Using the IFI loader with a USB-to-serial adapter?

[Eldarion]

I am trying to use a USB-to-serial adapter with the IFI loader. Only problem is, it takes 30 minutes or longer to download!

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to getting this thing to download quickly with a USB-to-serial adapter?

One thing I did notice is that most of the time the IFI loader is not transmitting or recieving anything, it is just idling.

[Dillon Compton]

It really all depends on the adapter you use. I use the Radio-shack brand usb to serial adaptor, and it takes about 1.5-2 minutes as opposed to the 30-45 with a standard serial cable.

[JBotAlan]

This thread looks familiar...hmmm

Anyhow, here's some troubleshooting steps I found, posted by Astronouth7303:

I have had problems with the loader, too. In My case, a legacy device claims an IRQ that COM2 uses. But mine just locks up.

Common Troubleshooting Steps:
1. Check What port your cable is connected to, and what COM Loader is using
2. Change What port your using
3. Check your hardware settings (Turn FIFO buffers off, just in case)
4. Reboot
5. Reinstall IFI_Loader
6. Recompile
7. E-mail IFI. they're real nice.

Some not-so-common Steps:
8. Remove unnecesary hardware (Modems frequently take the place of a COM port)
9. Barrow your friend's boot drive and use that (put hex on floppy)
10. Try safe mode
11. Is it actually a COM port?
12. Remove COM Mice (Use PS/2 or USB, if you can)
13. Check Bot
14. Check cable

(end qoute)

I have another thing to add. Make sure that you have the right drivers for your device (they should come on a disc with the converter).

Good luck with this,
JBotAlan

[Mark Pierce]

I just order the Bafo adapter and a Cables Unlimited USB 2.0 adapter from Tiger Direct. Both seem to work great. Do a search of the forums and you'll see more on adapters. The Cables Unlimited device can plug directly into the computer (no intervening cable).

BAFO - USB 1.1 To Serial Adapter (DB9) (B133-1014) $9.99

Cables Unlimited USB 2.0 to DB9M Serial Adapter (C250-1162) $12.99

On our old laptop which just had a complete OS reload, I had to locate new drivers on-line for the schools Bafo adapter.

It does take longer to download a large program than a small one, but never 30 minutes.

[Oumonkey]

It takes me 33 min and I am looking for a usb-serial thing but I just went to wal-mart and they had nothing. I'll try and get that radio shack one, thanks for that info.

[hoag]

Be careful with the usb to serial adapters. Last year at the Finger Lakes regional, my team was trying to figure out why another team couldn't download code. It turns out that their new usb adapter was not working as it should, causing the robot controller to malfunction. (Innovation First had to give them a new controller)

One of the adults on the team brought in his Keyspan brand adapter. It's fairly expensive, but it has a lot of utilities. I've had the Cables to Go brand for the past 2 years, and it's been great. (It's been dropped in the snow and run over by the robot several times and still works)

Also, check in the Device Manager under ports to see if the serial port is set at 115200 bits per second.

You could also try moving to a desktop computer that has a serial port on board and downloading from that to see how long it takes.

[dcbrown]

Another issue I had using Bafo USB-Serial was I kept getting corrupted downloads - the robot wasn't working right. Turned out the problem was I had a USB thumb drive plugged in at the same time. Removing it solved the problem. Probably something h/w related like the two slots on the laptop were hubbed off the same physical port or something.

Regards,
DCBrown

[Eldarion]

Originally Posted by hoag

Be careful with the usb to serial adapters. Last year at the Finger Lakes regional, my team was trying to figure out why another team couldn't download code. It turns out that their new usb adapter was not working as it should, causing the robot controller to malfunction. (Innovation First had to give them a new controller)

One of the adults on the team brought in his Keyspan brand adapter. It's fairly expensive, but it has a lot of utilities. I've had the Cables to Go brand for the past 2 years, and it's been great. (It's been dropped in the snow and run over by the robot several times and still works)

Also, check in the Device Manager under ports to see if the serial port is set at 115200 bits per second.

You could also try moving to a desktop computer that has a serial port on board and downloading from that to see how long it takes.

It only takes about 30 seconds from a desktop; the adapter is set to 115200.

I'm wondering if the timing is just slightly off, causing the IFI loader to enter a "wait for retry" loop of some kind. The theory is bolstered by the fact that the CPU usage goes way up in-between data TX/RX. (You do know the loader is just a VB 6.0 app, right? )

I'll try disabling buffering as soon as I get my hands back on the RC

Thanks for the suggestions.