master .bin before .hex?

[jasmun]

Hello all!

I'm new to the VEX robots and I'm trying to work my way through some of the programming stuff. Is it always necessary to download the master .bin file before downloading a new .hex file? If I try to just download .hex file, the robot doesn't do anything. Thanks!

[billbo911]

Originally Posted by jasmun

Hello all!

I'm new to the VEX robots and I'm trying to work my way through some of the programming stuff. Is it always necessary to download the master .bin file before downloading a new .hex file? If I try to just download .hex file, the robot doesn't do anything. Thanks!

Typically you would only download the Master.bin file one time. Currently version 6 is the latest version. Once it is downloaded, the default, or what ever code you have built, will need to be added back in. This will be a *.hex file. After the .hex has been loaded, your robot will behave exactly as the .hex file tells it to. As you create or edit code, compile it into a new .hex file and load it. You don't have to load the master.bin file first, you already did it.
Think of the master.bin as the operating system on your PC. The .hex files are like a program that runs by using the master.bin as an OS.

[jasmun]

That's kind of what I thought. So, any idea why I have to download the bin file before I can get a hex file to work? Any how I can fix it? Thanks!

[billbo911]

Originally Posted by jasmun

That's kind of what I thought. So, any idea why I have to download the bin file before I can get a hex file to work? Any how I can fix it? Thanks!

Think of it like this: Your PC will not run a program unless an operating system is loaded. Once the operating system is loaded, you can then add programs to the system and run the programs. (Now just substitute the .bin for OS and the .hex for program.)

Why do you have to reload your .hex file when you upgrade the .bin? The install process of the .bin over-rights the space where the .hex file lived, or something like that. Basically, the .hex file gets erased. So, you must reload it. Got it?

[jasmun]

I've got that part...I guess I wasn't being clear in my original question. I have to redownload the bin file every time before I download a new hex file. Otherwise the robot doesn't do anything. The way that I understand it, I should be able to download the latest master bin file and then download a hex file, make changes to hex file, download the updated hex file, make changes to hex file, download the updated hex file, etc. What I have to do is this: download master bin file, download hex file, make changes to hex file, download master bin file, download hex file, make changes to hex file, download master bin file, download hex file, etc. I'm assuming that this isn't the norm... sorry if I wasn't being clear before!

[billbo911]

Originally Posted by jasmun

I've got that part...I guess I wasn't being clear in my original question. I have to redownload the bin file every time before I download a new hex file. Otherwise the robot doesn't do anything. The way that I understand it, I should be able to download the latest master bin file and then download a hex file, make changes to hex file, download the updated hex file, make changes to hex file, download the updated hex file, etc. What I have to do is this: download master bin file, download hex file, make changes to hex file, download master bin file, download hex file, make changes to hex file, download master bin file, download hex file, etc. I'm assuming that this isn't the norm... sorry if I wasn't being clear before!

Wow, your right, that isn't normal.

Your explanation definitely makes a big difference. Let me ask a couple questions:
1) Which programming platform are you using, MPLAB/C18/IFI Loader or EasyC?
2) Which versions of what you are using?
3) What Master code version?

[jasmun]

Originally Posted by billbo911

Wow, your right, that isn't normal.

Your explanation definitely makes a big difference. Let me ask a couple questions:
1) Which programming platform are you using, MPLAB/C18/IFI Loader or EasyC?
2) Which versions of what you are using?
3) What Master code version?

1) MPLAB/C18/IFI
2) MPLAB - 7.20, C18 -2.4 Student Edition, IFI - 1.1.0
3) version 6

[billbo911]

Originally Posted by jasmun

1) MPLAB/C18/IFI
2) MPLAB - 7.20, C18 -2.4 Student Edition, IFI - 1.1.0
3) version 6

All your versions look correct.
At this point there are so many possibilities ranging from something in your code to corruption in one of the IDE/compiler/loader applications or even just a configuration issue. So, my suggestion now is to ask IFI.
I'll bet when you find the answer you'll say something like "Oops, I knew not to do that" or "How simple, why didn't I think of that".
Please re-post what ever you find out, good or bad, so the rest of us will be able to handle this if it ever happens to us.