Need help with controller

[Devil's Kid]

Could someone please exaplain to me how to hook up the controller to the computer and what cable to use? I keep getting the following error when everything is plugged in: "BasicStamp detected on com port 1 but not responding. Check Power Supply"
Everything seems to be plugged in the right spots.. help

[s_alaniz]

Got Power? Is the RC powered up?
Got jumper? I forget the error you get but you need to move the default/custom program jumper to custom.
Got Windows? If you run the regular dos version of the Stamp program under windows you get all kinds of crazy communications errors, make sure you're running STAMPW program from windows.
Got Computer? Make sure you're computer's powered up... (just kidding..)

Hope that helps

Best wishes

Steve Alaniz



"Yeah, those robots are cool, but if you can't play Nintendo on them, what good are they?" - Hilary Forth

[nwagers]

Actually the jumper can be on either default or custom, but it must be on one or the other. If the jumper is missing you will recieve a "Detected but not responding" error. Innovation FIRST unlocked both program ports in 2001 and 2002. They realized that locking the default code only caused problems for those who did a complete make-over on the default code. It's a good idea to put a copy of your custom code in both slots. That way if one of the slots is messed up or erased the other slot already has the code on it.

[bigqueue]

Is the computer a laptop or a desktop computer?

I ask because we have had trouble with 2 of the 4 laptops we have tried with Basic Stamps. I think the problem is with the output voltage of the serial port.

RS-232 has a wide voltage specification....initially spec'd with +/- 12v...but many laptops run a +/-5v signaling environment for the serial ports...and I think this might be the problem.

(but thn it is tough to debug things over email)

Good luck,
-Quentin

[Tom Schindler]

Make sure you do not have any software running that polls teh COM port, such as Palm Hot Sync, or others. We have never had a problem with a laptop programming the robot, as long as we clsoe the hotsync program.

Tom

[Marc P.]

Originally posted by Tom Schindler
Make sure you do not have any software running that polls teh COM port, such as Palm Hot Sync, or others. We have never had a problem with a laptop programming the robot, as long as we clsoe the hotsync program.

This is true. I know from experience

[Devil's Kid]

Problem solved !

My partner downloaded some newer version of the programming software and everything ran.

Thanks to all of you who responded.

P.S

The computer was a desktop