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Hardware => Lynx EtherDongle => Topic started by: diceman3807 on October 17, 2013,
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I built my first etherdongle and have a problem. In checking previous posts, I have checked everything I think but still can't find the issue. I have setup my conductor either directly connected to my laptop, or through a hub. In testing with both Vixen3 and XLights. When I hook up the etherdongle, I get connectivity lights on the MagicJack, and the yellow activity light blinks rapidly when I push a sequence. I get a DMX connectivity light on my LE, but not activity occurs. If I go back to Vixen 2.1 with a USB Dongle, the LE works. I configured Xlights to use E131, universe 1, multicast, last channel 512, and my LE is showing 001 on the display.
I have included pictures here of my board...
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Just for technicality sake, that's an Etherdongle not a Conductor. Hopefully you've just confused the names.
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Whooops...I was thinking about the next step when I put this together...I corrected the original. Thanks!
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Hopefully, you flashed using the etherdongle firmware and not the conductor firmware. Many problems have been due to cables or how you connect the ETD to the network / PC so that is probably the place to concentrate.
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To add to Jim's post. Also make sure that it was the DMX firmware not Pixelnet as an LE will not work with pixelnet.
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Well, I'm going back through my processes, and going to reprogram the chip. I have PICkit 3 program 3.10.00, and downloaded the PK2DeviceFile, and put in in my directory, so the when I hook up the programmer it detects the PIC32MX795F512L, but when I import the DMX hex file, the checksum comes back as 69DE, not the 0000 that the wiki has stated. (when i read the existing file it also say 69DE)
Any ideas?
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You should never get a checksum of 0000. There was a point in time where the Pickit3 was not producing a checksum. This was probably a programmer software issue and appears to have been corrected.
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Do you know what the new checksum should be then? The wiki still shows the 0000
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Until smene updates it, that is what it will continue to say. Have you loaded the firmware into the PIC yet? What software are you using with the Pickit-3 t load the firmware?
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I am using the PICkit 3 Programmer (not the MPLAB) app version 3.10.00. I have loaded the DMX software a couple of times.
Are you saying that the Checksum that shows up in the programmer should still read 0000 then?
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No, what I'm saying is that what you are seeing is prbably what it should be. Version 1 just returns 0000 probably because the code that actually performs the function probably didn't exist yet in that version.
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Use the pickit software version 1, known problems trying to flash with the version 3
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It appears that some f these issues have been resolved. As Ver 3 continues to be upgraded these issues will continue to disappear. Ver 1 works but is incomplete and I will start using ver 3 with ver 1 as a fallback until ver 3 is completed. The primart issue with 3 was that it couldn't see the PIC and was unable to flash it. It appears that this versin has resolved this, at least as far as the PIC used by the ETD is concerned. I will have to give it a shot with the SSc and see if it works there as well.
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Thanks guys for all the help. I was searching other threads and one of them mentioned a solder bridge on the Ethernet chip. I did a hard look and I think I might have one between pins 35 and 36. I'm going to attempt to see if I can clean it up. Any tips on how to do this?
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 4
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Some pins actually are supposed to be connected. Is there an actual problem with the EDT or is all of this based on the checksum value that you are seeing. Cleaning up bridges on pins this tight requires some skill and the right equipment. If the EDT is not working then I would PM RJ and give him the pin number that appear to be bridged. He will let you know if this is a problem and some suggestions on how to resolve it if it is.
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I agree try the original standalone version 1 in the WIKI. I seem to recall I thought I had a bridge in the lower right corner and sliced through it with a knife. Big mistake. I think it was a trace running under the chip. I now have a helmet with a 10x magnifier as my eyes are too old to see that small stuff clearly.
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What I've got is a laptop hooked up to the etherdongle, then to an LE. I have on the EtD, Green connectivity and an amber flashing light (changes to rapidly flashing when sending out data through xLights xscheduler). The LE16 has the DMX light come on when I plug in from the EtD, but no activity. I turned on Wireshark for a capture, and it appears that I am putting out the information I would expect based on other email threads (looks like universe 1, so my setting of '1' on the LE should be getting the data). I have included a screenshot of the Wireshark
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Do you have the ETD loaded with DMX firmware. If you are using PixelNet firmware, then the LE will not respond because it doesn't understand PixelNet. The fact that the lights on the magjack are responding as they should shows both that the firmware is working and that the bridge that you saw is supposed to be there.
