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A request for help. — Parallax Forums

A request for help.

ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
edited 2001-04-23 14:32 in General Discussion
Hi all,

My name is Steve Calderwood and I am a Junior in High School. For an
independent study I am doing with my high school's technology teacher I have
to figure out how to use Basic Stamp then make a curriculum to teach the
basics to other people. However I have run into a problem.

I've tried to do the first experiment offered on the Parallax website
(Controlling micro-controllers... the lesson where it flashes an LED). Well
I have the Board of Education, the battery, the software, a working serial
cable, and the right kind of resistors and LEDs, but it won't work.

The code downloads to the basic stamp fine, but the LED doesn't blink. Does
anyone know why this might be happening?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Steve Calderwood

Comments

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-04-23 01:42
    Since the Stamp accepts the program, you are half way there. There are a few
    possible answers:

    1) If the LED turns "on" and not off, you may be flashing too fast to see.
    Slow down the delay or look at the output with a scope.

    2) If the LED is dark, you may have it backwards.

    3) If the LED is dark, did you put a proper series resistor in the circuit?
    Without it you may have blown the LED or worse the Stamp output.

    4) Make sure you are on the right pin. Remember that P0 on the Stamp is not
    the first pin. It is easy to get off by one. I catch myself using P7 and P8
    all the time since those are the two bottom corners and hard to misconnect.

    What I would do is run this program:

    x var byte
    x=2+2
    debug ?x

    If this prints out x=4 then you know the Stamp and all the PC side is
    working fine. This program leaves all pins as inputs, so jumper +5 to the
    LED pin (say P8) and then remove the 5V and jumper ground. The LED should
    have lit once. If it didn't, the Stamp isn't going to ever light the LED and
    you should check the LED, the resistor, the connection to +5 or ground that
    is permanent, and the connections in general. Once you could light the LED
    with a jumper to ground or +5, remove the jumper. Then I'd try this:

    TOP:
    HIGH 8
    PAUSE 500
    LOW 8
    PAUSE 500
    GOTO TOP

    Make sure the LED with the resistor is hooked up to P8 (pin 13 of the
    Stamp). If it blinks you are done. If not, then you have a very mysterious
    problem.

    Just for reference, Either a resistor or LED should connect to the Stamp
    pin. Then the other side of that will connect to the other component.
    Finally, the end will connect to +5 or ground.

    So:

    Stamp pin --> Resistor --> LED --> Ground

    Stamp pin --> LED --> Resistor --> Ground

    Stamp pin --> Resistor --> LED --> +5V

    All those would be fine. The direction of the LEd and the connection to the
    far right will determine when it turns on and when it turns off. This means:

    pin --> R --> |>| --- ground

    This would light when pin was +5 (1)

    pin --> R --> |<|---- +5V

    This would light when pin was ground (0)

    pin --> R --> |>|---- +5V

    This won't ever light unless you can make pin go negative which you can't.

    My guess is the diode is backwards.

    Good luck!

    Al Williams
    AWC
    * Expand your Stamp I/O: http://www.al-williams.com/awce/pak3.htm




    >
    Original Message
    > From: Breon [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=wtjU2jEq4t1Y07f6Giv_C--iBwZmk60Xjjm6Q3K-qen8jDmyqbhw3zgMOlOlsurSUlmJgUqwky2i]breon@s...[/url
    > Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2001 7:26 PM
    > To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    > Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] A request for help.
    >
    >
    > Hi all,
    >
    > My name is Steve Calderwood and I am a Junior in High School. For an
    > independent study I am doing with my high school's technology
    > teacher I have
    > to figure out how to use Basic Stamp then make a curriculum to teach the
    > basics to other people. However I have run into a problem.
    >
    > I've tried to do the first experiment offered on the Parallax website
    > (Controlling micro-controllers... the lesson where it flashes an
    > LED). Well
    > I have the Board of Education, the battery, the software, a working serial
    > cable, and the right kind of resistors and LEDs, but it won't work.
    >
    > The code downloads to the basic stamp fine, but the LED doesn't
    > blink. Does
    > anyone know why this might be happening?
    >
    > Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    >
    > Sincerely,
    > Steve Calderwood
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-04-23 01:44
    make sure led is facing the right way.
    also if you have a volt meter make sure you have
    voltage at the stamp.
    also a signal coming out of the stamp pin .

    victor
    Original Message
    From: "Breon" <breon@s...>
    To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2001 8:25 PM
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] A request for help.


