Hard-reset procedure won't do it any more.

[AllanBertelsen]

I've got the experimenter board AXE090. A LCD 2x20 display and the firmware chip. I've got it all hooked up. It worked nicely. With the tree pushbuttons I manage to control some LED's via a menu.
But then I wanted to build a more advances system using EEPROM for menu texts and data. Suddenly I could not upload code anymore. I have tried the hard-reset procedure several times. I even shut down the computer and the board. Could the PICAXE18X be erased somehow?


 

 

[Michael 2727]

If it's still working it's probably a Picaxe.
Check your cable, plugs, D/L circuit, and
see that the supply voltage is not too high
or low.
That's why it's called Electrickery.

 

[AllanBertelsen]

The AXA090 board has a 7805 5V voltage regulator. I'm not using batteries but an external power supply 9V. I have removed all wires from all pins. I have unplugged and plugged all cable. I can't clear the hardware memory. Id did work minutes before this problem started.

 

[manuka]

Which Picaxe being used - 18A as supplied? (18A Picaxes are the only ones I've had such problems with ...)
Try 3 x AA batteries (4½ V),as some mains PSUs/7805 setups are electrically noisy.

 

[AllanBertelsen]

The AXA090 board comes with PICAXE-18X.

 

[AllanBertelsen]

I'm still sad
Error – Hardware not found on COM2:
Is there anyway to look thru the serial cable to se if there is anything there? The build in terminal in programming editor or Hyper Terminal?

 

[hippy]

When you say it stopped working "suddenly"; what had you done between it working and it then not working, either in terms of changing hardware or software ?

What error message are you actually getting when trying to download a program to the 18X ?

 

[AllanBertelsen]

I have been working with the software. I managed to upload my new program once. As always – for me anyway – it did not work at all. It should shift menus on the display each second to see if the program got the data as expected. But only strange characters came to the display. It shifted each second but not with the text it should.
So I corrected a few things and tried to upload the program again. But I only got the Error – Hardware not found on COM2:

 

[manuka]

Mmm- as Hippy mentions "just what did you do",how about detailing the editing PC side of things. Hence OS? Other programs running? Com port conflicts? USB adaptor or D9 serial? Tried rebooting or even another PC ?

 

[Guest]

Edited by - on 4/6/2006 8:43:09 PM

 

[AllanBertelsen]

Sorry I forgot to put my name on my last post.

So here is the code. Don’t let the Danish lingo disturb.

'*-----------------------------------------------------
'*
'* STYRING AF MENU PÅ LCD-DISPLAY VIA PICAXE18X
'*
'*-----------------------------------------------------

EEPROM 0,(24,4,30)
EEPROM 3,(30,4,63)
EEPROM 6,(40,3,104)
EEPROM 9,(50,3,131)
EEPROM 12,(57,2,161)
EEPROM 15,(104,2,176)
EEPROM 18,(114,2,195)
EEPROM 21,(121,2,214)
EEPROM 24,(0,"Menu",0)
EEPROM 30,(1,"Tilstand",0)
EEPROM 40,(2,"Drifttid",0)
EEPROM 50,(3,"Temp.",0)
EEPROM 57,(4,"Data",0)
EEPROM 63,(31,"Slukket",0)
EEPROM 72,(31,"Manuel",0)
EEPROM 80,(31,"Automatisk",0)
EEPROM 92,(31,"Auto pause",0)
EEPROM 104,(9,"Interval",0)
EEPROM 114,(10,"Snegl",0)
EEPROM 121,(11,"Natsænk.",0)
EEPROM 131,(31,"Maksimum",0)
EEPROM 141,(31,"Minimum",0)
EEPROM 150,(31,"M aut pau",0)
EEPROM 161,(31,"Overfør",0)
EEPROM 170,(31,"Slet",0)
EEPROM 176,(95,"Fyring",0)
EEPROM 184,(95,"Pausefyri",0)
EEPROM 195,(95,"Fyring",0)
EEPROM 203,(95,"Pausefyri",0)
EEPROM 214,(95,"Start",0)
EEPROM 221,(95,"Slut",0)

