Ah progrmming is hard

[KenWittlief]

Problem with microprocessors is: they do exactly what you tell them to do

instead of what you want them to do!

[Mark McLeod]

You'll spend most of your time trying to figure out exactly WHAT you told it to do!

[Andrew Blair]

One muy no-no...Keep your robot battery charged when working with code. You'll have an emotional breakdown trying to find out the problem with the code, only to change the battery and find it working fine.

[TotalDomination]

Yes, right now we are trying to program the EDU bot and having problems downloading the program to the interface.

[muy dificil]

Originally Posted by TotalDomination

Yes, right now we are trying to program the EDU bot and having problems downloading the program to the interface.

[TotalDomination]

Yes i know, we press the program button and turn the LED orange like it is suppose to be, but when we go to download the program onto the interface the LED resets and starts blinking again.

[Dave Scheck]

Originally Posted by TotalDomination

Yes i know, we press the program button and turn the LED orange like it is suppose to be, but when we go to download the program onto the interface the LED resets and starts blinking again.

I'm assuming that you're talking about the Program State LED. It will turn orange when the Program button is pressed. When you start downloading to it, the LED will flash. Is this what you're seeing? What do you see at the loader side? There should be a progress bar that shows the status of your download.

[TotalDomination]

No it just brings up a download error message.

[Dave Scheck]

Try holding the Program button on the RC down, then clicking and holding down the Download button on the loader. Release the Download button then immediately release the Program button. We've had problems in the past with older laptops not being able to download and this usually solved it.

Also, are you sure that your serial cable is good and that it is properly seated in the programming port?

[Ryan M.]

Sometimes hitting the reset button helps as well...

[TotalDomination]

Ok now this is not working, we switch cables, we have tryed so many times to press the program button and at different times, but it will still not program

[JamesBrown]

Well I rember exactly a year ago when i was on a rookie team with the exact same problem. It gets better, since them I have learned a third programming language and written 6 different auton codes for the bot, This time last year I could do little more than program a TI 83 in a dummed down version of basic, once you get it it just keeps coming.


Now to solve your problem (or atleast to help) are you uasing a laptop or desk top. With a laptop make sure it sees the port your using, with a desktop dont bother fighting with it if you have acess to another computer use that instead, I have an HP and an Emachine at home with Identical processors, memory and operating systems, however I can only load code from my HP and not my parents Emachine, go figure. Have someone take it home and try, It seemed to me that the edu rc is far more tempermental than its FRC counter part.

Like I said I was in the same place last year, I had no mentor help and no experience (I don't know what your mentor situation is like) If you need more help then PM or Email me. I'd be more than happy to give you a hand, also if you have a phone with free long distance Id be happy to give you my cell number let me know. Email is James_brown830@yahoo.com

James

[mfitzell]

We had similar problems when trying to download code and the laptop was on battery power. One of our older laptops can only download when connected to a docking station and a newer one needs to be plugged in to its ac adapter.

Mike

[Joohoo]

Originally Posted by JamesBrown

Well I rember exactly a year ago when i was on a rookie team with the exact same problem. It gets better, since them I have learned a third programming language and written 6 different auton codes for the bot, This time last year I could do little more than program a TI 83 in a dummed down version of basic, once you get it it just keeps coming.

James

I'm in the same boat, all the programmers graduated and I know BASIC is well basic but does anyone know a good place to learn the finer points of BASIC?

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Joohoo

I'm in the same boat, all the programmers graduated and I know BASIC is well basic but does anyone know a good place to learn the finer points of BASIC?

BASIC has no fine points.

Seriously, anything fancier than LET A = A + 1 and FOR I = 1 TO 10 / NEXT I is likely to be implementation-dependent. You'll have to study your programming environment in order to find out what "finer points" exist.