Please Help! Old newbe needs help

Alex Cole

a couple of years ago I bought a BS2 and BOE kit and started playing around with this stuff.· I ended up moving and packing the stuff up for about the last 2 years.·Everything was working fine the last time I used it.· I just re-opened the box and started fiddeling around with my kit again and I have misplaced the CD's with the software on it.· So I just downloaded the newer software and tried to use it and it cannot seem to find my stamp.· I have a breakout box attached to the data cable going from PC to my BOE and I can see that the signals are good coming from the computer.· When I power up the BOE(board of education)with the stamp on it the light goes green and the port shows live on pins 2,3, & 4.·· So with this in mind I would believe that the computer is working and the boe/stamp is working but they just dont' want to talk together.· Is it possible I left a program installed in the stamp that might have been using the serial port to do somthing and now is is just locking up the port when I try to run it?·· The boe seems to be pulsing to pin 3 or RD on my breakout box.·· Sorry if this is confusing but I am really green in all this just trying to learn.

Thanks

Alex

Alex Cole

sorry I just wanted to add that I just looked closer at it and it is pin 2 or TD that is pulsing...which keeps getting faster and faster and then resets and starts the whole process over again. ? This seems weird.

Thanks

Alex

allanlane5

Nope. When you hit 'program' in the IDE, it 'reset's the stamp using the ATN line (aka DTR). This is a kind of 'kick in the head' which will stop any program that might be running so the BS2 is ready for programming.

You ARE using a straight-through serial cable (not Null-Modem, in other words) right?

Oh, and the 'hardware echo' on the BS2 should insure that you see the SAME flickering on RX that you're seeing on TX. That's if you've got the chip plugged in the right way, of course.

Alex Cole

Yes I have double checked and it is a straight through cable. I will dig around and find another just to be sure.

Thanks I will post any updates I have.

Bruce Bates

Alex -

Laptop or desktop computer? Which operating system? Is this the same computer you used on the prior occasion when everything worked okay?

Have no fear, we'll get you going again shortly!

Regards,

Bruce Bates

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Alex Cole

I am on a Laptop. This laptop is not the same laptop I had before, it is· a newer one.· I was running a windows 2000 laptop and now I am on a WixXP Pro system.· I have tried to disable the Fifo buffers and that didn't seem to help.· I am thinking about making a new cable just to be sure it is not the problem.· I measured the voltage going from the VDD to VSS and got 5.0.· I measured from VIN to VSS and got 8.3 so I changed the battery and re-measured and got from VIN to VSS 9.38.· I have also emailed this info to the support account at parallax.· I am just stumped.· I am getting a Loopback No, Echo Yes from the identify command.· Shouldn't loopback = yes?

Thanks for any help you may have.

Alex

allanlane5

Yep. "Loopback" is a piece of wire on the BOE, which connects the DB-9 pin 6 to pin 7 (RTS to DSR). This indicates (to the IDE) that the serial cable is actually connected. It sounds like the IDE is not seeing this loopback signal -- which WILL stop it from trying to program the device.

Alex Cole

should I just make a new cable that is all 9 pins strait through?

AC

Alex Cole

I just wanted to say that I made a new cable and now all is working good. Thanks to all for your feedback and help on this issue.

Alex Cole

allanlane5

That's what we're here for. Thanks for the feedback.