ECIO28P - No USB cable attached

[DamianR]

Hi

I'm having a problem with the ECIO28P I was sent recently in my Flowcode Bundle and I suspect it is faulty.

I've tried on a Samsung q45 laptop running XP SP3, an Acer Travelmate laptop running XP SP3 and on 2 different home built PCs one running Vista Ultimate and one running XP SP3 - same problem on all 4 computers!! - all with different MBs of course.

I've tried 2 different USB cables - same result.

See problem detailed below...

Installed PPPv3 then Flowcode 3.4.7.48

then correctly installed ECIO28P driver

then plugged in ECIO28P - green led flashes and bong bing from PC speaker implying a connection.

confirmed installation - agreed to non-digitally signed etc - says installed correctly in windows...

But then bing bong from PC speaker as green led stops flashing and remains constantly lit.

Every time I press the reset button it appears for a few seconds in device manager but then disappears with the same bing bong! The same is true if the ECIO is externally powered.

Flowcode claims at all times that there is no USB cable attached as does PPv3.

I've been through every support document and the procedures in the FAQ

I have, of course, downloaded and tried the latest ECIO drivers.

The same is true whether the ECIO is externally powered or USB powered.

This is a rather unfortunate introduction to Matrix Multimedia for me I'm afraid.

Damian

[Steve]

Hello Damien,

This faq may help:
http://www.matrixmultimedia.com/support ... .php?t=537

Also note that the bootloader is designed to disconnect itself after a delay of around 5 seconds if no USB activity is detected. To keep the bootloader on, you should run the stand-alone ECIOprog.exe file - this will force the ECIO to remain connected when it first gets detected.

To program it using Flowcode, you should create a Flowcode program and send it to the chip as normal. You will then be prompted to connect the ECIO and/or press its reset button. Doing this should then start the program download.

If you are still having problems, please post again and we'll look in more detail.

[DamianR]

Hi Steve

It's Damian not Damien

No the FAQ doesn't help - as I said - I've been through all that.

What is this "stand-alone ECIOprog.exe "? - this doesn't exist as the normal install on my computer - I've searched for it with no results.

Flowcode can't auto-detect because it thinks there is no cable attached.

Damian

[Steve]

Hi Damian (sorry about the mistake),

That ECIOprog.exe will have been installed within the Flowcode exe folder. By default, this is:
C:\Program Files\MAtrix Multimedia\Flowcode

When you program the ECIo with Flowcode, select the ECIO28 (or ECIO40) as the target - this will override the programmer setting within Flowcode and use the ECIOprog prorgammer instead. The ECIO cannot be programmed using the PPP utility.

[Benj]

I think that the problem is due to the fact that your running an earlier version of Flowcode. Eg there is no ECIOProg.exe tool located in your Flowcode V3 folder. The latest version of Flowcode 3.4.7 can be downloaded from here.

http://www.matrixmultimedia.com/Flowcode3a-X.php

[DamianR]

Thanks Steve and Benj

I have version 3.4.7.48 and I've checked again in the install folder and have now found ECIOprog.exe (not sure what happened with my earlier windows search!).

I'm at work right now so will try again with the ECIO when I get home (using the info you've supplied Steve).

Thanks again for your quick responses.

Damian

[DamianR]

Hi

I pointec flowcode at ECIOprog.exe as the Programmer but got ECIO not found after trying to compile to chip.

I realise now (I think!) that you have to compile from flowcode using ECIOprog.exe as the programmer - then reset the ECIO when flowcode launches the programmer so that the ECIO wakes up and can be detected.

Is this correct?

If so - it still isn't working.

Flowcode gets as far as launching the programmer and stays that way - with the ECIO led flashing - and the following message in the controller window:

"ECIO-28 version: 1.1
Ready"

Incidentally - this is with a test which simply outputs to port A then clears port A and ends.

I've also noticed you lose the 'friendly' version of the configuration dialog in flowcode when using the ECIO programmer and so suddenly have to become expert in chip configuration words if you want to tell the chip eg which type of oscillator to use, wathcdog timer on or off etc. This is not very beginner friendly!