'*-----------------------------------------------------

symbol MENU = b2
symbol Punkt = b3
symbol Txt = b4
symbol antal = b5
symbol start = b6
symbol i = b7
symbol ChBuf = b8
symbol pos = b9
symbol TxtPos = b10
Symbol M1Start = b12
Symbol M2Start = b13

symbol LCD = 7

pause 50
serout LCD,T2400,(254,1)
pause 50


MAIN:
MENU = 0
Punkt = 1
GOSUB VisMenu
Pause 2000
Punkt = 2
GOSUB VisMenu
Pause 2000
Punkt = 3
GOSUB VisMenu
Pause 2000
Punkt = 4
GOSUB VisMenu

MENU = 1
Punkt = 1
GOSUB VisMenu
Pause 2000
Punkt = 2
GOSUB VisMenu
Pause 2000
Punkt = 3
GOSUB VisMenu
Pause 2000
Punkt = 4
GOSUB VisMenu
debug b1
Goto Main

DoCmd:


VisMenu:
'Hent oplysninger om menuen
pos = MENU * 3
read pos , Txt
pos = pos + 1
read pos , antal
pos = pos + 1
read pos , start
TxtPos = Txt
serout LCD,T2400,(254,128)
Gosub SkrivTilLCD

Bit1=0
If Punkt < antal then Forste 'Så er det ikke sidste punkt
Bit1=1
Punkt = Punkt - 1
Forste:
TxtPos = Start
i=1
If Punkt > 1 then FindPkt
serout LCD,T2400,(254,137)
Gosub SkrivTilLCD
M1Start = Start
Goto VisAndenPkt
FindPkt:
TxtPos = TxtPos + 1
read TxtPos, ChBuf
If ChBuf<>0 then FindPkt
TxtPos = TxtPos + 1
i = i +1
If i<>Punkt then FindPkt
serout LCD,T2400,(254,137)
M2Start = TxtPos
Gosub SkrivTilLCD
VisAndenPkt:
TxtPos=pos + 1
serout LCD,T2400,(254,201)
M2Start = TxtPos
Gosub SkrivTilLCD

SetCursor:
pos=136 + Bit1 * 64
serout LCD,T2400,(254,pos,">&quot
Return

SkrivTilLCD:
bit0 = 0
'Udskriv menutekst
pos=TxtPos + 1
for i = 1 to 10
read pos,ChBuf
if ChBuf = 0 or bit0 = 1 then Skip1
serout LCD,T2400,(b1)
pos = pos + 1
bit0=1
Skip1:
if bit0 = 0 then Skip2
'Fyld ud med blanke
serout LCD,T2400,(" &quot
Skip2:
Next
Return

 

[AllanBertelsen]

Now I also tried to use another computer. No success! I think I will buy another PICAXE-18X. What troubles me is that I don’t know what did go wrong. Would it happen again? If it’s the board or another thing that doesn't do as expected, I could buy another chip without any reason.

 

[Bloody-orc]

Few suggestions from me also as i have had all kinds of problems

1)mesure the voltages on the board. look if they are all normal. on picaxe pins there must be 5V +-0.1V. the chip that makes the 5V may have been damaged by whatever reasons and give you more or less Volts. also do you have all the capacitors connecter. an electrolytic caps near the 7405 and a small ceramic near PICAXE powersuply pins (Vcc & Gnd).

2)then also connect a 9V battery to the board insted mains suply. those E-blocks or whatever they are called.

3)also try the picaxe on another board. if you have a breadboard (like some of us) then make up a circuit over there and see what you get.

4)also one more thing that could make it do like that is the stereoplug. you may have shorted something when puting it in there. i was worned when i bouht my 18X board that this may happen.

