Subject:
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RE: IR Tower not working when downloading firmware
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Fri, 10 Jan 2003 21:45:08 GMT
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Original-From:
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DORNS <dwdorn@earthlink=nospam=.net>
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Reply-To:
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<dwdorn@STOPSPAMMERSearthlink.net>
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Viewed:
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570 times
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Andy,
It is not COM port problem. I have used the same PC and the same
configuration to successfully download to RCX the night before I took all
the batteries out of the RCX. After 24 hours without battery, the RCX lost
its firmware. It fails to download firmware since then.
From the shooter.log file, one can see the cable and the IR tower connection
to COM1 is OK.
Do you think it is time to buy another set of IR tower or RCX? If yes, what
version of the hardware/software I should look into?
Thanks,
Wendy
> The Shooter.log file looks like the following:
>
> *******************
> No serial mouse detected
>
> Examining hardware directly:
> COM1 is available.
> COM2 is available.
> COM3 does not exist.
> COM4 does not exist.
>
> Retries for module 26: Direct: 9, Retransmit: • 10.
> Shooter retries: 9, 10
>
> Called with error 8120.
> Initial page: 1000, 8120: IR Transmitter not • working
>
> Command sequence: Test IR Transmitter
> 1014, 100: OCX registered : OK
> 1015, 105: OCX working : OK
> 1041, 110: Closed COM : OK
> 1009, 115: INI file exists : OK
> 1003, 120: COM port 1 read from INI file : • OK
> 1010, 125: COM port 1 exists : OK
> 1011, 130: COM port 1 working : OK
> 1002, 135: Open COM port 1 : OK
> 1023, 140: Tower & cable connected : OK
> 1005, 145: IR Transmitter working : FAIL
>
> Help window, RIS TroubleShooter, closed.
> *******************
-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew J. Huang [mailto:ajhuang@velocitus.net]
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 12:31 PM
To: dwdorn@earthlink.net; dickswan@sbcglobal.net
Cc: lego-robotics@crynwr.com
Subject: RE: IR Tower not working when downloading firmware
Wendy, Dick,
I'm fighting the same issue on a RIS 1.5. I
haven't resolved the problem yet but let me share
what I've found.
Character echo means only that you've connected to
the IR tower. Using hyperterminal, I get perfect
echoes, but I get them regardless of whether the
RCX is involved - it still echoes even with the
RCX off and back in its box. Wendy's problem is
most likely that she's not hitting the right
serial port. The RIS software is kind of dumb
(really dumb) and only will deal with com1-com4.
If the tower is connected elsewhere, it won't find
it and it won't echo. With hyperterminal, try
every serial port it lists (under
file>properties>"connect using") until you find
the ir tower.
In my case, I also had the problem of being
attached through a USB/Serial adapter (it's a
laptop with 0 serial ports) which came up as com8.
In that case I had to use the Windows device
manager (control panel/system tab) and reconfigure
the adapter driver to use com2. This got me
connected to the tower - the green light lights
for every character, and echoes come back.
The RIS error messages are useless. They don't
give you any idea of what is going on.
<Dick: you don't have any relationship to bicycle
racing do you?>
Good luck,
Andy
-----Original Message-----
From: DORNS [mailto:dwdorn@earthlink.net]
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 12:47 PM
To: dickswan@sbcglobal.net
Cc: lego-robotics@crynwr.com
Subject: RE: IR Tower not working when downloading
firmware
Thanks for the response. I just got back from a
trip and see this message.
I did perform the test you mentioned in the email.
I used the hyper
terminal program to determine that the problem is
lack of echoed characters.
What is your advice on fixing this?
If it is not easy to fix, I would like to
purchase either a new IR tower or
a RCX. Is there any new version of hardware or
software going to be on the
market soon? If yes, is it worth the wait of
buying the up coming new
version?
Thanks,
Wendy
-----Original Message-----
From: Dick Swan (SBC)
[mailto:dickswan@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Saturday, December 28, 2002 6:08 AM
To: dwdorn@earthlink.net
Subject: Re: IR Tower not working when downloading
firmware
Some advise and suggestions.
Post to 'lugnet.robotics' and not
'lugnet.off-topic.test'. You're likely to
get better response.
Are you sure your new batteries all work? Test
them out as follows:
- Does the green LED briefly 'flash' on the serial
tower during the
diagnostic test? If not, then 9V battery needs to
be replaced.
- Does the RCX beep and display '1' in the LCD
program slot when you turn it
on? If not, then RCX needs new batteries.
If tower and RCX are not properly pointed towards
each other, communication
will not work. [I know this is obvious, but try
some different
combinations]. In particular, make sure tower
isn't set for long range
transmission (switch on front) and RCX is within a
meter or so. I find short
range transmission setting on tower and RCX about
1.5 feet away works fine.
I'm not familiar with the download and test
software that you have been
using but it sounds to me like problem might be in
the tower. With the
serial tower, every outgoing byte is also echoed
back to your PC where it is
discarded; I think this is a byproduct of IR
transmission 'leaking' into the
IR receiver on the tower. A decent diagnostic
routine would know this fact
and look for the echo-ed characters. If so, I
would interpret "IR
Transmitter Fail" message as a lack of the echoed
characters. A way to test
this is to use one of a PC "console" program to
type characters on COM1 port
and look for echo of these characters.
Hope you get your system working.
"Wendy" <dwdorn@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:<H7nrGz.D3A@lugnet.com>...
> Hi,
>
> I'm using Robotics Invention System 1.5, a
serial tower and a RCX 1.0 and
a
> windows 98 PC.
>
> The RCX lost its firmware due to missing • batteries for a long period of
> time. I kept getting error messages during • firmware download
>
> "Initial page: 1000, 8120: IR Transmitter not • working"
>
> after putting in brand new batteries in both the • RCX and the serial tower.
> I followed the trouble shooting guide using • hyper terminal to test the COM
> port connection to the tower. The communication • from the COM port to the
> tower is good. But the "IR Transmitter Working"
fails every time I tried
to
> download. It can't find the RCX. Any ideas why • this happens?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Wendy
>
> P.S.
--
Did you check the web site first?:
http://www.crynwr.com/lego-robotics
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: IR Tower not working when downloading firmware
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| No! Unless you need two RCXs - and that's a different question ;) Donwloading the firmware seems to be the most "stressful" exercise of the tower/RCX link. The download functions offered include a high speed mode and normal mode. The tower and RCX (...) (21 years ago, 10-Jan-03, to lugnet.robotics)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | RE: IR Tower not working when downloading firmware
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| Wendy, Dick, I'm fighting the same issue on a RIS 1.5. I haven't resolved the problem yet but let me share what I've found. Character echo means only that you've connected to the IR tower. Using hyperterminal, I get perfect echoes, but I get them (...) (21 years ago, 10-Jan-03, to lugnet.robotics)
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