i want to connect my oopic's parallel cable
on my friend's laptop, i used a usb-serial cable then
connected to a serial to parallel connector but it
still cant detect the port. i already downloaded the
port95nt.exe & OOPicFV501.exe. and install the driver
for the usb to serial, am i missing something? or do i
still i need to download something thanks
____________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page.
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs



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--- In o...@yahoogroups.com, alvin sy wrote:
>
> i want to connect my oopic's parallel cable
> on my friend's laptop, i used a usb-serial cable then
> connected to a serial to parallel connector but it
> still cant detect the port. i already downloaded the
> port95nt.exe & OOPicFV501.exe. and install the driver
> for the usb to serial, am i missing something? or do i
> still i need to download something thanks
>
The OOPic IDE, when it plans to use a parallel cable to program the
EEPROM directly, looks for a real hardware parallel port at the
normal addresses (0x378, 0x278, 0x3BC). The IDE can not be convinced
that a USB serial cable (with a virtual COM driver) is a hardware
parallel port.

When the IDE does serial programming, it wants to talk to a COM port
in the range of 1..4 (version 5). This method works only for OOPic
versions equal to or later than B.2.0. In this case, the IDE talks
to the OOPic chip and the OOPic chip programs the EEPROM. A USB
cable often works but they may sometimes have a problem with the
OOPic-R version because the RS232 voltage levels are non-standard.
It will always work with a S version because you have to add an
external RS232 level shifter.

Neither of these approaches are going to work with your setup.

Richard



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On Mar 1, 2008, at 12:08 PM, ooPIC Tech Support wrote:

> If you don't have a DB25 printer port on your PC you can't use the=20=20
> ooPIC
> parallel port cable. None of the "so called" USB/printer" parallel=20=20
> port
> adapters will work. If you don't have an ooPIC with firmware B2.2+ or
> later, you can't program on a computer that doesn't have a parallel
> printer port.

What about supporting a USB-to-I2C adaptor? That should let you=20=20
directly access the EEPROM for programming. That seems like a good=20=20
alternative to bit-banging an ancient parallel port.

--

Brian Lloyd Granite Bay Montessori
brian AT gbmontessori DOT com 9330 Sierra College Blvd.
+1.916.367.2131 (voice) Roseville, CA 95661, USA
http://www.gbmontessori.com

I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things . . .
=97 Antoine de Saint-Exup=E9ry

PGP key ID: 12095C52A32A1B6C
PGP key fingerprint: 3B1D BA11 4913 3254 B6E0 CC09 1209 5C52 A32A 1B6C

=20

=20


(You need to be a member of oopic -- send a blank email to oopic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

If you don't have a DB25 printer port on your PC you can't use the ooPIC
parallel port cable. None of the "so called" USB/printer" parallel port
adapters will work. If you don't have an ooPIC with firmware B2.2+ or
later, you can't program on a computer that doesn't have a parallel
printer port.

DLC

alvin sy wrote:
> i want to connect my oopic's parallel cable
> on my friend's laptop, i used a usb-serial cable then
> connected to a serial to parallel connector but it
> still cant detect the port. i already downloaded the
> port95nt.exe & OOPicFV501.exe. and install the driver
> for the usb to serial, am i missing something? or do i
> still i need to download something thanks
> ____________________________________________________________________________________
> Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page.
> http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
>
>
>



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That will work great, but you'll have to write the driver to send the
data out to the ooPIC board. It shouldn't be very difficult, but you
have to start by pulling the PIC /reset (MCLR) line low to put the PIC
into reset mode which basically turns it off and disconnects it from the
EEPROM.