Cheers

Damian

[Benj]

Hi Damian

If your getting the advanced configuration screen then your have not selected the ECIO target instead you have selected a standard 18F target. The ECIO devices should have no configuration settings at all (should be greyed out) to protect the bootloader and as you say be beginner friendly. When selecting a target device scroll right down to the bottom of the list and select ECIO28P or ECIO40P depending on your ECIO.

[DamianR]

Thanks Benj

Yes I was being an idiot and selecting the standard 18F2455!

I'll try the ecio28p from the list.

Damian

[Benj]

Hi Damian

Ah ok hopefully that will sort out your problem then.

I will try and make it clearer what you have to do in the documentation.

[DamianR]

Hi Benj

I think the fundamental problem is that because you don't explicitly say you have to...or indeed...how to change the programmer to ECIOprog within Flowcode that people like me (newbie’s) might think that they have a problem with the software/hardware in the original scenario I described.

I you do describe this in your documentation and I've missed it then forgive me.

Re-reading the documentation and the support from yourself and Steve has put me on track - eventually - so thank you for that.

Cheers

Damian

[Steve]

When using Flowcode, just select the appropriate ECIO as the target (instead of the actual PIC chip) and then the configuration, linking and programming is taken care of.

If you are interested in what is happening "behind the scenes", here is an extract from the FCD file of the ECIO-28:

Code: Select all

ProgrammerOverride=ECIOprog.exe
ProgSwitchesOverride=-nogui "%f.hex"
ExtraLinkerParams=-rb 0x800

The first 2 lines override the programmer, so you do not need to set it in the compiler options screen.

The third line tells the linker to reserve the first 0x800 addresses of code for the bootloader in the ECIO. In effect, your program begins at location 0x800 (instead of 0x000). Similarly, the interrupt vectors are shifted (to 0x808 and 0x818, I think). There is a separate post about this somewhere on the forum, if you're interested.

[DamianR]

Hi Steve

I have now successfully programmed my ECIO28P with a rather simple but effective program which drives 10 leds in such a way that when waved in the air they appear as a heart shape (for a special person's birthday!).

Having rehearsed this with the ECIO28P I then transferred to a 16F628 chip - and using your method of programming with the Pickit2 - successfully 'compiled to chip' within Flowcode using the Pickit2 programmer. I used MPLAB to find the correct additional configuration word for this chip and entered this into flowcode before compiling.

I'm very pleased with the results and very impressed with the ease with which a beginner like me can produce quite complex programs in no time at all with Flowcode.

Thanks for your support.

Damian

[Benj]

Hi Damian

Sounds like a great project, might have to give that one a go myself. Where there any specific delays involved or is it quite easy to guess the delays needed between the LED outputs?

Glad its all up and running for you now and that your finally seeing the good side to Flowcode and our ECIOs.

Let us know if you have any further problems.

[DamianR]

Hi Ben

Thanks for your interest.

I made the delays by trial and error. What worked OK with the ECIO didn't translate directly to the other chip so a fair amount of tweaking had to be done.

I used 10 LEDs driven by Port B and 2 of the LSD of Port A.

I planned the shape with a drawing program using a heart superimposed over a 10x11 grid representing the LEDs.

Using the grid, I made FC output 255 on both Ports with masking to drive the the LEDs.

Delays were made by a macro which counted to a set number then returned. This number was the trial and error bit.

In the 16F628 I used, the delay macro was produced with a while y < 60....y=y+1 loop (based on a 4MHz Xtal).

The main prog simply outputs 255 to ports A and B with the masking to produce that part of the shape then calls the delay macro...then clears the ports...then calls the delay again and outputs again with the masking for the next part (11 times in total for my grid). Finally I insert a standard 10ms delay and the whole lot repeats.

I used Pickit2 as the programmer from FC with extra config "0x2007,0x3f69" (derrived from Mplab) to set the oscillator mode etc.

It is quite satisfying to see the LEDs light in a seemingly solid line until they are waved from side to side and the shape is revealed.

If I knew how to attach a file to this reply I'd share my code. As a beginner I feel sure there is a more elagant way to write it - but it works really well for me.

Cheers

Damian