Mega and CC3000 Shield

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wclift01
 
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Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by wclift01 »

Hi!

I have an issue with my CC3000 shield when I use it with my Mega. The jumpers on the shield have been soldered and the ICSP socket has been installed. When I run the buildtest example, the CC3000 hangs during initialization. If I hit reset the Mega via the button on top of the shield, the CC3000 then initializes correctly and appears to operate normally. This is consistent behavior with both my Megas and both of my CC3000 shields.
The same CC3000 shields work perfectly with the same sketch on my Uno.
Has anyone else encountered this type of behavior?

Thanks,
Bill

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tdicola
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by tdicola »

That's an odd issue, thanks for the good description. One thing to check is the power source for the Arduino Mega. Is it an external power supply, or is it powered from the USB port of a computer/laptop? We've seen a lot of cases where USB ports can't supply enough current and the CC3000 won't turn on. My suspicion here is that the current demand on boot spikes a little too high for the power supply and the CC3000 can't initialize. Try using a good quality 1 amp or higher external power supply that's 7-12 volts and plugs into the Mega's barrel jack.

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wclift01
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by wclift01 »

That definitely makes sense. Power issues can manifest themselves in mysterious ways. I was using the power jack with a 5V 1A supply.
I don't have the appropriate power supply on hand, but will order your 12V 5A supply.

Thanks much for your help!

bourdonlouis
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by bourdonlouis »

I have a similar issue.
My Mega board hangs in the initialization:

Initialising the CC3000 ...

However, same sketch and CC300 shield on an Uno works perfectly fine.

Any ideas why it hangs on a Mega?? I have also tried the extra power supply!!! (and also this tutorial https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-cc3 ... 000-shield)

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wclift01
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by wclift01 »

bourdonlouis,

If you hit the reset button the Mega after the initial hang does the CC3000 initialize? Mine comes up quickly after a reset.
I'm waiting for the larger power supply, but in the meantime I tried a 5V 10A supply and it didn't make any difference.

Bill

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tdicola
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by tdicola »

Just to check are you powering the mega with 5V into the barrel jack? If so it actually needs a little bit higher than 5 volts through the barrel jack connector, 6-20 volts is the maximum range there (or 7-12 volts recommended).

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wclift01
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by wclift01 »

OK. I just used the 5V supply since I had it on hand. I do have a 12V 5A supply arriving this Monday, so I believe you are correct and that will correct the problem.

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wclift01
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by wclift01 »

Got the 12V supply. No issues now. Thanks!

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tdicola
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by tdicola »

Awesome, good to hear it works for you now. Thanks for the followup!

bourdonlouis
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by bourdonlouis »

Seriously guys, this shield is one of the worst electronic parts I have bought in my life.

I have tried all of the above, and have spent hours (if not days) trying all sorts of different things to make it work.

Still, adding extra power supply it hangs in the initialization process....

Can someone tell me if this is fixable or not?

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by Franklin97355 »

Seriously guys, this shield is one of the worst electronic parts I have bought in my life.
But you say it works perfectly every time on a UNO so the problem does not seem to be the shield but the Mega and how they communicate.

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tdicola
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by tdicola »

Just to check too, did you solder the bridges on the back closed to enable SPI on the ICSCP header? This has to be done on the mega because it doesn't use the same pins for SPI as the Uno. Check out the images at the bottom of: https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-cc3 ... 000-shield

bourdonlouis
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by bourdonlouis »

My dissatisfaction about this shield is that I have different problems with Uno, and different problems with Mega.
It is not consistent, crashes, and the library is HUGE.

As I said before, everything is properly set on the shield according to the previous comments, and the online tutorials. Pins are soldered properly.

Not working....not working....not working.........

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by Franklin97355 »

I have different problems with Uno, and different problems with Mega.
Could you describe your problems with the two Arduinos?

bourdonlouis
 
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Re: Mega and CC3000 Shield

Post by bourdonlouis »

Omg seriously, this is a nightmare.
Nevermind, I'll trash it and end of story.

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