DLC

Brian Lloyd wrote:
> On Mar 1, 2008, at 12:08 PM, ooPIC Tech Support wrote:
>
>
>> If you don't have a DB25 printer port on your PC you can't use the
>> ooPIC
>> parallel port cable. None of the "so called" USB/printer" parallel
>> port
>> adapters will work. If you don't have an ooPIC with firmware B2.2+ or
>> later, you can't program on a computer that doesn't have a parallel
>> printer port.
>>
>
> What about supporting a USB-to-I2C adaptor? That should let you
> directly access the EEPROM for programming. That seems like a good
> alternative to bit-banging an ancient parallel port.
>
> --
>
> Brian Lloyd Granite Bay Montessori
> brian AT gbmontessori DOT com 9330 Sierra College Blvd.
> +1.916.367.2131 (voice) Roseville, CA 95661, USA
> http://www.gbmontessori.com
>
> I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things . . .
> — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
>
> PGP key ID: 12095C52A32A1B6C
> PGP key fingerprint: 3B1D BA11 4913 3254 B6E0 CC09 1209 5C52 A32A 1B6C
>
>
>



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--- In o...@yahoogroups.com, Brian Lloyd wrote:
> On Mar 1, 2008, at 12:08 PM, ooPIC Tech Support wrote:
>
> > If you don't have a DB25 printer port on your PC you can't use the
> > ooPIC
> > parallel port cable. None of the "so called" USB/printer" parallel
> > port
> > adapters will work. If you don't have an ooPIC with firmware B2.2+ or
> > later, you can't program on a computer that doesn't have a parallel
> > printer port.
>
> What about supporting a USB-to-I2C adaptor? That should let you
> directly access the EEPROM for programming. That seems like a good
> alternative to bit-banging an ancient parallel port.
>
> --
>
> Brian Lloyd Granite Bay Montessori
> brian AT gbmontessori DOT com 9330 Sierra College Blvd.
> +1.916.367.2131 (voice) Roseville, CA 95661, USA
> http://www.gbmontessori.com

The parallel port programming concept predates SCP which allows serial
port programming. In addition, the debugger never really worked very
well with the parallel port and you had to move the cable to the other
I2C connector to get it to work at all (oDDELink). I wouldn't count
on ANY effort to enhance parallel port programming especially since
parallel ports don't come on new computers.

Now, could you BUILD a gadget to do USB -> EEPROM programming and run
it outside the IDE? Sure, walk in the park. The compiler outputs a
.oex file with the binary code and there are a lot of ways to get from
a PC to I2C; bit-banged or otherwise. Personally, I would use a USB
Bit Wacker
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=762 but
that's because I just finished a project with the device.

Considering how short the files are, bit-banging wouldn't be a bad way
to go. After all, that's how the IDE does it! In fact, that's how
the OOPic does it.

But, short of having a REAL parallel port, programming the OOPic with
a parallel cable just isn't going to happen. If the chip is so old it
doesn't support serial programming, well, that's going to be a
problem. Get an old computer with Win98 and hang on to it. I do...

Parallel programming always worked because it held the OOPic in reset
while it stuck code in the EEPROM. SCP will only work if the OOPic
isn't jammed up (cosmic wedgie).

Richard



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I have written programs that function perfectly, do none of the
things Andrew mentioned, and STILL get it into the 'cosmic wedgie'
state.

That's why the first executable statement should ALWAYS be something
like OOPic.Delay = 500. Following reset, while the OOPic is
executing the 5 second delay (on V5, use 5000 on V6), it is possible
for the IDE to get control via SCP.

Lacking the delay, if the chip gets jammed up, the only way to
program it is to remove the EEPROM, attempt a download which will
detect the absence of the EEPROM and pop a dialog box, reinstall the
EEPROM with power ON (!) and then restart the download.

Richard

--- In o...@yahoogroups.com, Andrew Porrett wrote:
>
> - change the serial port baud rate to anything other than 9600 bps
>
> - use the oEEPROM object and write to the wrong location - bye bye
program
>
> - recurse and overflow the stack - just call main() from main()...
> It's real easy, which is why programs should always start with a
> delay instruction.
>
> At 08:08 PM 3/1/2008, Brian Lloyd wrote:
> > > SCP will only work if the OOPic
> > > isn't jammed up (cosmic wedgie).
> >
> >Is it possible to get an OOPic into that state? That strikes me as
> >something that would be rather difficult but I know I have a lot to
> >learn.
>



