Dead RCX..

[Astronouth7303]

• Are the batteries in right?
• Did you load any custom firmware?
• Double check internals. Specifically: Loose/broken connections, burn/scorch marks, internal fuse (if there is one).

Other than that, I'd say you're screwed. Did you connect something to it that fried it? Very rarely these things happen out-of-the-blue; they're usually provoked.

[Ryan M.]

This happened to me recently.

I pulled the batteries out, let it sit a few days, put the batteries back in, and it was fine.

Hope you get it fixed.

[Mike Ciance]

anybody have problems with RCXs that don't respond to IR, but still turn on? i have 3 of those currently in my posession.

anyway, try to contact lego about it. they never responded to me, but maybe you will have better luck.

[Ryan M.]

Originally Posted by Mike Ciance

anybody have problems with RCXs that don't respond to IR, but still turn on? i have 3 of those currently in my posession.

I assume you've tried the obvious stuff, like pull the batteries out (let it sit for a while before putting them back in), done it in a pitch black room, etc. Gee, wish I had that many.

Oh, yeah. Do they respond to the LEGO remote control? Just out of curiousity.

[Mike Ciance]

Originally Posted by Ryan Morehart

I assume you've tried the obvious stuff, like pull the batteries out (let it sit for a while before putting them back in), done it in a pitch black room, etc. Gee, wish I had that many.

Oh, yeah. Do they respond to the LEGO remote control? Just out of curiousity.

they don't respond to any kind of IR, including the remote. i have not tried it in a pitch black room, but other RCXs work in the same setting, and one RCX used to and then stopped. i could understand if we dropped one and it stopped working or something, but all 3 have the same problem - just the IR. i dont get it.

[greencactus3]

while i have no idea why you guys' rcxs dont work, i have a problem of my own.
my ir tower isnt working.. or maybe sumthing else.
whats wrong, is that when i try to download a program tothe rcx, i cant. well. i could, but only if the program is REALLY short. like at max i got to dl was 5 blocks. (im using rcxc1.5) 5 blocks of the normal green ones. no "if" blocks.
i have no idea why it dls small programs but not large ones. it used to work on my old computer, but with this new laptop im using, it just isnt working.
any ideas? anyone? help?

oh, and it isnt the rcx. i have two 1.5s and one 1.0 with the same results.

[Astronouth7303]

• Check the enviroment; I believe this solves most problems
• Is this the COM or USB tower? the COM tower requires a 9-volt battery
• (COM) Is the cable good? It's a null-modem cable, so check it.
• Is the computer port OK?

And has anyone tried LUGNET yet? The group you probably want is lugnet.robotics.rcx.

[greencactus3]

Originally Posted by Astronouth7303

• Check the enviroment; I believe this solves most problems
• Is this the COM or USB tower? the COM tower requires a 9-volt battery
• (COM) Is the cable good? It's a null-modem cable, so check it.
• Is the computer port OK?

And has anyone tried LUGNET yet? The group you probably want is lugnet.robotics.rcx.

no, ive tried in a dark room, and also with making kinda like a tunnel between the tower and the rcx with white paper. same results...
its the com tower but im using a usb to serial adapter because my laptop doestn have any serials. the tower is using a brand new 9v battery. how do i check the cable?
the computer port(the usb one) works great with everything else ive used it for, like thumbdrives

[Astronouth7303]

The best way to check the cable is to connect it to 2 computers and open HyperTerminal.

[Ryan M.]

Originally Posted by greencactus3

no, ive tried in a dark room, and also with making kinda like a tunnel between the tower and the rcx with white paper. same results...
its the com tower but im using a usb to serial adapter because my laptop doestn have any serials. the tower is using a brand new 9v battery. how do i check the cable?
the computer port(the usb one) works great with everything else ive used it for, like thumbdrives

Well, we all know how well USB-serial converters worked for the FRC/Edubot controllers.

I think you'll need to get a computer with a serial port to download. The USB and COM towers work differently, specifically the COM tower shuts down and has to be woken up again, where as the USB stays on the entire time it is plugged in. If you configured the LEGO software to work with the USB tower, then that's your problem. (I think)

[greencactus3]

Originally Posted by Ryan Morehart

Well, we all know how well USB-serial converters worked for the FRC/Edubot controllers.

we do? i dont... but im guessing they didnt work too well?

I think you'll need to get a computer with a serial port to download. The USB and COM towers work differently, specifically the COM tower shuts down and has to be woken up again, where as the USB stays on the entire time it is plugged in. If you configured the LEGO software to work with the USB tower, then that's your problem. (I think)

hmm. the only thing is, that it works with the small programs.. if it didnt work at all, itll be somewhat more explainable.
i havent configured the lego software, i dont think,. is there a way to?

[Ryan M.]

Originally Posted by greencactus3

hmm. the only thing is, that it works with the small programs.. if it didnt work at all, itll be somewhat more explainable.
i havent configured the lego software, i dont think,. is there a way to?

The small program thing actually makes sense though. The COM tower will just shutdown if it isn't kept alive (I thought that the mere act of sending data to it would do that, but maybe not.), so after the first 5 seconds of transfer, it gets turned off. If it's a small program, it gets sent in that time. Otherwise, it gets interrupted and the RCX erases what it did have, because there's no point in keeping the incomplete program.

[Gamer930]

I just talked to greencactus3 on AIM.
It seems also to me that there is a problem not being switched to Serial Tower.
He did clear out the RCX of all programs using the Reformat thing.
If it takes little programs there can't be a problem with the USB to Serial converter or not being on the right COM port

I do not have the software in front of me could someone tell him how to switch to Serial using RIS 1.5??

[robbie thompson]

Originally Posted by Mike Ciance

anybody have problems with RCXs that don't respond to IR, but still turn on? i have 3 of those currently in my posession.

anyway, try to contact lego about it. they never responded to me, but maybe you will have better luck.

hey mike i have the same problem....i too have emailed LEGO and they havent replied ,,,just wondering if you have had any luck recently

[bubis]

Originally Posted by Astronouth7303

• Are the batteries in right?
• Did you load any custom firmware?
• Double check internals. Specifically: Loose/broken connections, burn/scorch marks, internal fuse (if there is one).

Other than that, I'd say you're screwed. Did you connect something to it that fried it? Very rarely these things happen out-of-the-blue; they're usually provoked.

The batteries are new.The polarity is correct.
I 've never load anything in the RCX, it was brand new, I only turned it on and off a few times and then when I tried to put it in a contstruction I've made, I pushded downwards, then I've heard a long beep, and it never went on again!...

I've already checked the internals..Everything looks fine in there..

I 've never connected anything to my rcx..

It seems that is locked someway..

I've removed the batteries for 24 hours, put them back, but still no operation..

There is no fuse inside the circuit..

I was wondering if there is an unofficial way, by shortcircuiting something e.g. or by applying external power to the board, to rivive it..

It is very odd, but the RCX stopped functioning out of the blue..


I've also tried to hold on pressed the on/off button while removing the batteries, it supposed to hear a beep and unlock the RCX as a troubleshooting guide of lego said, but nothing happened..no beep, nothing at all..