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Hi all,

I have a BX-24 connected via a Keyspan serial adapter to my powerbook  
(running Virtual PC). I got things started
last summer and everything worked fine. I put it down and only just  
picked it all up again...
only I can't download to the BX-24.

I've been having intermittent "unable to open COM 3" (or 4 or what  
have you) errors when
setting up the download and monitor ports, but just now I have  
everything set to COM4
including the keyspan adapter (through hardware setup).

I'm getting the error message "error opening download port" followed  
by "error code 4:
unable to halt BasicX. Retry?" Retrying doesn't do anything.

I saw some posts referring to a reset button but perhaps that's on  
the development board? I
just have the BX24 on a breadboard. It's working -- I had played with  
the basic blinking
program to create a steady LED (set up with a resister) and it's  
working no problem... I have
power off of pin 21. I just need a way to download other programs to it.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Betsey

(You need to be a member of basicx -- send a blank email to basicx-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

Just an update... I figured out that I needed to set the COM1 port in Virtual PC
settings to 
the Keyspan adapter, so now I'm not having port problems. But I'm still getting the
"unable 
to halt" problems anytime I try to download or reset (through the menu).

By the way, am I triggering the hardware reset correctly by temporarily connecting Pin 22

to ground?

--- In basicx@basi..., Betsey Biggs <bb@...> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
> 
> I have a BX-24 connected via a Keyspan serial adapter to my powerbook  
> (running Virtual PC). I got things started
> last summer and everything worked fine. I put it down and only just  
> picked it all up again...
> only I can't download to the BX-24.
> 
> I've been having intermittent "unable to open COM 3" (or 4 or what  
> have you) errors when
> setting up the download and monitor ports, but just now I have  
> everything set to COM4
> including the keyspan adapter (through hardware setup).
> 
> I'm getting the error message "error opening download port" followed  
> by "error code 4:
> unable to halt BasicX. Retry?" Retrying doesn't do anything.
> 
> I saw some posts referring to a reset button but perhaps that's on  
> the development board? I
> just have the BX24 on a breadboard. It's working -- I had played with  
> the basic blinking
> program to create a steady LED (set up with a resister) and it's  
> working no problem... I have
> power off of pin 21. I just need a way to download other programs to it.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
> 
> Betsey
>
	

(You need to be a member of basicx -- send a blank email to basicx-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

Hi Betsey,
Unfortunately, the problem you are experiencing has been around for years. Fortunately,
after a lot of trying different methods, most BX-24 users with similar problems have been
able to get the chip to respond. I've been lucky and have not had this problem, but I've
seen many postings with things to try to fix it. The following are a few troubleshooting
tips that may help.

1. Since your "system" worked last summer, you are probably pretty close to
getting it working again, so don't make any assumptions and check everything a least
twice.
2. Yes, a "normally open, press to close, single pole switch" from pin 22
(reset) to pin 23 (GND) will serve as a "reset".
3. I'm not clear what you mean by "I have power off of pin 21.", but I would
suggest that for testing purposes that you disconnect anything connected to pin 21 (VCC)
and power the BX-24 with a +6 VDC to +9 VDC power supply or battery connected to
pin 24 (5.5 to 15 VDC) so that you are using the onboard voltage regulator. The ground or
negative side of your power supply still goes to pin 23 (GND).
4. Most importantly, go to the Yahoo BASICX discussion group page and do searches for
messages that have answered this kind of problem. Use multiple search words like    halt  
reset download      in the search window. You may have to search through hundreds of
messages, but I feel confident that if you are persistent and keep trying you will find a
method that will work for you. ( Be sure to read msgs # 15988 and #15989)
5. As you progress along this arduous path, please continue to send updates on your
status.
6. For future programs that you write and then download into your BX-24, I have read that
there may be some value to adding a small delay at the beginning of your code, so that the
"attention getting" activity of the "halt and download" process works
better.
7. I know that this all sounds pretty hard, but solving this problem will require
methodically doing one thing, one step at a time, in a logical manner.
8. (To others reading this post) At some point in time it might be a good idea for
someone with a lot more experience with the BX-24 than I, to post some of the known ways
of fixing this problem in one place. Try to imagine the frustration of simply wanting it
to work like it did before, and getting zip.

