x0xb0x troubleshooting help required

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trex_on_decks
 
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x0xb0x troubleshooting help required

Post by trex_on_decks »

Hey all

Thanks for taking the time to read through my situation, hopefully you are able to assist me in fixing the many glitches my DIY Willzyx x0xb0x appears to have.
I'll start off by letting you all know that I completed building the b0x, powered it on for the first time and unfortunately experienced sadness by all the LED's lighting up at the same time and the b0x not functioning correctly. After some circuit board gazing I found that I inserted IC-8 (74HC595) backwards, as-well as Q30 (2SC536F). I replaced Q30 with a spare, and a few days later a new IC-8 arrived which after replacement, fixed my x0xb0x! I have sound, sequence and all the knobs are working... But then whats wrong?

1. Well after jamming with it in 'Pattern Edit' mode for awhile (10-30mins) the b0x glitches mid sequence, resets itself and sorta freezes. The only way to get it back to normal is to pull the power out/in.
2. The x0xb0x does not want to connect to my computer OR upload firmware. I have followed all steps several times, tried both 'c0ntr0l' and 'BANNED', COM3 Appears in my device manager once the USB is connected and powered on, however any attempt at 'connect to x0xb0x' returns back 'Couldn't get DeviceID string' Errors.

So what have I done? After research I found placing IC-8 backwards had potential to stuff up IC-15B (BA6110). Long story short I replaced IC-15B and my x0xb0x still randomly glitch/freezes and cannot connect/upload. (Research: http://www.adafruit.com/forums/viewtopi ... 12&t=18141)

Its at this point I notice my midi sync isn't working either, yay. Unsure if any other midi is working, as that's all I can test with my drum machine.

I'm pretty dead in the ditch at this point and will try anything to get it working, so after hearing that replacing IC-3 (ATmega162) fixed similar firmware/connection issues for others, I go ahead and order a replacement direct from the Willzyx website.

STILL no connection to the computer via software, or ability to upload firmware... However if I skip through the connection failures, bad ping and errors I arrive at the connection menu as before, but now if I tweak the tempo knob the tempo value changes! All other options are still unavailable however :(

INTERESTING PART:
Okay so after replacing ATmega162 and finding out I still cannot connect/upload, I decide to have a play around in 'Pattern Edit' and see if it will glitch/freeze. An hour goes by, no glitch and at this point I'm so deep in the beat I decide to try out midi sync again with my drum machine.... IT WORKS FOR THE FIRST TIME! For an hour, then glitches, the same as every other time... Except since I'm in midi sync with my drum machine I notice the glitch seems to be stuck in the 7th location (7th light on) of any sequenced storing bank number and I cannot change to/play track 1 etc. Turn it off/on and midi doesn't work properly again, back to stage one :(

So although replacing IC-3 (ATmega162) didn't fix the connection issue as hoped, it seemed to temporarily fix the glitch/freeze and midi sync issues until it just randomly decided to poop itself again.

Some final notes before I submit and leave my x0xb0x's fate in your hands:
I got IC-25 (FT232 USB Chip) pre-soldered by Willzyx
I am very confident with my soldering skills and cannot find any problem joints/crossing tracks
This might sound silly, but I may have placed IC-24 (4N37) and/or IC-2 (AT25320) in backwards and powered on just once as well (however they are currently in the right orientation). I put the b0x together a long time ago and cannot remember fully if I did or not before I started troubleshooting. Before I order a new one of each just incase I did indeed insert them backwards, is there any tests I can do around that area with a multi-meter? If this part confuses the situation too much, pretend I placed the 2 IC's correctly (I may have) and troubleshoot from there.

Thanks again for taking the time to read through my troubles, please let me know if you cannot understand anything I have said or need to know more information about anything (I am terrible at forming structured passages). As I said previously I can perform any tests with a multi-meter and will post replies ASAP!

I appreciate all advice and look forward to working with you all in bringing my mighty x0xb0x to a proper working condition

Cheers
T-rex on Decks
Last edited by trex_on_decks on Thu Oct 17, 2013 8:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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antto
 
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Re: x0xb0x troubleshooting help required - PLEASE!

Post by antto »

any attempt at 'connect to x0xb0x' returns back 'Couldn't get DeviceID string' Errors.
this error is only given when you attempt to update the firmware, not when you connect to the x0x (aka computer control)
i assume that you have the FTDI drivers installed
try the following:
- set the x0xb0x to any mode (pattern play for example) and restart it
- run BANNED, make sure the serial port is the right one, baudrate should be 19200
- try the "Connect to x0xb0x" function and see what happens

as far as i understand, when you skipped all errors - you managed to get the TEMPO displaying as you change it in the x0xb0x
that means that the connection is not completely dead, but perhaps it might not be decent
if you're using BANNED v1.01 you can try increasing the delay to make the data sent to the x0x a bit slower (no idea if that would help but it's worth trying) ... the delay can be changed from the BANNED.cfg file, "SP_DELAY = X" at the bottom, try 100 or 200, then save the file and start BANNED

trex_on_decks
 
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Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 11:52 pm

Re: x0xb0x troubleshooting help required

Post by trex_on_decks »

Thanks for your reply antto.

this morning I decided the first thing I would do with the x0xb0x was midi sync from my drum machine again and it worked for about 1 min, then glitches and gets suck on the 7th pattern store (7th LED).
It's weird how its working briefly then stuffs up without any physical movement or tampering.

