angripov3

MiniPOV4 and previous versions

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dbgelman
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:45 am

angripov3

Post by dbgelman »

i am failing to understand the directions for programming the minipov3 kit i bought at makerfaire2009. i completed the assembly and when it was powered up for the 1st time, it did as expected. the leds lit up sequentially from one side to another. wow. chaser leds are boring and is not what i paid $18 for. this kit is for beginners, right? so why are the directions so poorly laid out? whoever wrote them probably is not a software/electronics beginner and clearly missed the mark when trying to create step-by-step instructions for beginners. here's a tip from a beginner: try separate sets of instructions for people who are using usb/serial adapters and for people who are using the 9 pin serial port directly. otherwise it is extremely confusing to know which files to download, and what to do with them. the instruction jumps back and forth between the two classes of users telling one group to download a zip file and the other to....aaaaaarrgh! not everyone gets it so you need to write it so a third grader can get it. i know YOU reading this probably did not do the write up, but YOU could be a hero, and demonstrate your social skills and show an obviously frustrated person (me) how to program this thing. i am running xp sp2 & i have already installed winAVR (20090313) the part i seem to be stuck at or lost on is where i am instructed to do what i have put in italics:

Save the file as a plain text file. Now go back to your command window you had opened before. Run make program-minipov, this will start the programming procedure.

my problem with this step is that i was never told to open a command window. i know it says to do so at an earlier point but that step appeared to be for the users of usb/serial adapters, which i am not. also, there is no directory or file anywhere on my computer called minipov or minipov3 or anything close to it. should there be? i would love some CLEAR explanation as to where i didn't follow CLEAR directions. i am very dissapointed that the software/programming instructions were not written in the same manner as the hardware assembly instructions. 2 thumbs up for whoever did those. they were very clear, & the hq photos depicted exactly what they were intending. shame on whoever shat out the feces they are calling

"thorough instructions for: Windows"

mtbf0
 
Posts: 1645
Joined: Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:59 am

Re: angripov3

Post by mtbf0 »

unless you tell us what you did do, it's very difficult to tell you what went wrong.

you download the same files no matter which interface you are using, except that you get to skip the five steps for downloading a patched version of avrdude and, later on, the step for modifying avrdude.conf. you are fortunate to have a real serial port because people using usb converters on windows tend to have to chase the com ports around if they unplug the converter. your uploads to the minipov will also be much faster.

you don't mention whether you downloaded the firmware. this step is very near the top of the windows instructions just after 5 very brief steps for people using usb.

and i believe that the same person shat all the instructions.

read them again. slowly. they're pretty clear.

adafruit
 
Posts: 12151
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:21 pm

Re: angripov3

Post by adafruit »

dbgelman wrote:i am failing to understand the directions for programming the minipov3 kit i bought at makerfaire2009. i completed the assembly and when it was powered up for the 1st time, it did as expected. the leds lit up sequentially from one side to another. wow. chaser leds are boring and is not what i paid $18 for. this kit is for beginners, right? so why are the directions so poorly laid out? whoever wrote them probably is not a software/electronics beginner and clearly missed the mark when trying to create step-by-step instructions for beginners. here's a tip from a beginner: try separate sets of instructions for people who are using usb/serial adapters and for people who are using the 9 pin serial port directly. otherwise it is extremely confusing to know which files to download, and what to do with them. the instruction jumps back and forth between the two classes of users telling one group to download a zip file and the other to....aaaaaarrgh! not everyone gets it so you need to write it so a third grader can get it. i know YOU reading this probably did not do the write up, but YOU could be a hero, and demonstrate your social skills and show an obviously frustrated person (me) how to program this thing. i am running xp sp2 & i have already installed winAVR (20090313) the part i seem to be stuck at or lost on is where i am instructed to do what i have put in italics:

Save the file as a plain text file. Now go back to your command window you had opened before. Run make program-minipov, this will start the programming procedure.

my problem with this step is that i was never told to open a command window. i know it says to do so at an earlier point but that step appeared to be for the users of usb/serial adapters, which i am not. also, there is no directory or file anywhere on my computer called minipov or minipov3 or anything close to it. should there be? i would love some CLEAR explanation as to where i didn't follow CLEAR directions. i am very dissapointed that the software/programming instructions were not written in the same manner as the hardware assembly instructions. 2 thumbs up for whoever did those. they were very clear, & the hq photos depicted exactly what they were intending. shame on whoever shat out the feces they are calling

"thorough instructions for: Windows"

actually, i wrote all of the instructions, both hardware and software as well as the website design, kit design, hardware layout, parts selection, and example firmware. the software instructions are more complex because there are 6 different hardware configurations depending on adapters and operating system and some people have winavr installed already and some dont. the instructions need to stay consistent so they're all on one page

im sorry to hear that you are "very dissapointed" and that you thought that i should feel "shame on whoever shat out the feces"

if you're having a problem with the instructions, questions should be posted here. we constantly update and modify the instructions for new versions of windows, winavr, and different adapters.

for example, i just put a box around the single paragraph of instructions for usb/serial converters so it will be clear to you.

the biggest problem beginners have is letting their frustration get the best of them. electronics, unlike humans, don't react to "angri"ness so you'll find that if you want to do more hardware hacking, a calm and patient approach will take you very far! :)

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