Let's Make Robots!

Programming :S

So I'm trying to build the Start Here robot. I'm just playing around with the programming at the moment and have got a tad stuck on it, at first it wouldn't rrecognise the USB cable but I fiddled around with it and after a while managed to get it to recognise the USB connection and loaded the programe:

high 4

low 5

high 6

low 7

and it worked alright, but now when I try to change the programming in it to something else it comes up with  'Error not found on COM...' and suggests that its not powered/connected/needs resetting. I've reset it like its said to do about 15 times now and its deffinatley connected and got power going through it so I'm not sure what else to do :S

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ignoblegnome's picture

I find on the Picaxe I sometimes have to hold down the reset button, then press the button within Picaxe Editor to sync. Once the Picaxe Editor brings up the window saying it is trying to sync, I release the reset button on the Picaxe board, and it syncs up fine.

Yer that's what I've been trying to do but the error keeps popping up, ah well, I'll keep at it

ignoblegnome's picture

Have you plugged anything else into your computer? I assume you are using a Windows operating system. USB devices get dynamically assigned to virtual COM ports. So if you plug something else in, or you plug your Picaxe cable into a different USB port, it could be reassigned.

Try opening the Device Manager and checking under the listing for Ports (COM & LPT). You should see something listed for the Picaxe cable. This will also indicate the COM port number to use. 

Yer I'm using Windows 7, I did have a bluetooth USB thing in another port, but I've taken it out.

I've clicked on the Scan for USB Cable button and then selected the COM that it said was ready for use and the Device Manager says that its working properly.

ignoblegnome's picture

If you unplug the Picaxe cable from the computer, does the computer give that two-tone falling beep? Then when you plug it back in you should hear a two-tone rising beep.

Also double check all the stuff I mentioned when you raised this issue on your other post. You got it working once, so don't lose faith. Others have had this problem too and eventually gotten past it.

Yer it does make the noise. I've gone through and tested it with all the different modes that have 'PICAXE 28' in them.