Custom Cerebot Mx7Ck Board PIC32 MPIDE Issue

Created Mon, 28 Apr 2014 07:19:17 +0000 by rpanebi1

rpanebi1

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 07:19:17 +0000

Hi,

I was using a cerebot mx7ck board for development in MPIDE. I have a sketch developed that works beautifully with the board. I have now developed a board that is practically identical (although not quite) to the cerebot board (thanks to the open source schematics). Board has been tested well. PIC32 has been confirmed to work using MPLAB blink example. I've uploaded the cerebot mx7ck bootloader on my custom board to get my sketch on but I cannot get code from MPIDE. Basically avrdude cant communicate with my pic32. avrdude sends data and times out on the receive so I am stuck on 'Uploading' indefinitely. I have tested a lot to believe it's the bootloader not allowing this to work opposed to any faulty components. I am desperately trying to get any bootloader version to work so I can upload my sketches in MPIDE opposed to trying to figure out how to code it over to MPLAB (the clock is dwindling down FAST :( ).

So, does anyone have any suggestions on which PIC32 MPIDE bootloader to use in order to get my sketch uploaded on my board. Also, does anyone have any insight on why the bootloader would work on the cerebot board but not my custom board (which is practically the cerebot board). I am confused because the interface between MPIDE and the PIC32 on the cerebot board is simply a USB to UART which I have on my board as well (connected the same and all).

One of my interesting tests... I wired the USB-to-Serial chip (FT232 or what not) on the cerebot to my custom boards PIC32 (just like it is on the cerebot). I then try to program the cerebot (which is now electrically trying to program my custom board instead). It seems to me it should just program my PIC32 . Precautions were taken such as grounding the two boards together. But it still times out which makes me believe there is something in the cerebot bootloader that isn't letting my custom board take advantage of it.

Any suggestions?

Ian_B

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 21:27:49 +0000

Also, does anyone have any insight on why the bootloader would work on the cerebot board but not my custom board (which is practically the cerebot board).

What are the differences? Is the chip on your custom board still a PIC32MX795F512L? Is there a separate FTDI or similar USB-to-UART chip on the custom board, or are you just breaking out the connections on the MX7cK's and then trying to program the new board?

rpanebi1

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 21:34:36 +0000

HI,

i am using the PicKit3 now to program the board as I was having no success with the USB to Serial. Yes it is the same chip (aside from the size, it's the smaller version of the chip). I compile the hex file for my MPIDE code (with a custom board variation that uses the pic32mx795..nobootloader-ld linker). Import the hex file into MPLAB and program the chip with my program with no success**. BUT, if I do the exact same procedure with the cerebot board it works -_- .

*It programs but just doesnt operate correctly. I can't even blink a simple LED using this method -_-

majenko

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 22:04:16 +0000

It sounds to me like the chip isn't running right. Maybe the oscillator you have set up isn't running, or something is stopping it executing the code, like problems with MCLR?

rpanebi1

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 22:19:16 +0000

Interesting you bring up the oscillator. I have attached my schematic. We did not use a Discera chip that the cerebot board does use. We used an external crystal with the same frequency (8Mhz). We scoped the discera's output on the cerebot board and our external crystals output and they're pretty darn identical. We strayed away from our crystal being the problem because when we load MPLABS PIC32 Blink program, it runs on our custom board fine ! The problem is when we use the hex files from MPIDE.