upgrading xbee

XBee projects like the adapter, xBee tutorials, tweetawatt/wattcher, etc. from Adafruit

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bradb667
 
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upgrading xbee

Post by bradb667 »

lizardF wrote:After I upgraded the firmware, I'm getting the expected behaviour.
I'm curious... how did you upgrade the firmware?

I bought a pair of the Xbee Adapter kits hoping they would allow me to update the firmware (I'd been using a 'headless' 'duino before and always got "lost communication with modem" when writing new firmware).

I was disappointed to discover I'm having the same problem with the Adapters.

I've seen this: http://itp.nyu.edu/~raf275/meshnetworki ... grade.html, which seems to imply some of the signals need to be reversed, but I'm very new to the hardware side of things and a bit confused.

Brad.

PS I agree that this form factor seems to be much better than the normal, bulky, shield.

lizardF
 
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Re: Xbee Adapter Kit LEDs

Post by lizardF »

For upgrading firmware, I use X-CTU, the Xbee Adapter, and the FTDI USB TTL-232 cable. No signal swapping needed.

I get "lost comm" msgs when switching from AT <-> API firmware. But after selecting the corresponding checkbox and then re-reading, all's well.

Since I'm using Linux and not Windows, to use X-CTU with Wine required me to create COM softlinks in my ~/.wine/dosdevices folder like this: ln -s /dev/ttyUSB0 ~/.wine/dosdevices/com10

After that, I pretty much followed steps 4-5 in the link you provided:
http://itp.nyu.edu/~raf275/meshnetworki ... grade.html

I had been using one Xbee as a coordinator and one as an endpoint with so-so success. I've been having very good luck with putting endpoint firmware on both, setting their Node IDs (NI) uniquely, then setting each destination to the other:

Xbee 1: Set NI to PINK, write firmware
Xbee 2: Set NI to WHITE, write firmware

Xbee 1: ATDNWHITE then ATWR
Xbee 2: ATDNPINK then ATWR

I want to go back to the Coordinator on Xbee 1 but for now, I'm making good progress with this setup.
Last edited by lizardF on Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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bradb667
 
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Re: Xbee Adapter Kit LEDs

Post by bradb667 »

lizardF wrote:For upgrading firmware, I use X-CTU, the Xbee Adapter, and the FTDI USB TTL-232 cable. No signal swapping needed.
Thanks for the confirmation. I wonder if this works for you because you're using newer XBees? (I'm using a pair of "Series 1").

Using the same configuration and software it simply didn't work for me until...

I re-read the XBee wiring page here: http://www.ladyada.net/make/xbee/wiring.html

If you read down to the last paragraph, it states that if you want to update the modem you need to run a wire from a headless 'duino to the RTS line.

After a fear-filled moment as I soldered a wire to the 'duino.... it now WORKS!!!

So chalk this down to yet another case of PEBKAC, I'm afraid.

Thanks again for your help,

Brad.

lizardF
 
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Re: Xbee Adapter Kit LEDs

Post by lizardF »

Oh, You're upgrading firmware while the adapter is connected to an Arduino. When upgrading, I have the adapter connected directly to a PC with the FTDI USB cable. After upgrading, I reconnect the adapter to my Duemilanove. Much easier than popping out the ATmega168 each time.

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bradb667
 
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Re: Xbee Adapter Kit LEDs

Post by bradb667 »

lizardF wrote:Oh, You're upgrading firmware while the adapter is connected to an Arduino. When upgrading, I have the adapter connected directly to a PC with the FTDI USB cable. After upgrading, I reconnect the adapter to my Duemilanove. Much easier than popping out the ATmega168 each time.
Well, I don't understand why but trying just that - using the FTDI cable connected to the XBee adapter and then the PC's USB connection... didn't work. I always got "Lost connection" right after "Sending AT command".

I must have tried that a dozen times.

But if I did the headless trick - a total hassle as you mention - I was able to make it work, but I again had a number of problems updating the firmware (the first time I pressed "Write", for example, it failed - another lost connection, but this problem much further along. And if I pressed "Write" again, it would work the second time).

Re-reading the firmware confirmed that everything was ok.

Perhaps it's related to the version of X-CTU, your emulation vs my crappy PC's USB port, or ... sunspots?

Brad.

PS Anybody else have problems fitting an XBee Pro on the board with C2 mounted as directed? I couldn't cope with lousy the chip fit in the socket, so my second board has C2 on it's side - much better.

seaofchaos
 
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Re: upgrading xbee

Post by seaofchaos »

I just finished putting together an adapter board (v1.1), hooked it up via an FTDI cable, and can read the settings from the attached XBee module via X-CTU (yay!). However, I can't get the firmware to update - I get:

Getting modem type....OK
Programming modem...Lost communication with modem
Write Parameters...Failed

Just writing the settings, without the firmware, works OK.

From what I've read may be related to an RTS/CTS problem. I've checked the connections in the adapter board, and they seem to be OK.

I'd rather not have to mod an arduino just to get the firmware updated - was it ever determined what was causing the issue with using an FTDI cable?

adafruit
 
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Re: upgrading xbee

Post by adafruit »

Do you have "set RTS on close" checked? it shouldnt be

seaofchaos
 
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Re: upgrading xbee

Post by seaofchaos »

I've left all the FTDI options set as they were be default - the only option checkbox I have checked is "Serial Enumerator".

