RE: [WheelCommander] Wheel Commander problems

["Charley Webb" <charleyshf@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

Well I just finished building my RS232 level converter with a MAX233, and
hooked it up to the WC, using the software for the WC, it works, it tells me
which firmware revision I have(29), all sorts of information. I could of
sworn I used the slow comms along with 9600 baud however I guess I didn't.
So I changed my settings in the WC software, then hooked up my basic stamp,
and wouldn't you know, it's working!

I was working on this for 2 days, and I wanted to avoid building the TTL
converter, I should of just built the converter first :)

Anyways, thank you for your help. Now to get the programming!!



-----Original Message-----
From: wheelcommander-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:wheelcommander-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Pete Skeggs
Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 4:08 PM
To: WC-132 WheelCommander Controller Support List
Subject: Re: [WheelCommander] Wheel Commander problems

Charley Webb wrote:
> I am using a Basic Stamp, with the same connections as the ones in your
> example.
> Pin 0 - RX from WC'S TX pin J10.3
> Pin 1 - Xmit to WC'S RX pin J10.1
> The ground pin from the WC(J10.4) is connected to the basic stamps
> ground.(Wether I have this connected or not I can see when I send a
command
> to the WC)
>
> When I send the 'K' command to the WC, it goes through this process of
> moving the wheels(servos) and it runs for about a minute and then stops,
at
> that point the green led on the WC comes back on.
>   

OK, sounds good so far.

> So I know it's receiving commands from my basic stamp, I have also used
the
> serin command without timeouts to see if ANYTHING is coming from the WC,
> which of course the basic stamp will stay there forever until something is
> received.
>   

You might try sending a '.' (sync) command, then check for a received 
character using serin with a timeout, then send another '.'.
> I have the baud rate programmed on the WC at 9600, same as the basic stamp
>   

Please confirm whether you also specify slow_comms.  This inserts a 
delay between bytes, so the stamp has time to process transmissions.

> I also have a Basic Atom Pro 28 pin on a botboard that I am testing now,
> there are some differences in the code, however I get the same results.
>   

Hmm, that's not good.

> I send the baud rate command before I send the calibrate command, and I
have
> also done the reverse.
>   

I'm not sure why, but our example comments out a call to initfw; perhaps 
because the test unit already had the mode and baud rate correctly set.

Anyway, initfw does two critical things:
- set the baud rate
- set the mode to slow comms:
    
|SEROUT 1, 84, ["F0289", LF] ' mode = counter rotating axes, inverted
platform polarity, slow comms
  GOSUB getack

You at a minimum need to do the mode setting, if you have already 
changed the baud.
|
> Everything else I have tried and verified connections. 
> IS there anything else I can try?
>   

Have you tried hooking it to a PC using an RS232 level converter, as 
described in the manual, and run the WC Configuration Wizard?  If you 
can do this, and it works OK, then you know for sure that the WC is OK.

Sincerely,
Pete Skeggs
Nubotics Tech Support

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