COM error

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lawnmowerman

New Member
Well, just recently purchased one of these sorta nifty microchips but since i can not get them to work, not so nifty. I keep getting a hardware not found on COM1 error with a list of potential problems with none of them that apply to me apparently. My hardware is connected, my software is most current, power is 7805 5v, circuit checked a ton of times with extra help. My serial baud rate was 9600, i tried 2400 after reading online you need to use slower transmit rate. Do i need a MAX232 bridge? Any suggestions?
 
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Bloody-orc

Senior Member
of cource you need a MAX chip! COM needs 13V and pic needs 5V. you are frying your pic (or whatever you are using)
 
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SD2100

New Member
Which Picaxe are you trying to program ???.
You shouldn't need a MAX232 just connect it
as shown in the manual using the 10k & 22k
resistor, have you connected the reset
button with the 4.7k resistor
properly if you are using the 18,28 or 40 chip. Is your cable plugged into com1 and
not com2 ???? just a thought !!!, did you make your own serial cable ?? have you got the TX RX pins 2 & 3 mixed up ??, I had
problem with 08M and had to set baud to 4800.
is your power supply ok nice and steady, try
running off a battery pack (5v). If using the
28 or 40 have you fitted the resonator, the
resonator is not needed on the 08 & 18, what
is your picaxe plugged into ?? a breadboard ??


Edited by - Phil75 on 08/04/2006 13:40:42
 
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ylp88

Senior Member
You do not need a MAX232 bridge, or similar.

Go right back to the basics if you have not already done so - breadboard with 3 x AA batteries to power the PICAXE chip. Add the 10K and 22K download resistors and see if your computer can recognise the chip. If not, take a good look at your downlaod cable, especially if it is homemade - things can happen to the best of us: no offense to your work.

<b><i>ylp88 </b> </i>
 
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lawnmowerman

New Member
i messed with it some more and still the same problem. I am using a breadboard, i tried different COM's, checked my cable with a serial meter measuring a steady 5v through it, and i tried different baud rates. Any more suggestions?
 
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andrewpro

New Member
Wait a sec here...

How are you changing the baud rates when trying to program the picaxe? That should be controlled by the program editor software...as in you shouldn't have to select any baud rates to program the picaxe.

You should detail, as exact and thorough as possible, your setup, circuit, and what your doing step by step.

Something doesn't fit here.

--Andy P
 
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SD2100

New Member
Which Picaxe chip are you playing with ???.
Use a battery for your supply. (5V).
Have you got 5V supply at the chip.
Have you connected the chip as the manual
says ??.
Have you selected the right chip in the editor software.
Is your bread board OK, I've see breadboards
that have been had over sized leads pushed
into them causing the contacts in the board to spread then you go to use something like an IC and some of the pins don't connect to the board properly.


Edited by - Phil75 on 09/04/2006 02:10:57
 
L

lawnmowerman

New Member
i am using the Picaxe-08M chip. I am using 5V. i am using a breadboard and it is fine. I check all conductances every time i put components in. i used the supply manual circuit to the letter. Yes, the first circuit you use. simplest one possible with an LED blinking on and off. and yes andy, something is very fishy here? i'm so confused that this thing will not work properly. i've rebuilt, checked, and tweaked the dam thing in several ways now and it will not program. gives the same hardware can not be found COM1 error.
 
L

lawnmowerman

New Member
im thinking my chip was screwed before i even started working with it. It's not like i fried it because ive had that voltage regulated since the start. is there a sure way of knowing the chip is the problem?
 
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andrewpro

New Member
Ok, first off...are you using a D9 (or D25) serial port built into your computer, or are you using a USB to RS232 adapter?

Second...Please detail the steps you take when you try to program the chip. Every click you make, every setting you choose...everyhting.

Specifically:

1) after you write your program, what do you do?

2) under the &quot;view&quot; menu, then &quot;Options...&quot;, what does it say on the &quot;Mode&quot; tab? It should be the first tab that pops up. There should be a selected picaxe. Which one exactly is selected? There are also two drop-down boxes toward the right. What does it say EXACTLY in the top and bottom ones?

2b) On the &quot;Serial Port&quot; tab (should eb the second one), what is available, and what have you selected?

3) Kinda goes with the very first thing. I'm pretty sure it was already asked, but I missed the answer if there was one. What programming cable are you using? Is it home made, or is it a rev-ed one? Does it have a 1/8&quot; stereo plug on it, or 3 pins? And how are you connecting it to the chip?

We'll jsut try to take it little by little and see if we can get you up and running <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

--Andy P
 
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Michael 2727

Senior Member
Well the only way is to do it step by step.
Does your COM 1 work, can you check it with
a modem etc. Are you using USB, any missing
details won't help the cause.
Check the COM port, Check the cable, BTW is it home made,,? we need to know EVERYTHING
in your setup. What socket to the Picaxe are you using (EVERYTHING), check the download circuit,(resistor values)
Pull the Breadboard fully apart, start fresh. One misaligned breadboard connection
will cause grief.
Make the circuit up, check every step.
Program Editor, make sure the config is
correct for an 08M.
Double check power supply at output and at
the picaxe chip itself.
Then give it a try, fingers crossed.
 
S

SD2100

New Member
What is supplying your 7805 regulator, is it
a DC voltage above 8v or is it just a transformer and your feeding AC, has it got a rectifier to change it to DC, has it got filter capacitors etc. or are you running it off 5v batteries now ????. Just trying to work out what you've got there.
 
S

SD2100

New Member
Are you using a USB adaptor, if yes, What
windows version are you using ???, if your
using XP are you using the correct driver.
 
S

SD2100

New Member
Do you have a logic probe ???, if so check
to see if there is any activity on pin 2 and pin 7 of the 08M when you try to run the program (F5), if you don't have a probe put an LED between pin 2 and ground and another between pin 7 and ground you should see them flicker when you try to run the program. If
there's nothing it could be a serial cable
problem or something else on the computer
side. This test should narrow it down a bit.

Edited by - Phil75 on 09/04/2006 05:00:10
 
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lawnmowerman

New Member
i figured it out guys. i suppose this might be an easy problem and something i should have seen quickly, but the stereo pins in the cable i bought off ebay were switched. the pins for rx and tx. figures. thanks for all your time guys.
 
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