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I went back and programmed it with the PixelNet (and hooked that up to a SSHub, and then to LE16), and didn't get any traffic then. I tried hooking up a SS controller, and got no traffic to it either. I tried programming a SS and didn't get any activity.
In unplugging the EtD, I noticed that even if I unplug the MagJack, the DMX link light still stays on the LE16 (as long as power is running to the EtD). Should that happen?
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In unplugging the EtD, I noticed that even if I unplug the MagJack, the DMX link light still stays on the LE16 (as long as power is running to the EtD). Should that happen?
yes, that can happen, some of 485 chips can "leave the light on". I noticed on the wire shark screen your laptop was using the IP of 169.254.164.79 Try setting a manual IP in your laptop of 198.168.0.10 and see if that makes a difference. Also stick with one output from the EtD (if your going to be using Pixels leave it flashed with the Etherdongle2.hex so we can narrow down your problem and get you to blinky flashy faster!
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Thanks for the suggestion. I went back and changed the IP to 192.168.0.10, and got the same reaction. I built a second etherdongle last night, and i'm getting the same action (or lack thereof) from the second controller as well...so either I'm just really consistent on soldering incorrectly or i'm missing something.
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SOLVED!!!
It did turn out to be a programming issue. Everything appeared to program well with version 3.10 of the software, but that appears to be the issue. When I tried to install version 1 of the Pickit3 software from out website, everytime I tried to 'check communication' it would throw an error. In order to resolve this, I installed MPLAB, and updated the firmware on the Pickit3 from there, then connected back to Pickit3 V1, manually selected the chip, installed the DMX firmware (showing checksum 0000) and we appear to be golden (at least the indicator lights are blinking!!!!)
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Good to hear. So it appears that Ver3 is still not ready for prime time.
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Don't know if it's the version 3 thing, Pickit3 firmware thingie, or a combination of the two...but I've got blinking so i'm ecstatic!!!
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I think I have the same situation but seem to have one more obstacle; when I try to use the 1.0 version of the Pickit3 standalone, the program won't launch with the Pickit 3 attached to the USB bus. If I plug it in afterwards, I get a USB timeout error. The 3.1 version seems to operate correctly on the computer and I can program the board but my Etherdongle has all of the same symptoms described earlier in this thread. Anyone seen this? I've tried on three different computers... Windows XP and Windows 7
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The problem is that Ver3 has loaded firmware into the Pickit3 that is incmpatable with the Ver1 programmer software and it appears that the Ver 3 software or the firmware that it loads is still not ready for prime time. Lad the copy of MPLab that came with it and let it properly update the Pickit3. After thaT, the Ver 1 programmer software should work just fine.
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Well... I tried that. (Thanks for the tip!) It did fix the USB hangup but it is not programming the Etherdongle correctly. I went through the process several times. the first time I:
1) returned the Pickit3 to MPLAB mode in the standalone 3.1 version
2) launched the standalone 1.0.0.0 version
3) loaded PK3FW_012633.jam as the operating system
4) Program said it had to download new firmware to work with the 32 bit chip and I allowed it to complete that
5) loaded the Etherdongle_DMX.hex file and wrote it to the chip.
The only difference for the next couple of attempts is that I used MPLAB to return the Pickit3 to lab mode the second time.
Just for grins, I have a Mac computer, as well, and I tried loading the file using the IPE. Ehterdongle is still a boat anchor...for a really little boat, I guess...
When I program using the 3.1 version, I do get a green link light and a flashing yellow light but when I use the 1.0 version, the magjack does not light up at all. Also, 3.1 successfully verifies after programming where the 1.0 version (and Mac) indicates unsuccessful verification. Does this indicate something I'm not doing correctly or should I see if someone who has had success just flash it for me? I'd like to figure it out so that I can change modes between Pixelnet and DMX...
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OK... so I think I figured out how I wasn't holding my mouth right...
When I loaded the operating system for version 1.0.0.0 of the standalone Pickit 3 app, it would say that it needed to download more firmware to communicate with the 32 bit chip. I would allow that but it would not program the chip correctly. This time, I:
1) Loaded the Pickit 3 firmware from the MPLAB IDE
2) Closed MPLAB and opened the standalone app
3) loaded PK3FW_012633.jam as the operating system
4) Chose the correct 32 bit chip (last one in the list)
5) Allowed the program to download additional firmware it said it needed to communicate correctly
6) RELOADED PK3FW_012633.jam firmware (THIS IS WHAT I DID DIFFERENTLY)
7) programmed the chip
Everything seems to be working!!!!
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!!!