not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

MiniPOV4 and previous versions

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deebee9
 
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Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2014 12:40 am

not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

Post by deebee9 »

i had fun making the miniPOV 3.0 kit a couple of years ago, but have never been able to get it connected to program.

i have the sequential lighting LEDs when plugged in by battery. when i plug in the USB to serial cable, the lights all turn off. when i type in my terminal command, the last couple of lights flash for a bit. ultimately, initialization fails:

dbmacbook2:~ db1$ avrdude -p t2313 -c dasa -P /dev/cu.Repleo-PL2303-00001014

avrdude: AVR device not responding
avrdude: initialization failed, rc=-1
Double check connections and try again, or use -F to override
this check.

i have done so much troubleshooting that i worry that i've duplicated or missed steps (i've been working through the support site https://learn.adafruit.com/minipov3/software)

i first purchased a Sabrent cable (CB-DB9P). then actually purchased the driver recommended from the link.
i recently decided to give it a try again, and purchased a trend-net TU-S9. i'm getting the same behavior trying to connect. both have the PL2303 chip.

i'm confused about where all the files are supposed to reside, so i can't confirm that i have done all the steps correctly. i don't know what has to be removed to start over from scratch.

thoughts or advice?

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adafruit_support_rick
 
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Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:42 am

Re: not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

The error code is telling you that avrdude can't see the minipov. You may have a circuit assembly error. Please post clear, detailed pictures of your setup, showing your soldering and wiring

deebee9
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2014 12:40 am

Re: not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

Post by deebee9 »

here is my miniPOV
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adafruit_support_rick
 
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Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:42 am

Re: not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

Well, I'm not seeing anything wrong there. Can't quite see D1 and D3. Double-check that they're in the right way around.

Are you sure your battery has the right polarity and voltage? Check the battery with a multimeter. You should be using regular alkaline batteries, not rechargeables, and you should be seeing 3V.

Also, use the multimeter to check the voltage on the chip. You should have 3V on pin 20 and ground on pin 10.

deebee9
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2014 12:40 am

Re: not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

Post by deebee9 »

this all seems to check out.

with just the battery connected, i get the LEDs lighting in a sequential pattern.
when i plug in the serial port, the lights turn off.
when i try to start avrdude, the last lights flicker a bit, then turn off when terminal gives the error.
i tried increasing the delay to 5000, without luck

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adafruit_support_rick
 
Posts: 35092
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:42 am

Re: not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

You're using the alternate PL2303 driver from here?
http://sourceforge.net/projects/osx-pl2303/

I think that he last three LEDs flickering when you start avrdude is normal. Is it all three LEDs that flicker, or just two of them? Which two?

deebee9
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2014 12:40 am

Re: not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

Post by deebee9 »

the 6th (counting from the serial port) LED lights up steadily when terminal avrdude is trying to respond. the 7th and 8th LEDs flicker.
i tried a different USB to serial connector, still with same error code:
----------
dbmacbook2:~ db1$ avrdude -p t2313 -c dasa -P /dev/cu.Repleo-PL2303-00001014

avrdude: AVR device not responding
avrdude: initialization failed, rc=-1
Double check connections and try again, or use -F to override
this check.

avrdude done. Thank you.
-------------

i'm running this from a macbook pro USB, without a hub. is there some mac specific glitch i need to work around? (i think my new gemma is going to need a hub).

-db

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adafruit_support_rick
 
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Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:42 am

Re: not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

Not a Mac USB problem.
Maybe one of the solders on your DB9 connector is bad? Try beefing those up.

deebee9
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2014 12:40 am

Re: not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

Post by deebee9 »

not sure how to "beef up" the connector solders.
visually they look good (pix above). is there a way to test? or do i desolder and resolder?
(i was suspecting my mac, because i'm trying out a gemma and apparently need a hub to get it working).
-d

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adafruit_support_rick
 
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Re: not getting past USB serial connection Mac 10.11.5

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

Just re-flow and add a little more solder

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