Desparate times!!
donfarr
Posts: 1
Brand spanking new here! I have never used the Parallax Propeller (40p) and XBee chipset.
I was volunteered by my wife to help with an after school STEM project. The goal is to have 3 sets of controllers and three sets of bots working by a competition on Friday 12 June 2015. This project has been ongoing since September, now everything is built and there is a total communication failure between the hand held (p/s controllers) connected to the controller boards to the bots.
So far, I have verified the voltages into the propeller and xbee chip sets. Verified that the fan-out of the 40 prop chip is unbroken between it and the fan-in pins on the connectors.
+5 VDC is being sent to the controller, however there does not appear to be any dialog between the controller and the controller board.
Using both the Propeller Tool and the Terminal Server (Com4 detected - 9600 BAUD) I see an initial string of binary traffic and then nothing regardless of how I manipulate the buttons on the controller. The same is true when I set the tool on the bot.
I have a scope available to me but I really need some diagnostic assistance. I have been retired from the field some 20 years now, not that things change all that much.
Don
I was volunteered by my wife to help with an after school STEM project. The goal is to have 3 sets of controllers and three sets of bots working by a competition on Friday 12 June 2015. This project has been ongoing since September, now everything is built and there is a total communication failure between the hand held (p/s controllers) connected to the controller boards to the bots.
So far, I have verified the voltages into the propeller and xbee chip sets. Verified that the fan-out of the 40 prop chip is unbroken between it and the fan-in pins on the connectors.
+5 VDC is being sent to the controller, however there does not appear to be any dialog between the controller and the controller board.
Using both the Propeller Tool and the Terminal Server (Com4 detected - 9600 BAUD) I see an initial string of binary traffic and then nothing regardless of how I manipulate the buttons on the controller. The same is true when I set the tool on the bot.
I have a scope available to me but I really need some diagnostic assistance. I have been retired from the field some 20 years now, not that things change all that much.
Don
Comments
Cool, the Virginia Beach STEM Robotics Challenge! Not much time left; let's see if we can help getting the systems up and running.
First thing to check, if the PS2 controller requires batteries, make sure they are new. Likewise with the other boards.
Second thing to check, there are specific programs that need to be loaded into the controller and Bot. Have they been loaded?
Third thing, I recently saw a project where the XBee had been plugged in backwards. Double check orientation of XBee modules and propellers to make sure they match the docs.
Well, let's start there. Also, is there a web site, or docs that guide through setup and testing?
Andy
Andy
http://tymkrs.tumblr.com/archive/2012/12 - Check out February 7 to April 1, then again from July 2nd to August 15th. The first batch is my learning how to use Xbee and configuring with the X-CTU software provided by Digi. The second batch is my learning how to make sensors react to wireless commands. There are a few pull-hair-out moments documented in there and how I fixed them as well.
Hope these help!