    > Hi all,
    >
    > My name is Steve Calderwood and I am a Junior in High School. For an
    > independent study I am doing with my high school's technology teacher I
    have
    > to figure out how to use Basic Stamp then make a curriculum to teach the
    > basics to other people. However I have run into a problem.
    >
    > I've tried to do the first experiment offered on the Parallax website
    > (Controlling micro-controllers... the lesson where it flashes an LED).
    Well
    > I have the Board of Education, the battery, the software, a working serial
    > cable, and the right kind of resistors and LEDs, but it won't work.
    >
    > The code downloads to the basic stamp fine, but the LED doesn't blink.
    Does
    > anyone know why this might be happening?
    >
    > Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    >
    > Sincerely,
    > Steve Calderwood
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-04-23 14:16
    Is the LED backwards?
    The first troubleshooting step I have my students follow is to reverse the
    LED. Next, make sure you're making one end of the LED high and the other
    low. This means one end needs to be connected to power and the other end
    needs to be connected to ground. If the LED is connected to +5V, then you
    need to LOW the i/o pin to get the LED to turn on. If one end of the LED is
    connected to ground, then the HIGH command turns on the LED. Many of my
    students don't pay attention to this.

    Paul

    >
    Original Message
    > From: Breon [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=32PO3Y4khvN8SrcS_polLWbIne8Noxa1gLNGEXwMEVpLt-zS3hMu7ndq1G3sS_oxcvf7emm6NC8Na-dS]breon@s...[/url
    > Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2001 6:26 PM
    > To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    > Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] A request for help.
    >
    >
    > Hi all,
    >
    > My name is Steve Calderwood and I am a Junior in High School. For an
    > independent study I am doing with my high school's technology
    > teacher I have
    > to figure out how to use Basic Stamp then make a curriculum
    > to teach the
    > basics to other people. However I have run into a problem.
    >
    > I've tried to do the first experiment offered on the Parallax website
    > (Controlling micro-controllers... the lesson where it flashes
    > an LED). Well
    > I have the Board of Education, the battery, the software, a
    > working serial
    > cable, and the right kind of resistors and LEDs, but it won't work.
    >
    > The code downloads to the basic stamp fine, but the LED
    > doesn't blink. Does
    > anyone know why this might be happening?
    >
    > Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    >
    > Sincerely,
    > Steve Calderwood
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2001-04-23 14:32
    Steve,
    Try using the DEBUG command to make sure your program is working OK.
    Add it to have it display variables.
    When I am writing programs, I use it to see where the program stops or
    where I have done a wrong calculation.
    Good luck, Kirk
    Original Message
    From: Breon [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=CvjoZfiZBf-8-7X81Oe3VDgVo3ciChJoBv_stA5L9CJaX9JidgRMR4nq2D8Ej16Tqkmp2Gf8_vU]breon@s...[/url
    Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2001 7:26 PM
    To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] A request for help.


    Hi all,

    My name is Steve Calderwood and I am a Junior in High School. For an
    independent study I am doing with my high school's technology teacher I have
    to figure out how to use Basic Stamp then make a curriculum to teach the
    basics to other people. However I have run into a problem.

    I've tried to do the first experiment offered on the Parallax website
    (Controlling micro-controllers... the lesson where it flashes an LED). Well
    I have the Board of Education, the battery, the software, a working serial
    cable, and the right kind of resistors and LEDs, but it won't work.

    The code downloads to the basic stamp fine, but the LED doesn't blink. Does
    anyone know why this might be happening?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Sincerely,
    Steve Calderwood




    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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