So I took your advice and downloaded BANNED v1.01 and increased the delay to 100 with no results, then 200 with no results. I still receive bad ping, skip past all the hang-time and now I cant even move the tempo knob in the software (I changed back to default delay and still cannot move tempo, must just be the b0x going mental not the software change).

When I try upload new firmware in bootload with the software delay I receive this: http://i.imgur.com/JkWsnpq.png

However now after tampering with the software etc. its doing some even weirder things! When I power it up in any mode the 16th LED lights up briefly then the 1st. I'm getting NO LED's Lighting up for Random mode (however sound, tempo and knobs are still present) and computer control/bootload mode lights up ALL the LED's then shuts them all off once I try connect/upload and fail.

EDIT: Here is a video I just recorded showing the glitches http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSmDe7pDHLE


Is there anywhere you suggest I take a very hard look/multi-meter probe around?
Cheers and thanks in advance, I understand this must sound like a crazy issue, but this x0xb0x's behavior has been doing my head in for so long now.

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antto
 
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Re: x0xb0x troubleshooting help required

Post by antto »

first.. your picture:
when BANNED attempts to update the firmware, it talks to the bootloader first
it asks it "what are you?" and the bootloader is expected to return "x0xb0x1"
in your case, you get some 5 chars/bytes (should be 7) and they don't quite look like "x0xb0x1"
so
- either the data is getting severly corrupted
- it's interpreted incorrectly (this can happen if the baudrate or other of the serial port conditions are wrong)
- the x0xb0x is not really in bootload mode (the mode selector may point there, but the x0x can be running the firmware)

you said that when you restart the x0x in "bootload" mode - you get some random leds at first, but then it clears them?
please do confirm this, since that would mean you don't really have a working bootloader
do the following test:
1) switch the x0xb0x OFF
2) set the MODE selector to "bootload"
3) switch the x0x ON
4) change the MODE to any other mode - Keyboard/Random - if the x0xb0x "operates" (changes LEDs, responds to buttons, plays notes) - then you probably don't have a bootloader


now, for the video:
i think you have to press DONE twice in some situations, and you're not, which probably leads to an unsaved (empty) pattern
i'm not sure about this

trex_on_decks
 
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Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 11:52 pm

Re: x0xb0x troubleshooting help required

Post by trex_on_decks »

When started in bootload and then switched out, nothing operates as it should (given its a x0x with bootloader).
In terms of the video, yeah I keep getting fooled by the whole DONE button situation, however it STILL keeps resetting the pattern mid sequence, glitching to the 7th LED AND just not saving any patterns....

Again thanks for your help, I'm just stumped.

trex_on_decks
 
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Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 11:52 pm

Re: x0xb0x troubleshooting help required

Post by trex_on_decks »

Here it is this morning in Patt edit mode doing its thing: http://i.imgur.com/9wNccxd.jpg & http://imgur.com/9wNccxd,3AVoN98,QfVLgFp#1
You can see the multiple lights lit on the keyboard keys and the sequencer.

And here's a picture of bootload mode: http://imgur.com/9wNccxd,3AVoN98,QfVLgFp#2 (sorry for the upside down)
This time the lights didn't die off until I pulled the power plug out, they remained on even while switched modes (where nothing was active because of bootload mode).

As a side note, I managed to get the BANNED tempo to move when I altered the tempo knob. This was just the same as before though, I had to skip through it trying to determine the version etc. and its really quite jittery and laggy when moving the tempo knob (guess that's where the bad ping comes from).

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antto
 
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Re: x0xb0x troubleshooting help required

Post by antto »

my theory was that.. perhaps in patter-play mode, it's not "glitching to 7th LED" but rather shows the first note being B or somthing
then when you stop the sequencer - it shows the pattern slot which is 1
i don't think there's a way for the sequencer to be changing patterns by itself in pattern-play mode, apart from when using chains

i could propose you try and import a pattern with BANNED, if successiful, this would be written to EEPROM and then you'll know for sure that you got at least 1 pattern really saved to memory
perhaps set the SP_DELAY in BANNED.cfg to 100 too
for the pattern:
- connect to the x0x with BANNED
- go to the Pattern Editor
- if needed, change the bank and slot to where you want to put the pattern
- download the pattern: http://antonsavov.net/cms/public/files/x0x_z005.nsp
- hit the "Load" button in the pattern editor, and find the file you just downloaded
- now if the rectangle around the pattern view is still red - it means it hasn't been sent to the x0x - hit CTRL+S
now the pattern would be sent to the x0xb0x, if that's successiful - we'll really know that there's at least one pattern in there

but still, i don't know why the serial connection appears to be unreliable :?

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