Need help testing QIK 2s12v10

Hi, I have the SIN, GND connected to a usb-serial adapter which is connected to my computer. However, when I open the serial transmitter application and send a byte command, the board doesn’t receive it. Any suggestions?

Hello,

Can you independently verify that your USB-to-serial adapter is working by, for example, shorting its RX to TX without the qik connected? Please tell us the exact results of this test.

If that works, and you still need help, please let us know what USB-to-adapter you have, describe all of the connections you have made, and explain exactly what your test was and what the results were.

-Paul

im not really sure who the manufacturer of the adapter is. the adapter looks like this though: lh4.googleusercontent.com/F9W0BW … 7wJmbRumnp. but i know it works because ive used it previously in programming serial devices. i have two jumpers soldered directly onto where the serial port is soldered on to the board. then i have those jumpers connected to the 2s12v10. im not really sure by shorting out the tx and rx.
thanks

Hello,

Can you not figure out the name of your device with your device manager (for Windows; or the equivalent on some other OS) or something?

So far I cannot tell what you are doing well enough to give you any advice. Please describe exactly what all of your connections are. For example, do you have a power supply? Which pins did you connect to SIN and GND? A few pictures could help.

The idea with connecting RX to TX on the serial port adapter is that it would tell you whether your USB-to-serial adapter is still working. If you have not used it with the serial transmitter before, that would be a good place to start. It is just what I said - short RX to TX with nothing else connected to the adapter. Then send a byte, and you should get the same byte back.

-Paul

the manufacturer i believe is prolific, thats all i can find.

i have a 6v battery feeding into the qik, a motor on m0, sin on qik to pin 3 on serial, gnd on qik to pin 5 on serial. i have the power led and heartbeat led on the qik. but when i send the data from the computer, the red led comes on and stays on till i reboot the qik. im sending a single byte command (0x88). i have done the demo mode for the qik and all works as it should.

i shorted the tx and rx pins on the adapter, and the adapter seems to be working as it should.

Hello,

The LEDs are described in detail here. From what you said, it sounds like you are in auto-baud-detect mode but did not send 0xAA, as required.

Also, there is no “single byte command” 0x88 - where did you get that?
-Paul

i send the 0xaa byte and judging by the link you gave me, the qik now seems to be in normal operation. i got the 0x88 command from the compactqik2s9v1 library. what commands should i be using to control the motors?

Hello,

The commands are all documented in the User’s Guide. If you look over that, you will see that the 0x88 command requires more than just a single byte.

-Paul

thanks, i seem to be fine with the transmitter program. now i am trying to move onto controlling the qik with an arduino. i am using the compactqik2s9v1 library and the included example. i enter something like 060 into the serial console, so that motor0 goes forward at speed 60, but instead i just get the showhelp() thing instead.
what should i be entering?

Hello,

Are you using the example program included in CompactQik2s9v1_06_23_2009.zip called “InteractiveMotorControl”? I downloaded that program to take a look at it, and the help clearly says “Send 1 or 2 bytes”, which you are not doing. Specifically, it is looking for bytes between 0 and 6, not the ASCII characters ‘0’ through ‘6’ that you send with a terminal program, followed by a speed byte.

You will probably have better luck using our serial transmitter than your terminal program, unless you know how to get it to send raw bytes instead of ASCII.

-Paul