I was originally running on WinXP inside a VM on a Mac, but I've since tried it on a PC laptop, and it has the same issue.

seaofchaos
 
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Re: upgrading xbee

Post by seaofchaos »

OK, I got it to work, finally. However what I ended up doing was using an old computer with a 'real' serial port, and wiring the connections up through a MAX3232, including DTR and RTS. Also, initially, I had 10k a pull-up on the reset pin of the XBee - only when I removed that did the upgrade work.

adafruit
 
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Re: upgrading xbee

Post by adafruit »

im actually thinking its the driver. i use the 'arduino bundled' ftdi driver and it works great but i once installed the one from ftdi's site and it didnt. could be something changed :(

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jerrya
 
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Re: upgrading xbee

Post by jerrya »

Ack! I was upgrading the fw on one of my xbees for the tweet-a-watt, and I think it's broken now. I was running x-ctu inside of Parallels running XP. The upgrade got some kind of error that I didn't record. Since then, I don't get a flashing green LED on my adapter.

Then I connected it all up to my junk laptop so I could do this natively, and with the arduino-supplied ftdi driver, I still have the no-flashing green led problem. My second xbee module flashes the green led fine, and I was able to successfully upgrade it from the second computer.

When I have the "dead" xbee connected, the Test/Query fails. When I check the terminal view, it displays an incoming stream of "................." at the rate of four .'s per second. This only happens after I do a test connection, not just from plugging it in. So it appears to be doing something, but I'm not sure what. I noticed also that the CTS line status indicator appears to be flickering while the .'s are being received.

I also tried the Test/Query at every baud rate, with no success.

Did I ruin this xbee or can it be rescued?

adafruit
 
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Re: upgrading xbee

Post by adafruit »

uh oh. that sounds bad. i think it may be bricked :( you could try contacting digi they have rather helpful tech support people.

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jerrya
 
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Re: upgrading xbee

Post by jerrya »

Will do, thanks!
<edit>
Yes! I resurrected it. For future travelers who run into the same kind of problem, here's what I did.

Digi told me to re-flash the firmware, with the following instructions:
Digi tech support wrote:- Connect the affective module to an XBIB-R RS232 interface board and the PC leaving the power disconnected
- Launch the X-CTU
- On the PC settings tab, select the proper COM port, baud rate and parity settings
- On the Modem Configuration tab, select the proper modem type, desired function set and firmware version
- Click on Show defaults and Write.
- When the action required box comes up, hold the reset switch in and power on the radio. Release the reset switch and the action required box will close out completing the install
To do this with the Adafruit adapter, I used a breadboard and jumpers to wire it to the FTDI cable, and then manipulated the power and reset pins accordingly. (I just ran RST to GND, which seemed to do what it is supposed to.)

I had trouble until I selected the currently loaded firmware, instead of the newest. It kept telling me it detected a baud rate mismatch, even for every available baud rate. (I had assumed incorrectly which firmware I should select. So, it may be good to record the values you assign to these things in case something gets screwed up in the future.)

Once I got the right settings, I got the flashing green LED again, and then I successfully upgraded to the newest version, and the rest of the steps in configuring the transmitter for the tweet-a-watt.

rripken
 
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Re: upgrading xbee

Post by rripken »

I was following the tweet-a-watt firmware upgrade instruction and I seem to have bricked on of my xbee radios - bummer.
I don't understand the part about the RTS pin being wired correctly or ladyada's statement about " 'set RTS on close' checked? it shouldnt be".
I was using an assembled adapter and an ftdi cable as pictured at the top of the page so I didn't think that applied. I think my problem was that after writing the update x-ctu wants you to reset the xbee and I didn't know how to do that while the xbee was in the adapter. I think I ended up disconnecting the xbee adapter - not the thing to do.

jerrya - thanks for the tip. To be clear, did you do anything to the power while the xbee was in the adafruit adapter? I see that the ftdi side of the adafruit adapter has the reset pin right above the black ground wire. To reset the xbee while it is in the adapter and the ftdi cable is connected, is it just a matter of grounding the reset line? A short piece of wire should be able to bridge those two pins.

I've written digi and I'm hoping they will have some suggestions. The device isn't detected unless I select API mode and then it can't detect the model type, loses communication during firmware write.

Usually when I ruin things the magic smoke comes out and it isn't so expensive.

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jerrya
 
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Re: upgrading xbee

Post by jerrya »

rripken wrote: jerrya - thanks for the tip. To be clear, did you do anything to the power while the xbee was in the adafruit adapter? I see that the ftdi side of the adafruit adapter has the reset pin right above the black ground wire. To reset the xbee while it is in the adapter and the ftdi cable is connected, is it just a matter of grounding the reset line? A short piece of wire should be able to bridge those two pins.

I've written digi and I'm hoping they will have some suggestions. The device isn't detected unless I select API mode and then it can't detect the model type, loses communication during firmware write.
I manipulated the power as described in Digi's instructions that I quoted in my previous post. For reset, just jump RST to GND, which is easy since they're adjacent pins. The thing that got mine back up and running was that I reinstalled the original version of the firmware. I kept trying to upgrade to the latest, but once I "upgraded" to the current version, it started working again and I was then able to upgrade to the latest. Strange.

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