5)also check if the cable is still ok with ohmmeter or multimeter. one lead to one end of the wire and the otherone to the other end.

6)also did you have the cable in perfectly. somethimes it doesn't want to go in the stereo socket and it may cause some problems.

 

[Guest]

Edited by - on 4/6/2006 8:43:10 PM

 

[AllanBertelsen]

Now I have changed the jack on the cable. It didn't work. I then soldered some wires on a chassis socket. Then I could make up the circuit on the breadboard area of the board. That didn't work either. So now all links in the chain has been examined. The only conclusion I may reach is that the 18X caput.

 

[Bloody-orc]

well then if you have no other 18 pin picaxe in sight or avalible to test in the circuit then yes you have to buy a new one

 

[manuka]

Even though I've not lost a single Picaxe in ~3 years (the last being an 18A mid 2003),it's almost worth having a breadboard handy to test out suspects. For 08/M this of course is a doodle <A href='http:// www.picaxe.orcon.net.nz/bread08.jpg' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a>, but even the 18s can be squeezed onto one =&gt; www.picaxe.orcon.net.nz/datads18.jpg <A href='http://www.picaxe.orcon.net.nz/datads18.jpg ' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a>

These save no end of wailing &amp; teeth gnashing- folks here in NZ have even posted me suspect 18As to check out for them.

 

[AllanBertelsen]

I have ordered 3 new chips. 8M 18X and 28X. If it's my poor soldering or anything else than the chips fault. I will report emidiatly. It &#163;8 for shiping eacht time, so I better order more than one item at the time.

 

[AllanBertelsen]

Hi folks. I've just received my new picaxe18X. It works. That's good. By the old one is dead &#8211; or maybe only near dead. Could it be blank? If so, would it be possible to reinstall the firmware? Or would it be possible to program it as an ordinary pic?

 

[andrewpro]

Blank? 99.9% chance that's a no. Cant re-program the firmware either. Only rev-ed could do that.

As far as it being programmed as a blank pic...it doesn't hurt to try.

If you havn't figured out what went wrong yet, I would stronlgy suggest you attempt to get it sorted BEFORE putting much use into the new chips. If whatever problem that messed up the old one is still there, you could toast the new ones too.

--Andy P

Edited by - andypro on 03/04/2006 12:10:45

 

[AllanBertelsen]

Could it be my power supply? I got an 800mA ac-dc adaptor as shown on this page:
<A href='http://www.hqproducts.com/eng/products/electricity//page_1/artl_P.SUP.22-A' Target=_Blank>External Web Link</a>
It's non-regulated (don't exactly know what that mean) but on my board I've got a 7805 5v regulator.
/Allan

 

[Fowkc]

Unregulated means that to give a certain output voltage, it requires a certain current to be drawn. Say it was unregulated 9V at 800mA. If you were only drawing 700mA, the voltage would be a bit higher. If you were drawing 1000mA, the voltage would be lower. If you measure the voltage of your supply when it's meant to be giving 9V, but with no load, it will be giving out something a lot higher. When you attach a proper load to draw 800mA, it will (should) give 9V.

Regulated supplies employ voltage regulation to mean the voltage is independent (or, to be more accurate, a lot less dependent) on current load.

At least, that's my understanding.

 

[rfs]

Allan.
I used to use an AC/DC adapter. One day, it
self-destructed, killing ALL the components.
I read Stan Swan's website. (see above posting)
Use batteries. Much safer.

2. Fix your picaxe chip into a turned pin socket. It is safer to handle and is easier to move between boards.
rfs

Edited by - rfs on 03/04/2006 13:25:49

 

[MartinM57]

1. Unregulated 9v supply into a 7805 is fine ... assuming no wiring errors. Put 10uF and 1nF capacitors in parallel on the input and output sides of the 7805 (ie two of each in total)

2. Put the PICAXE into a ZIF-socket and moving it is even easier. Usually available on eBay for a few &#163;/$...