Intermitted problems with the IDE recognizing my BS2 and getting worse

Capt. Quirk

I have been having problems programming my BS2 off and on for sevral months. I have tested in 2 different sockets to narrow it down to the chip. When I put it back into the PDB after testing it in the other zif socket, it worked again.

I know its a connection issue, but what pin is most likely to cause the ide not to recognize the BS2. Pins 1 & 24 are the most bent and I suppose Power and Sout are the most common cause?, is it ok to put a multi-meter to pin 24 to check voltage?.

Bill

Mike Green

For the IDE to recognize the Stamp, the Sin, Sout, Atn, Vss, and Vin (or Vdd) pins must all have good connections. The others are not used for programming. You can use a multimeter between Vin and Vss or between Vdd and Vss (for the output of the built-in regulator).

Capt. Quirk

Is the Loop-Back and Echo a sign that the serial i/o pins are working or just that there is continuity between the DB9 pins # 6 & 7?

Chris Savage

Loop back tells the BASIC Stamp Editor that it detects a BASIC Stamp Carrier or Development board. This shows the physical (hardware) connection (pins 6 and 7 shorted on the board side). Echo tells the BASIC Stamp Editor that it is electrically connected to a BASIC Stamp since there is a 4.7K resistor between the S_IN/S_OUT pins on the module. In some cases you at least need power to see echo, but sometimes you can see it when the Module is not powered. These two items are more of a connection aid and do not indicate that the interpreter is functioning at all. If your module is powered you should also see 5V at both V_DD and /RES. I hope this helps. Take care.

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Chris Savage
Parallax Tech Support