Best Regards, Eric

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: indiabets 
  To: basicx@basi... 
  Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2006 10:18 PM
  Subject: [BasicX] Re: Help - unable to open port/unable to halt
	  Just an update... I figured out that I needed to set the COM1 port in Virtual PC
settings to 
  the Keyspan adapter, so now I'm not having port problems. But I'm still getting the
"unable 
  to halt" problems anytime I try to download or reset (through the menu).

  By the way, am I triggering the hardware reset correctly by temporarily connecting Pin
22 
  to ground?

  --- In basicx@basi..., Betsey Biggs <bb@...> wrote:
  >
  > Hi all,
  > 
  > I have a BX-24 connected via a Keyspan serial adapter to my powerbook  
  > (running Virtual PC). I got things started
  > last summer and everything worked fine. I put it down and only just  
  > picked it all up again...
  > only I can't download to the BX-24.
  > 
  > I've been having intermittent "unable to open COM 3" (or 4 or what  
  > have you) errors when
  > setting up the download and monitor ports, but just now I have  
  > everything set to COM4
  > including the keyspan adapter (through hardware setup).
  > 
  > I'm getting the error message "error opening download port" followed  
  > by "error code 4:
  > unable to halt BasicX. Retry?" Retrying doesn't do anything.
  > 
  > I saw some posts referring to a reset button but perhaps that's on  
  > the development board? I
  > just have the BX24 on a breadboard. It's working -- I had played with  
  > the basic blinking
  > program to create a steady LED (set up with a resister) and it's  
  > working no problem... I have
  > power off of pin 21. I just need a way to download other programs to it.
  > 
  > Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
  > 
  > Betsey
  >

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
	

(You need to be a member of basicx -- send a blank email to basicx-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

Eric, thanks so much for your post. I'm sorry, I was away from email  
for a couple of days. I'm pretty unhappy with the BX24 -- don't want  
to go into it here, but I will definitely be looking for another  
solution. It just seems flaky. The tech I talked to couldn't figure  
out what was wrong with it, and their overnight shipping charges are  
so exorbitant that I've decided to just buy a miditron tomorrow in  
order to finish my project in time.

Anyhow, I appreciate your post and I think you're right, it does make  
sense for someone experienced in these matters to post everything in  
one place so that people don't have to run scattershot through the  
archives.

Best wishes,
Betsey Biggs

On Mar 19, 2006, at 2:33 PM, eserdahl@ wrote:

> Hi Betsey,
> Unfortunately, the problem you are experiencing has been around for  
> years. Fortunately, after a lot of trying different methods, most  
> BX-24 users with similar problems have been able to get the chip to  
> respond. I've been lucky and have not had this problem, but I've  
> seen many postings with things to try to fix it. The following are  
> a few troubleshooting tips that may help.
>
> 1. Since your "system" worked last summer, you are probably pretty  
> close to getting it working again, so don't make any assumptions  
> and check everything a least twice.
> 2. Yes, a "normally open, press to close, single pole switch" from  
> pin 22 (reset) to pin 23 (GND) will serve as a "reset".
> 3. I'm not clear what you mean by "I have power off of pin 21.",  
> but I would suggest that for testing purposes that you disconnect  
> anything connected to pin 21 (VCC) and power the BX-24 with a +6  
> VDC to +9 VDC power supply or battery connected to pin 24 (5.5 to  
> 15 VDC) so that you are using the onboard voltage regulator. The  
> ground or negative side of your power supply still goes to pin 23  
> (GND).
> 4. Most importantly, go to the Yahoo BASICX discussion group page  
> and do searches for messages that have answered this kind of  
> problem. Use multiple search words like    halt   reset  
> download      in the search window. You may have to search through  
> hundreds of messages, but I feel confident that if you are  
> persistent and keep trying you will find a method that will work  
> for you. ( Be sure to read msgs # 15988 and #15989)
> 5. As you progress along this arduous path, please continue to send  
> updates on your status.
> 6. For future programs that you write and then download into your  
> BX-24, I have read that there may be some value to adding a small  
> delay at the beginning of your code, so that the "attention  
> getting" activity of the "halt and download" process works better.
> 7. I know that this all sounds pretty hard, but solving this  
> problem will require methodically doing one thing, one step at a  
> time, in a logical manner.
> 8. (To others reading this post) At some point in time it might be  
> a good idea for someone with a lot more experience with the BX-24  
> than I, to post some of the known ways of fixing this problem in  
> one place. Try to imagine the frustration of simply wanting it to  
> work like it did before, and getting zip.
>
> Best Regards, Eric
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>   From: indiabets
>   To: basicx@basi...
>   Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2006 10:18 PM
>   Subject: [BasicX] Re: Help - unable to open port/unable to halt
>
>
>   Just an update... I figured out that I needed to set the COM1  
> port in Virtual PC settings to
>   the Keyspan adapter, so now I'm not having port problems. But I'm  
> still getting the "unable
>   to halt" problems anytime I try to download or reset (through the  
> menu).
>
>   By the way, am I triggering the hardware reset correctly by  
> temporarily connecting Pin 22
>   to ground?
>
>   --- In basicx@basi..., Betsey Biggs <bb@...> wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I have a BX-24 connected via a Keyspan serial adapter to my powerbook
>> (running Virtual PC). I got things started
>> last summer and everything worked fine. I put it down and only just
>> picked it all up again...
>> only I can't download to the BX-24.
>>
>> I've been having intermittent "unable to open COM 3" (or 4 or what
>> have you) errors when
>> setting up the download and monitor ports, but just now I have
>> everything set to COM4
>> including the keyspan adapter (through hardware setup).
>>
>> I'm getting the error message "error opening download port" followed
>> by "error code 4:
>> unable to halt BasicX. Retry?" Retrying doesn't do anything.
>>
>> I saw some posts referring to a reset button but perhaps that's on
>> the development board? I
>> just have the BX24 on a breadboard. It's working -- I had played with
>> the basic blinking
>> program to create a steady LED (set up with a resister) and it's
>> working no problem... I have
>> power off of pin 21. I just need a way to download other programs  
>> to it.
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
>>
>> Betsey
>>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
	¸,ø º°`°º ø,¸¸,ø º°`°º ø,¸¸,ø º°`°º ø,¸

