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Forum Member
 
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Hi Jason and Ringo,
Sorry to post yet another problem! I'm trying to set up a fairly new Serializer (bought a couple of months ago, just now took it out of the wrapper.) I have both the Bluetooth and USB interface modules and both allow me to connect to the Serializer fine using HyperTerminal. I then wanted to upgrade the firmware from 1.4.2 to 1.5.2 so I followed the instructions in the latest Serializer Guide.
No matter what I try in the Hyperterminal settings, I can't get the firmware to fully load. I get to the point where the number string starts counting in the display, but it only counts for about 10 seconds, then hangs--no more counting, no "Skip" at the end of the line and no completion of the upgrade.
I've tried this with both the USB and Bluetooth interfaces and always get hung at the same point. I've even tried going back to 1.4.2 but it also hangs...
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
patrick
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Forum Member
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Hi again J and R,
I was finally able to restore FW 1.4.2. The process again appeared to hang but I just waited a minute or two after the hang then rebooted the Serializer and it came back up in 1.4.2. No such luck with anything higher than 1.4.2 (I've tried 1.5.1 and 1.5.2.).
--patrick
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Supreme Being
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| Patrick, Check a few things... - All peripherals (sensors, motors, etc.) are unplugged from the board.
- That you have at least 7.2V applied to the board. While being programmed, a low battery will cause the bits to not be programmed correctly, and hose your upgrade.
- That your power supply can supply at least 1+ Amps.
- Try increasing the character and line delays (per User Guide) until it works.
We have been able to upgrade the firmware w/ RS-232, USB, and Bluetooth, although RS-232 and USB seem to work better (less delays than Bluetooth). You see, the timing for each module is different, and the character and line delay within Hyperterm has to be tweaked sometimes until there's a large enough delay that the bootloader will work with.  Best Regards!
Jason Summerour
President,
Summerour Robotics Corporation
Microsoft MVP
www.roboticsconnection.com
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Forum Member
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Hi Jason,
Thanks for the tips! The trick that did it was to unplug all sensors, motors, etc., then use the hardwire USB connection rather than Bluetooth. So I now have 1.5.2 installed.
However, I have now run into another glitch that has been driving me nuts for about 5 hours. I have a very simple test robot which consists basically of two of your Gearhead DC motors + encoders, the Serializer, the Bluetooth interface module, and a 7.2V battery pack (6 NiMH rechargeables). I'm using a Zonet Bluetooth USB dongle on my PC.
On the surface, the Bluetooth wireless connection seems to be fine--and I can run a simple mouse-driven remote control C# program I wrote to test the differential and PID motor controller methods in the .NET library. However, at random moments, and *always* within 30-60 seconds of driving the robot around, the Serializer no longer responds to my control input and instead, the robot goes flying into the nearest object on the lastest trajectory. To recover I have to power cycle the Serializer. By contrast, if I put the 'bot on blocks and run the exact same program over the hardwire USB interface, I never lose control of the Serializer. All my testing is being done within about 10 feet of my PC so it shouldn't be a range issue. And I get the same result with or without the Bluetooth antenna.
Any thoughts?
patrick
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Forum Member
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Hi again Jason,
Well, sometimes the answer is very simple: it looks like my 7.2V battery pack (6 x AA NiMH) was just too underpowered to run the motors and keep a reliable Bluetooth connection going. I just swapped it out for a 8.4V sub-C pack and bingo! everything works A-OK.
--patrick
P.S. The Serializer rocks!
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Supreme Being
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Cool man! That's good to hear.  Yeah, usually unplugging everthing that draws power from the Serializer allows the bootloader to reprogram the firmware w/o issues.Best Regards!
Jason Summerour
President,
Summerour Robotics Corporation
Microsoft MVP
www.roboticsconnection.com
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