I tried the new 8.0.1.4 IDE. but the atom pro still won’t finish programming from the serial port on my desktop.
I tried again from the laptop and it works fine. There must be something wrong with my serial port. Although it runs sequences in SEQ to the SSC-32 port fine.
Well, there isn’t much else AI can do to get that desktop serial port to work. Th only time we’ve seen communications problems like this is when using some brands of USB to serial port. Could there be other software on your computer that is interfering(since it works fine on the laptop)?
Ok I have spent over 6 hours collectively trying to get my serial port to work. Which is stupid to have to spend that much time on something so simple. It works with modems, other devices and the ssc-32. But it won’t let the Atop Pro IDE finish loading. I’ve tried every setting in the world and nothing.
I think it’s retarded I have to go buy a USB to Serial adapter just to try and get this to work. I don’t know what else to try. I can’t find any more information on the basic micro forums and I’ve tried everything suggested there. I don’t understand how my serial port can work for everything else except the Atom pro IDE.
I’m going to pick up an IOGear adapter and try through my USB Port. If that doesn’t work, I’m going to have to either, take the hex to our shop every time I want to program it or bring my laptop home everytime I want to work on the hex. I just can’t keep trying to get this to work since I’m at the point of really wanting to just throw both the computer and the Atom pro at the wall.
I contacted Gateway as well to ask their tech support if my serial port is actually a USB port, converted on the motherboard to act as a serial port. They said no. It’s the same standard serial port found on any desktop that has one.
To keep things in perspective, the serial port is a driver to the outside world. It’s subject to static discharges, and that sort of thing. Just because it works on some applications and not others is purly an indication that it’s on the edge of working. There are litterally thousands of Atoms out there. There is not a deluge of I can’t program my atom posts, so unfortunately it’s a unique PC problem that you are dealing with. The timing on the Atom programming is much more demanding than casual serial coms. I wish I could press a magic button to fix this for you. but no such button exists. Well there is that Easy Button, but it just makes my credit card statement larger. lol Seriously though you may consider purchasing a drop in serial card. They are inexpensive and would probably fix your problem. Disclaimer, there is no guarantee it will fix your problem. I’m really sorry you are having trouble.
Tried a serial port PCI card, exact same result. Also tried an IOGear USB to serial adapter. Same thing.
Which would lead me to believe it is something software related interfering with the IDE.
I have tried with spyware and antivirus disabled. What other software could possibly be related to the serial port?
Do you have any PDA software installed? I’ve seen problems with Palm syncing software in the past. Basically anything that may be watching the serial port could interfere.
Every write is echoed back via a hardware loop back in the modules. Also every time a character is received by the module(while in boot mode) an ACK character is sent back(0x55). You can see this until the above lines. The write is sent but there is no echo before the ACK character. The only way this could happen is if your computers comport(or the software that handles the comport) lost the character since that character is echoed back by hardware. Have you tried changing your FIFO buffers to see if that changes how this acks?
Sorry Ev, just didn’t want you to go off and buy a new PC thinking it was all your hardware’s fault. All you know is something didn’t make it from one end to the other and the program on the PC timed out and logged that. Still, that’s better than not knowing anything since it is something to work from.
I just don’t know where to go next. So we know this:
Serial is on motherboard
Works with SSC-32 and SEQ, powerpod and RIOS.
Completes download to random amounts (10%, 85%, etc.)
Recognizes the atom
For some reason, pc and Atom lose communication at seemingly random stages of programming. But never complete.
Same result with all IDE versions
Works on laptop serial port fine.
USB to serial adapter and PCI Serial Card have the exact same results.
FIFO buffer changes nothing
Port settings change nothing
No Bios settings available (only enable/disable serial port)
Tried 2001 and 2006 drivers for serial port.
Running Windows XP Media Center Edition.
The only thing I can think of that might make my computer different from most desktops, is that I’m running Window XP Media Center Edition. Maybe there is something with that, that is causing the problems.
I’m sure everyone is sick of hearing me complain about this but it’s a bit ridiculous. How can this not work? This is brand new computer. And the serial port works fine with everything else. And I’ve spent $40 trying to get this working now.
I don’t even know if this is an option but have you tried it in safe mode? You could possibly use MSConfig (start | run | msconfig ) to do a selective startup and turn things on/off to see if something is fighting with the IDE application’s timing requirements. I know I have used some debuggers that will not function properly is windows media player is even open. Difficult to find if it’s there but perhaps you have something like that going on.
Incorrect Eddie. The echo’d character is wired(physically the output from the PC is wired to the input AND output of the module. So when the PC sends something to the module it is also sending itself the same character. That is what a “Loop Back” echo is. Its the same as if the PCs output port was wired to it’s own input port. This means the PC did not see it’s own sent character. This means it’s a PC side problem(either hardware or software).
I suspect it is a software issue on the PC. If it was hardware I wouldn’t expect it to show up on the other devices he tried on that PC(eg USB to serial and PCI Serial adapter card). It is low level software though because the character was lost before the low level scanner could see it.
I’m familliar with half duplex. The loop back is at the atom end and it’s “possible” the atom crashed the byte. I am guessing you are assuming that because you got a handshake character back from the atom that it is on the host side that the byte disappeared. Is your IDE reporting or ignoring hard serial errors like framing? It is difficult to just make a byte disappear with no indications of where it went. An assumption there is that your application owns and holds the COM port for the duration of the transfer, although at the same time how wierd would it be for some other program to be sitting there jonesing to grab the serial port the instant another program let it go.
Anyway, personally I also think it is possibly some application or service, or maybe just even a crappy driver implemented for the motherboard chipset or i/o expander providing the COM port. Might be something you can find surfing forums or tech support FAQs for your mainboard or system part number Evolution… but a lot like looking for a needle in a haystack I think.
There isn’t any way for the AtomPro to “crash” the byte while in it reading loop. It is a half duplex, as you illuded to in your post, bit banged system which means the AtomPro is busy reading the bits being sent. Also if somehow the AtomPro got out of the reading loop(say because of a reset) to send data down and crash the byte being sent by the PC it would end up sending back a different ACK chacracter(0xAA). The 0xAA ACK chacrater is sent in the main command loop of the bootloader so if the AtomPro got reset you’d see that instead of the 0x55 ACKs. Also if it some how crashed the byte some other way I would expect a framing error or at least a garbage byte in the port monitoring program instead of no byte returned at all before the ACK character and no indication of any error at the port. That is why I’m pretty confident it’s software on the PC causing the problem. I guess it is possibly still a hardware issue(eg the AtomPro getting glitched somehow) but I’d have to say that I think the odds of that are getting up there with Mega Ball Lottery and Meteors hitting people heads.
I did try booting in safe mode and enabling the serial port. Same thing.
I have a blank 250gig backup drive I’m going to partition and install XP Pro on. I’ll try it in there and see if it works to eliminate the possibility that it’s the Media Center Edition of XP causing the problem. Then I’ll move on to drivers.