                betsey biggs
           sound + video artist
          www.betseybiggs.org
            bb@bb@....
	

(You need to be a member of basicx -- send a blank email to basicx-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

 > ... It just seems flaky.

I can't let that stand unchallenged, Betsey.

In my experience, the BX-24 has been _perfectly_ reliable.  I've 
dramatically killed one, lost one in a salt-water canal and I've smoked 
two pins while hot-wiring on a breadboard; all my fault.  None has 
failed on the job.

Sorry you've had a hard time; wish you better luck elsewhere.

BTW, Eric, _this_ is a place to find solutions and answers to common 
questions.  One searchable place.  I agree the Attention problem is not 
uncommon here; it's been discussed many times.  One would not need to 
read through hundreds of messages to find one of them, I imagine.
	Tom

(You need to be a member of basicx -- send a blank email to basicx-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )

Hi Tom,

I'm not saying the BX24 is unreliable at all times everywhere. In my  
situation, however, on a Mac, communication has only worked  
intermittently. I'm going to try the Arduino boards, which work with  
OSX natively through USB and have open source code.

While I won't be on this forum anymore, I do agree with Eric that  
having an FAQ or similar on this issue would be helpful. I looked  
through dozens of postings, and though it was not hard to find one,  
each had slightly different ideas for troubleshooting. Add to that  
the fact that newcomers have no idea which posters know what they're  
talking about, and I think it would be helpful to beginners  
experiencing this common issue.

Best of luck,
Betsey

On Mar 22, 2006, at 7:25 PM, Tom Becker wrote:

>> ... It just seems flaky.
>
> I can't let that stand unchallenged, Betsey.
>
> In my experience, the BX-24 has been _perfectly_ reliable.  I've
> dramatically killed one, lost one in a salt-water canal and I've  
> smoked
> two pins while hot-wiring on a breadboard; all my fault.  None has
> failed on the job.
>
> Sorry you've had a hard time; wish you better luck elsewhere.
>
> BTW, Eric, _this_ is a place to find solutions and answers to common
> questions.  One searchable place.  I agree the Attention problem is  
> not
> uncommon here; it's been discussed many times.  One would not need to
> read through hundreds of messages to find one of them, I imagine.
>
>
> Tom
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
	¸,ø º°`°º ø,¸¸,ø º°`°º ø,¸¸,ø º°`°º ø,¸

                betsey biggs
           sound + video artist
          www.betseybiggs.org
            bb@bb@....
	

(You need to be a member of basicx -- send a blank email to basicx-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )