Verification error

Gramps

Senior Member
When downloading a program it starts to load but then it says, "verification error transmitted but nothing received by bite 63"
I checked the download cable and it loads to another picaxe no problem.
I'm assuming that the downloader is not receiving a signal back from the chip.
 
Sounds like a good assumption ... make sure there is nothing else connected to the download circuit ... make sure the chip is resetting and in download mode, maybe try a hard-reset.
 
I've never seen this particular "verification error transmitted but nothing received by bite 63" error.

However I have had verification errors due to any poor connection, so make sure you have good connections for all the power, ground and txd connections from the download cable to the PICAXE chip.

I have also had download errors when the ground for the download cable was not connected to the ground for the PICAXE chip.
 
I have had similar errors when the Picaxe was battery powered. New batteries fixed it.

Another common fault is trying to use the 3.5mm programming socket on a breadboard. The pins on the socket are not long enough to make reliable connection.
 
What we have here is a new hard wired prototype build that worked fine on the breadboard.🤔
Appreciate all the good suggestions of what the problem could be. Further testing today and I will report back later,
 
What we have here is a new hard wired prototype build that worked fine on the breadboard.🤔
Appreciate all the good suggestions of what the problem could be. Further testing today and I will report back later,
I usually start with:

1: Bang hangs on counter sharply ... on either side of the PICAXE

2: Ask the PICAXE directly, "What is wrong with you?!"

3: Re-try download 9 or 10 more times

I then move onto self-medicating and troubleshooting ... your approach may vary, but this has worked for me over the years! :)
 
Okay here's my results so far.
Attempted a download with the VOM attached to the power supply. Voltage remain steady at 5.0v
Did a hard reset.
This time the error said number 128
Did another hard reset.
This time the error said number 255!
 
As you can see I sodered in my faithful download adapter for my breadboard! Still showing the same error.
 
Decoupling is essential, as close to chip power pins as possible.

This should be printed on every electronic chip, in BIG LETTERS.

I learnt my lesson many, many, years ago. A circuit I built ( not Picaxe, but that makes no difference ) wouldn't work.
Checked wiring very carefully. Checked power rails with a decent meter, solid 5v. Swapped ICs, no difference.

Eventually I got the big guns out, and put the oscilloscope to work. I found a very high frequency sine wave of about 3v superimposed on the 5v rail.

Put a few 0.1uF caps across the rails, and the circuit burst into life.

So now every circuit I build, even just lash-up test stuff, has decoupling from the start.
 
Yes, you are supposed to put one across the power rails close to each IC.

When a digital IC operates its internal operation can, and often does, draw high current pulses from the rails. This pulse may only be for nanoseconds, but it can upset other ICs in the circuit, or sometimes upset itself !

A decoupling capacitor provides a tiny reserve of power, which keeps the high current pulse localised to the offending IC.

25966

The capacitor needs to provide this 'reserve power' very quickly, so the cap is usually ceramic or poly plastic. Electrolytics are too slow, so they are used for bulk smoothing of rough supplies.

There is a huge amount of research into decoupling, as it gets more tricky when you have multi-layer PCBs running at GHz frequencies.

You don't need to bother with all that on a Picaxe. Just put 0.1uF across each chip and you'll be fine.
 
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Gramps..... I see you tested the download cable on another Picaxe and it worked....???....Do you mean the other picaxe was in the same proto board with the same program or just another Picaxe in probably a breadboard....??..... and was it the same program or just flashing leds or buzzers.

Your problem picaxe is in a socket..... You should try it in a breadboard connected to nothing except the download board and cable and 5 volt power with 8 and 19 linked....and see will it take any program eg. flashing leds etc. If it does, then see will it take your problem program in the same breadboard just connected to download and power...... If it does then Picaxe is programming OK.

Then Check out your protoboard circuit and try another Picaxe in the protoboard ......?
 
I assumed you had a breadboard with a prog. socket already on it......so just unplug picaxe from protoboard and plug in to breadboard, plugin your yellow, red, and black programming wires, add power and download...... I think for quick test it should program without the caps..?
 
The 0.1 UF caps are still on my breadboard!
This very same chip loaded this program perfectly on the breadboard before I installed it on the proto board.
 
Sorry, Im getting confused, I thought on your first post you said you had tried on another Picaxe.

Well, then, unplug the 0.1uf caps from the Breadboard, unplug the problem Picaxe from the socket on protoboard, plugin problem Picaxe to breadboard and see will it program without the caps.
 
Good to see you got it sorted.... What size of Cap did you fit..?? ...... Were you using the same PSU for the breadboard as you have connected to the protoboard..??
 
. What size of Cap did you fit..?? ...... Were you using the same PSU for the breadboard as you have connected to the protoboard..??
.1uf cap
Yes and yes. Same micro, same power supply and same download jack.
The only difference was, when the micro got moved to the proto board, the capacitor was still on the breadboard!
it's only five wires what could possibly go wrong 😂
 
And "size" does matter....... the small 0.1uf probably means some High Freq. spikes or inteferrence from somewhere suppressed now by the cap.

If it had needed something like 100uf or 470uf it would have probably pointed to "ripple" etc from the PSU being the problem.
 
Nice job.

Re photos, if uploaded to the forum, 1) they won't go away if an outside site disappears or changes or subscription expires, and 2) you get a good preview in your post.
 
Thanks to all that helped with the software!
Three (RC) channel 60 amp brushed motor controller for less than 100 bucks!
 
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