[amacal1]

Hello,

I cannot seem to get my BasicATOM pro to communicate with the Motor Mind B enhanced controller. I have tried everything that I can, but nothing seems to work. It is wired up correctly, blinks when powered up, and doesn't give a fault indicator. No matter what I send to it, i can get no response. It doesn't blink to confirm that the data has been received. I understand that a lot of people use the basic stamp, but the atom command set doesn't seem to be that different. I can't distinguish any differences in the way that serial data is sent. Maybe someone can help me because getting absolutely no response after everything I've tried is very frustrating.

Interesting note:

I used an oscilloscope to see if perhaps it was receiving the commands and just not activating for some reason. I noticed that it was not sending a confirmation response, but was outputting a high frequency signal b/w 3 and 5 volts on the "to master" pin. It seems to do this at all times. The frequency was extremely high ( like 10khz) and never dropped below 3 volts. If measured with a DC voltmeter it just appeared to be 5V. This seemed odd.


Here is some of the code that I used. Does anyone see a problem?
(FYI, the basicATOM runs this code correctly and sends these commands, just not sure if they're correct)
-----------------------------------

Main

output P11

high P11 'just a blinking light to let me know that it's looping through the program'
pause 100
low P11
pause 100

input p14
output p15

sync VAR byte
mand VAR byte
moto VAR byte
conf VAR byte
sync = 85
mand = 3
moto = 200

serout P15,N2400,[sync,mand,moto]
serin P14,N2400,[conf]

if conf = 0 then
goto main
endif

if not (conf = 0) then
high P11 'just a light to let me know if anything was returned from the MMBe'
endif

pause 5000

End

----------------------------------


Just to note, I have also copied and pasted the sample code for the basic stamp. The code ran correctly (with an alteration or two) but was essentially the same as what I just posted and, again, there was absolutely no response (either operation or confirmation) from the MMBe.


This has been frustrating and if anyone can help, this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Lon]

Well, your code looks good. You should be communicating at 2400 baud with a non-inverted signal. The command decimal [85,3,200] should be the setdc command without a confirmation byte.

The noise you're seeing is odd, have you verified that P15 of the atom is connected to pin 4 (FM) of the MMBe? If you swapped the TM and FM pins the serial data could be pulling that pin low when the two outputs collied.

But assuming your wiring is good, and your code looks good, we can always check for weird stuff.

1. are your grounds common; ground for the atom should be the same ground as the MMBe

2. have you disconnected your motor and tried communication, sometimes a motor can load a power supply to the point where it causes a reset at startup

3. For the heck of it, try N9600, the other baud rate the MMBe can operate at.

4. if none of this works you can ship the MMBe back to us for testing/replacement.

Lon

[amacal1]

I have, indeed, tried all of these things. I will give it one more try tomorrow, but I doubt it will work. Can you give me your contact information so that I can send it to you or talk to you? I am using this as part of a university project so I'm sure that we'll work something out. Thanks for your quick reply.

[Lon]

Assuming you are a US customer: For a return you can call for an RMA number (530-891-8045) and then send the product to...

Solutions Cubed, LLC
256 East First Street
Chico, CA 95928

Be sure to include your contact information and address in the package.

You can call the same number and ask for me to get technical support. My preference is to handle as much support as possible through the online forum though so others can use the information if they have similar problems.

Lon

[amacal1]

I double checked everything that you mentioned and still nothing works. I will contact you guys to send it in for a check/replacement. Thank you for your help.

[amacal1]

I got a new MMBe module in and it works. But, it responds to a baud rate setting of i2400 rather than n2400 (indicating inverted rather than normal). This seems odd. Is this expected or could this be a quirk with the BasicATOM pro?

I don't think this was the problem with my original module because i tried that setting (and numerous others) many times. Thanks for your help, though.