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Brian Lloyd wrote:
> On Mar 2, 2008, at 5:26 AM, rtstofer wrote:
>
>
>> I have written programs that function perfectly, do none of the
>> things Andrew mentioned, and STILL get it into the 'cosmic wedgie'
>> state.
>>
>> That's why the first executable statement should ALWAYS be something
>> like OOPic.Delay = 500. Following reset, while the OOPic is
>> executing the 5 second delay (on V5, use 5000 on V6), it is possible
>> for the IDE to get control via SCP.
>>
>> Lacking the delay, if the chip gets jammed up, the only way to
>> program it is to remove the EEPROM, attempt a download which will
>> detect the absence of the EEPROM and pop a dialog box, reinstall the
>> EEPROM with power ON (!) and then restart the download.
>>
>
> OK, I dig. Thank you. So far neither I nor any of the kids have
> managed to get an OOPic into that state but I am sure we will manage.
> I will introduce that idea into my tutoring sessions on the OOPic.
> (The regular classes written around the Basic Stamp 2 and the BoeBot
> but the kids are gravitating toward the MarkIII and the OOPic.)
>
> BTW, I have one girl (6th grade) who has been asked to be on TV for
> her science fair project. She has a MarkIII tied to her Apple laptop
> with a bluetooth link. She has a short program that uses the speech
> recognition on the MacBook to generate 1-letter command codes which
> are then sent to the MarkIII via bluetooth RS232 interface. The OOPic
> program in the MarkIII then executes the functions associated with the
> command letter. It is simple with commands like, "forward," "back,"
> "left," "right," "stop," etc., but it works.
>
> It is pretty cool and I wasn't sure she was going to get it done in
> time. It is working with a cable and I have been troubleshooting the
> Bluetooth RS-232 (hence my questions about SCP port baud rate). We
> should see it running free this week sometime.
>
> I wish we had this stuff back when I was in 6th grade.
>
>
Oh man, isn't that the truth! Heck it would have been great to have
this stuff when I was in high school! My six year old just doesn't
understand that when I was his age, there were no home computers at all.

DLC
> --
>
> Brian Lloyd Granite Bay Montessori
> brian AT gbmontessori DOT com 9330 Sierra College Blvd.
> +1.916.367.2131 (voice) Roseville, CA 95661, USA
> http://www.gbmontessori.com
>
> I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things . . .
> — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
>
> PGP key ID: 12095C52A32A1B6C
> PGP key fingerprint: 3B1D BA11 4913 3254 B6E0 CC09 1209 5C52 A32A 1B6C
>
>
>



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I use OOPic-R's and my code is written to only delay at startup if a
selected onboard button is pressed. That gives me fast reset/startup
AND wedgie handling.

At 11:51 AM 3/2/2008, Brian Lloyd wrote:
>I see your point
>re the delay. Make it long enough that you have time to start to
>download a new program. What do you use, 10s?



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On Mar 2, 2008, at 5:03 AM, Andrew Porrett wrote:

> - change the serial port baud rate to anything other than 9600 bps
>
> - use the oEEPROM object and write to the wrong location - bye bye
> program
>
> - recurse and overflow the stack - just call main() from main()...
> It's real easy, which is why programs should always start with a
> delay instruction.

I was thinking that one could recover just by resetting the chip but
if the program immediately takes the systems out, yeah, that could be
a problem. :-) You'd have to wipe the eeprom first. I see your point
re the delay. Make it long enough that you have time to start to
download a new program. What do you use, 10s?

This is one of the things that I like about the propeller. For testing
I can load the program into RAM. If it takes out the system a reset
loads the program in eeprom. I just make sure that whatever is in
eeprom is safe, usually nothing more than a do-nothing program which
is also safe in case someone has stupidly wired an I/O pin to Vss or
Vdd.
--

73 de Brian, WB6RQN
Brian Lloyd - brian HYPHEN wb6rqn AT lloyd DOT com



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- change the serial port baud rate to anything other than 9600 bps

- use the oEEPROM object and write to the wrong location - bye bye program

- recurse and overflow the stack - just call main() from main()...
It's real easy, which is why programs should always start with a
delay instruction.

At 08:08 PM 3/1/2008, Brian Lloyd wrote:
> > SCP will only work if the OOPic
> > isn't jammed up (cosmic wedgie).
>
>Is it possible to get an OOPic into that state? That strikes me as
>something that would be rather difficult but I know I have a lot to
>learn.



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