Some time back there was a post from Net Media when they announced that they would be launching a fast but competitively priced USB to serial converter what happened to that project? It must be Chris who commented as it was after the departure of Frank Manning Keith -----Original Message----- From: basicx@basi... [mailto:basicx@basi...]On Behalf Of Don Kinzer Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 6:22 PM To: basicx@basi... Subject: [BasicX] Re: BasicX 24 Factory Program Wont Halt (used with Parallax BOE) --- In basicx@basi..., "ybernikov" <ybernikov@y...> wrote: > It can be the FTDI USB -> Serial driver problem. Perhaps. I have found that some USB to serial converters are not fast enough for the ATN toggling protocol used to reset and download to the BX-24. Out of four different ones that I have tried, the only one that did work was the FTDI-based unit. I believe that adapters based on the FTDI chip FT232BM should work. Don Yahoo! Groups Links

--- In basicx@basi..., "ybernikov" <ybernikov@y...> wrote: > It can be the FTDI USB -> Serial driver problem. Perhaps. I have found that some USB to serial converters are not fast enough for the ATN toggling protocol used to reset and download to the BX-24. Out of four different ones that I have tried, the only one that did work was the FTDI-based unit. I believe that adapters based on the FTDI chip FT232BM should work. Don

> ... Does anyone know if things will be different with the BasicX 24p[?] The BX-24 IDE used a series of DTR/ATN pulses from COM1 to get the processor's attention via an otherwise-unused processor pin, T1; the BX-24 OS continually monitors that pin and can miss the ATN signals under some conditions. The BX-24p uses the processor reset pin, which cannot be missed, instead of T1 so, yes, there might well be different behavior from the BX-24p. Tom

Hey Guys, Thank you kindly for all your help. Unfortunately I am still unable to halt the BasicX 24 via the Parallax BOE USB. I updated my FTDI driver to the latest version but with no luck. So I sucked it up and bought a BOE Serial version ( I would have bought the NetMedia version but I wanted something with a solderless breadboard since I'm pretty new to all this and am sure to make mistakes.) Does anyone know if things will be different with the BasicX 24P. Does NetMedia know about this problem? Currently they are still stating that the BasicX 24 is a drop in replacement for the BS2 which isn't the case in certain conditions. Anyhow, thank you for all the help. Cheers, R.K.

--- In basicx@basi..., "rustyk_78" <mudslut@h...> wrote: > > I am running the BasicX on Parallax BOE (USB Version - w FTDI USB -> Serial Driver). It can be the FTDI USB -> Serial driver problem. Try different one.

> Does anyone see any other options? By and far the two easiest options are to either by the Netmedia's board that does not have the more complex ATN interface or to build yourself a similar simple prototype board with a DB-9 RS-232 port. I imagine you could shop around for 3rd party boards - there are some. But they all seem to support RS-232, not USB. I presume that you prefer using the USB interface. So consider having a USB to RS-232 adapter would allow you to switch back and forth quite easily. The USB port on the development board adds to both cost and complexity. You have run into the issue of complexity in reguards to mix and match of different manufactures.

Hey Guys, Thank you kindly for the replies. Don't know if I'm all that adventurous but I am pretty desperate at the moment. Does anyone see any other options? Cheers, R.K.

While the BX-24 is pin compatible with the Parallax boards, Parallax introduced two capacitors on the DTR goint to the ATN [one is in series and one is to Vss] line because of troubles they were having with their later, faster BasicStamps being programed from a direct connection. So, depending on the generation of documents you may see this feature or may not. Nonetheless, it is on the newer boards. Apparently BX-24 resolved the problem in another way [on the BX-24?] or never had the problem, so there is where your circuitry conflicts are originating from. The capacitor and transistor combination seems to be another generation of fix to properly accommodate the USB interface. > The problem is that the DTR line from the USB interface is fed via a > capacitor and transistor to the ATN pin (pin 3).

--- In basicx@basi..., "rustyk_78" <mudslut@h...> wrote: > Replacing the 4 AA batteries - Reading Vin of 5.90 V This sounds too low unless it is being applied to pin 21 of the BX- 24 then it's too high. The BX-24P requires at least 6.7 volts applied to pin 24 (or 5 volts to pin 21) if you want it to run reliably. > Using the ATN diagnostic tool I tried measuring the voltage > between the ATN pin and ground and noticed no change in voltage > when the pin was set to high - constant reading of 0.1 mV ..so > as far as I can tell this is the cause of my problem. I took a quick look at the USB BOE schematic and found something that is likely to be a problem. The schematic is available at: http://www.parallax.com/dl/docs/prod/robo/BOEUSBSchem.PDF The problem is that the DTR line from the USB interface is fed via a capacitor and transistor to the ATN pin (pin 3). This would explain why you see the voltage that you reported - on a negative transition of DTR the PNP transistor will turn on briefly (perhaps a few microseconds to tens of microseconds). The BX-24 has similar circuitry on it and it may be that the pulsewidth is too narrow to trigger a reset on the BX-24. If you're adventuresome, you might try putting a 10K resistor across the 0.1uF capacitor shown in the upper right corner of the second page of the schematic. This will be difficult since the capacitor is a surface mount defive but you may be able to hold it in place and have an assistant invoke the download. Before doing this, you should probably verify the voltage swing on the DTR output. I suspect that it is 0-5 volts. If it is not, don't do as I suggested without some further research and analysis. Don