Hello everyone - I’m trying to get my CH3-R up and running - and have run into a little roadblock I was hoping someone may help me through.
For some reason my computer refuses to connect with the older Basic Atom IDE to the bot-board II. It connects just fine with the Basic Studio (same com port, same setttings, grr…). I generated code from PowerPod for the “Pro IDE” - which compiles just fine without any warnings/errors in the newer basic studio. However, on starting it up the sound beeps properly from the bot-board, and all the servos center - but the PS2 control is ignored.
Now, not having a PS2 I’m not sure if the PS2 wireless controller is working (the wiring colors are way different than in any of the lynxmotion docs, so I traced them with my ohm-meter). The green light is solid on the base, and the red light flashes. I can’t seem to find docs to say what the LEDs mean.
So… anyone have any good troubleshooting ideas? Hardware, software, any easy way to tell?
It has been awhile since I ran powerpod on my CHR-3, but I know another member did it very recently.
First off need more information. Which wireless controller are you using? The one that Lynxmotion sells? The reason I ask is you mention Green light and red light… On my Lynxmotion controller the receiver has two red leds. One normally is solid red and the other one blinks until it makes connection with the remote. This connection happens by the hardware (no software on the robot needed to make the connection) although I have found that software can break the connection. But assume that this is not the problem. Things to look at and try:
Make sure you have fresh batteries in the PS2 remote and you turn on the remote.
Make sure you are running +5v not VS to the PS2 controller receiver - Did that once by mistake.
Make sure you ran powerpod configured for Bot Board 2 and not for Atom Bot Board. (I am assuming newer board). That is it should have configured the PS2 pins for pins 12-15 i.e. something like:
;-------------Constants
;PS2 Controller / BotBoard II (PS2 controller => pin 12, 13, 14, 15)
DAT con P12
CMD con P13
SEL con P14
CLK con P15
4) Sometimes I have had better luck with removing the three jumpers from the LEDs/Buttons on the BB2.
5) If I have problems I either add debugging types statements (serout s_out, i9600, …]), to my code to see what I am receiving. Or sometimes I use a simple program like the one in: lynxmotion.com/images/html/build034.htm
To see if I am receiving anything.
Yes - it is the LynxMotion one - but mine has a red and a green light. Green light is constant, red flashes from power on - and doesn’t seem to change flashing after powering on the controller (with fresh batteries).
I think I am running +5vdc to the controller - I have the line set to the middle pin of pin 15 (near the big red 14 on the far right of this photo):
I’m thinking my PS2 controller may be a “dud” – I tried running the sample PS2 control program and the terminal display shows the controller never moving off of center, and never a button press. Since the controller has a blinking red light, never lights the green light, and the receiver has a solid green light, and a blinking red light – I’m going to guess it’s not making a connection.
If I get a chance I’ll run in to my local gamestop and see if they can plug it into a PS2 and see if it powers up / interacts properly. That should eliminate anything I’m doing from the equation.
Hi again, As you say it might be a dud, but looking back over your earlier post you say the colors are different with your wiring.
What are the colors? Does it match any of the ones in the Bot Board 2 document: lynxmotion.com/images/html/b … tm#aglance
In every cable I have seen it is a brown wire that connects to IO pin 12 on the board. Does this match yours? Could you post picture of your wiring?
Good news / bad news - I stopped by my local GameStop today and picked up a Sony PS2 controller and plugged it in - and voila, the PS2 test program worked great. I then loaded the PowerPod control program into the BB2 and confirmed it walks around great!! Very exciting.
Going back to the LynxMotion wireless controller it went back to no response - blinking LED. Pretty sure it’s just a dud controller now. For anyone who may read this thread later, the wiring on the PS2 connector I received from LynxMotion is as follows:
Main connector (same as docs say):
Brown: DAT
Orange: CMD
Yellow: ATT
Blue: CLK
Red: VDC +5v
White: Ground (Color not on diagram)
Green: ACK, No connection (NOT I/O VS as in diagram)
Grey: 7.5VDC I/O VS (Color not on diagram)
Thanks again Kurt for the help - pointing me towards that PS2 test program and giving me a place to start was tremendously helpful - I owe you one.
Thanks for showing us the error on some of the colors. We don’t use the ACK or 7.5vdc terminal in our builds so we missed it. However that is no excuse for the error. Sorry… We are working on fixing this.
If you have a bum controller we will replace it. We will need to following information.
