eeprom the next time I load, even though the program is loaded nto RAM?
Thought I'd ask before experimenting.
Dom..

Comments

  • Dave HeinDave Hein Posts: 6,347
    edited 2014-11-17 12:05
    I don't think you can brick the Propeller by writing random data into the EEPROM, and setting all the locations to 0xFF should not pose a problem. However, I have noticed that if I try to load some code on a Prop that is spewing data over the serial port it does cause problems sometimes. I usually resolve that by just resetting the Prop manually.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2014-11-17 14:04
    The bootloader is part of the ROM on the Propeller. There isn't anything you can do to disrupt it.

    The EEPROM is optional. You can use F10 to load directly to RAM and when doing so it doesn't matter what's on the EEPROM or if there is an EEPROM attached.
  • DomanikDomanik Posts: 233
    edited 2014-11-17 20:15
    That helps a lot Dave and Duane. I went ahead and filled lower eeprom with 0xFF and ran programs out of RAM. No problem. Shut everything down, cycled power and dumped the eeprom low memory. All my FFs are still there. Wrote my code into eeprom, dumped it and the FFs are gone. Cycled power and mem dump looks good, then reset and looks good. Yeah! Now I know something important.
    Thanks Guys, (I'm also glad my board still works)
    Dom..


    PS: This quest started when I opened a brand new QuickStart and loaded into RAM a memory dump of the low eeprom memory. There was a program there--- I didn't think it was mine. Maybe it was loaded at the factory as a verification/test or maybe the simpleIDE needed something to help get it going. Still don't know.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2014-11-17 21:37
    SimpleIDE doesn't need anything to "get it going." I think there's just a factory-default program that's preloaded to demonstrate the touch keys.

    -Phil
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2014-11-17 21:37
    Domanik wrote: »
    There was a program there--- I didn't think it was mine. Maybe it was loaded at the factory as a verification/test or maybe the simpleIDE needed something to help get it going. Still don't know.

    I think the QuickStarts comes with a demo program installed. SimpleIDE does not need anything in the EEPORM to get it going.
  • DomanikDomanik Posts: 233
    edited 2014-11-17 22:47
    Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »
    SimpleIDE doesn't need anything to "get it going." I think there's just a factory-default program that's preloaded to demonstrate the touch keys.

    -Phil

    Geeezz. And I thought it was ESD makin daz lights a blinkin when runnin the columb thu mine har.:lol:
    Dom..
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