My students and I just finished building the Lynxmotion CH3-R hexapod bot from RobotShop, and we’re having fun driving it around with the PS2 controller using BotBoarduino that we purchased with the kit two weeks ago.
To take the next step, we were hoping to use the SSC-32 Servo Sequencer program to calibrate the servos for optimum performance. Using my trusted FTDI cable adapter on my Windows 10 computer, I was able to see the new port (COM9), but every time I try to connect to the SSC-32 with the Sequencer program, the “Found” light comes on briefly, followed by an alert dialog: “Please cycle the power and try again”.
Having used this adapter successfully on many other robotics projects, I figured this might be a baud-rate issue. Starting with the default baud rate of 9600 (both in Windows Device Manager and the Sequencer program), I’ve tried all three baud possibilities without success (9600, 38400, 115200).
I’m thinking that my next step will have to be removing the BotBoarduino in order to gain access to the buttons (and/or jumpers) on the SSC-32, but before doing that, I figured I’d see whether anyone on the forum can help with this issue.
Yes, it appears I will need to access the TX/RX jumpers on the SSC-32, if I want to talk to it with over the DB-9 connector.
Hi,
If you are using the older SSC-32, then you will need to replace the jumpers on point 14 back in for the DE-9 connector to be usable. Anyway, you should always disconnect the SSC-32 from the BotBoarduino if you wish to use the SSC-32 directly from the computer.
That being said, please note that the default Phoenix code (found here) also includes a BotBoarduino <> SSC-32/SSC-32U passthrough mode, which allows you to use the BotBoarduino as a UART <> serial adapter for your SSC-32. This prevents from having to disconnect the two / move jumpers back in.
To access the passthrough mode, simply leave everything connected together, power your robot and connect the BotBoarduino by USB to your computer. Then, connect to its virtual COM port (VCP) at a baud rate of 57600. By default, the debug mode required should be active here. If it is not in your version of the code, please activate it and recompile/re-upload the code to the BotBoarduino. You will also need to have the forwarded mode enabled here. The forwarder mode is usually activated by not having a PS2 receiver connected to the BotBoarduino, as seen here.
We await your reply to further help you.
Sincerely,
