Help: IFI loader not communicating with control unit

[red_alert_13]

We are trying to hook up our robot controller to our computer to test the motors. We connected the two with a serial cable (the end connected to the robot controller went to the program port), and pressed the PROG button until the Program State light was a solid yellow. We ran the IFI loader program, and pointed it to the default .hex file supplied in the 2006 source code. When we clicked the download button it displayed a message stating: "Port failed to open". We tried with all 12 possible ports, none gave any other answer. We also tried using EasyC to download an unchanged project .hex file using the in-program download utility. This time, with port 2, it displayed the download progress bar, and at some point said that port 2 was open. However, after a few seconds, it stopped and told us to check to make sure that the serial cable was connected (which it was) and that the robot controller was on (which it was). We are out of ideas. Any suggestions would be helpful. This is our first year in competition, and we have NEVER used this software before. Thanks in advance!

[Chriszuma]

Yeah, my team just acquired a new(er) laptop, and I was having similar problems, except that when the progress bar got partway across (there was no pattern to how far it got) it would just stop dead in its tracks. I fiddled with every setting possible in the device manager, and eventually came to the conclusion that the computer is a little f'd up. We got a usb-serial adapter and that works well enough. My suggestion: go to device manager and make sure your COM port is operating, and then just fiddle with every setting you can find. If that fails, try a new serial PCI card (if it's a desktop) or a usb-serial adapter (if it's a laptop).
EDIT: Oh yeah, and see if there's a BIOS update for your computer, sometimes the manufacturers figure these issues out and fix them for you.

[generalbrando]

If I remember Indiana correctly, you're near Indy? The best way to solve a computer problem is to get someone to sit down infront of it. Ask a local team to stop by. If you have a mentoring team, that'd be ideal. If you need help finding one, check the mentoring thing on TIMS or contact IndianaFIRST.org.

Otherwise, I'd also suggest trying to get *any* serial device to work. If you can get a serial mouse or old PDA to work then you've eliminated a lot of potential problems and you can identify which port it is that you're plugging into.

[X-Istence]

Thing that caught me off gaurd when I first started playing with it, is the fact that you have to go to one of the menu's and click verify controller or some other such thing, and it checks if the controller is at the other end before one can upload anything to it. Might want to check that as well.

[JamesBrown]

red alert, it sounds like you could have a bad serial port, try it on another computer, IFIloader tends to be very tempermental. If that doesnt work then uninstall and reinstall every thing(the solve all windows fix). If you are still having problems then see if you can borrow another teams rc to make sure that isnt the problem(it probably wont be).

[JJMax7]

My team had a similar problem. And turns out we can only upload through one serial cable. We had 2 connected and it wouldn't communicate, but both worked fine individually.

[binary_sandman]

well {red_alert_13} our programing team has had hardly any proplems with already finishing drive moters and Autonomous mode.
by the way program state is organge
your on board electronics system could not be Operable .
{
team 1388
}
2004 curie divison winners

[Mike]

well {red_alert_13} our programing team has had hardly any proplems with already finishing drive moters and Autonomous mode.
by the way program state is organge
your on board electronics system could not be Operable .
{
team 1388
}
2004 curie divison winners
OK, this is the SECOND post you made touting your "already finishing drive moters and Autonomous mode" and lacking any help towards moving the thread in a positive direction.

Please, elaborate. What does it do? Drive forward? Collect balls? Score all ten balls in the goal? Keep arrogant, belittling and misspelled bragging off these boards.

I am going to second what JamesBrown said. It may be as simple as a broken serial port. Try it on another computer. If it does not work on another computer, I would call up IFI and ask for a replacement.

[Matt Krass]

Bragging is never smart...

Make sure you don't have something silly happening like somethings bound to the port in question.

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Portmon.html is a good utility for checking that.

[thecheatdx]

*post*

I would like to personally apologize to CD for the actions of the aforementioned member of my team. I'm the Programming team leader and the member is part of the programming team so I'll sit down with him and make sure these sort of posts don't continue to pop up.