First Time User Questions

[dbasnett]

Any day I will be receiving an EBX100 from MicroController Pros Corporation (µCPros) (BTW - they are not listed as a distributor, but they have one of the largest selections of E-block products for the USA http://microcontrollershop.com/advanced ... ue&x=0&y=0). This will be my first real experience with microcontrollers. If all goes well I will be adding a E-blocks RS232 board (EB015) and I am considering using the Flowkit and Flowcode bundle(HP277SI4) for my intended application. The modular design of E-blocks seems attractive but I am concerned about the quality, which will be answered after I receive and use the EBX100. My target PIC will be one of these; PIC18F4580, PIC18F258, PIC18F2580 as I have samples of all. I am leaning towards the 4580.

I am concerned about the Flowcode bundle. When I received my PICKit 2 Debug Express I tried to download the free version of FlowCode and use it with the PICKit 2 on my 64 bit Windows 7 PC. That experience is / was not enjoyable. It took several hours just to get FlowCode installed using a shortcut and -silent. I have never been able to get the one of the sample packages to install, though I did get another.

I was not able to get FlowCode to download the code to the chip, but was able to use the PICKit 2 programmer to download the hex. All of the simple tests I could run were successful, though I did have issues with the Delay block. It complained about durations longer than 1 ms.

None of this is an issue because it was free, but it will be a big problem if I spend $200+ for the bundle and have those kind of issues. Nothing I can find says that FlowCode should NOT be ran on Windows 7. I am looking for someone to give me a warm fuzzy about this.

Can the PICKit 2 be used to program the chip on the EB006?

It seems that the use of PORT B and any programmer is problematic. My question is if that port will be OK to use after programming?

My next concern is about RS232, since my intended application is RS232 based. It is unclear how FlowCode handles RS232.

Hopefully today I will receive the EBX100 today and that my experience with Matrix products will be good. I sure want that to be the case, and look forward to being a proponent of their products.

Thanks in advance.

[JohnCrow]

Hi
As a long time customer of MM I can assure you of the quality both their products (hardware & software) and support

The package you are looking at has the EB006V6 the current version is the EB006V7. I would recommend you find a supplier with this version.(Or at least check if the supply V7)

1) Flowcode will run on Windows 7 - Im using it on Win7 Pro X64 , but have run it on 32 bit as well
Make sure you order the Pro version, the home version does not support some of the more advanced hardware
The free version is even more limited.
Don't forget to check for updates once you have received you software and licence. Current version is 4.5.18.74
This is the latest version and has a lot of extra features compared to 4.3

2) I have not tried connecting my pickit to the EB006V7 but I believe it will connect to the ICSP connector - Check the EB006 datasheet
But the EB006 will program most pics directly anyway.


3) The EB006V7 supports in-circuit debug from within flowcode directly

4) Delays
Did you select the correct check box, i.e. uS ms or S , then you enter the value

5.) RS232
Flowcode has a buit in rs232 component
This is located in the Comms section of the tool bar
Note the help for the different components can be accessed by right click on the component on the form, selecting ext properties, and then the help icon at the bottom of the dialog box
This can be customised to suit your application, it also works with the rs232 - USB board

Hope this is helpful ,

[dbasnett]

I think the delay has something to do with it being the trial version and the target.

The Bundle I am thinking of buying is

http://www.matrixmultimedia.com/product ... PHPSESSID=

which I think is the one you mentioned. I hope the install for the actual version is smoother that for the trial version, which BTW did not install the help files.

Do you have an ideas about Port B being problematic?

Thanks for your reply.

[Spanish_dude]

I have a windows 7 laptop with Flowcode and everything runs juts fine.
I have made different projects with the RS232 component and it is really easy to use.

If you ever have any problems with Flowcode, your program or hardware, "we" (Matrix staff, Valued Contributors and other members) will try and help you solve your problem.

I'm really glad I bought Flowcode a couple years ago. At that time I had only programmed on PC (and PSP), but as an electronic student I wanted to "play" with microcontrollers.
Once I had Flowcode and started testing some programs, making some projects, I always learned something new about microcontrollers and how to efficiently use them.

That's how I managed to have an 80% on my final years project (1st of class) .

BR,

Nicolas L. F.

[DavidA]

Hi!

The Flowcode/Flowkit bundle will work well for you if you have the EB006 v6 as it will allow you to use the ICD feature of Flowcode similar to an EB006 v7 board (which has the functionality built in).

Both versions should install the help file, however if you are using Windows 7 or Windows Vista you will need to install a patch from Microsoft to allow you to view "older" style help files. More information on downloading this fix is available here:
http://www.matrixmultimedia.com/support ... f=31&t=606

There are no known issues with using Port B specifically, on any device we are aware of.


Edit: Oh and congratulations Nicolas!

[JohnCrow]

Congratulations Nicolas
Well done with the project.

[dbasnett]

Thanks David for getting me signed up. OK, I am starting to feel better.

Maybe it would help to describe what I am doing. For some time know I have participated in various Microsoft .Net forums and there are some recurring questions that conceptually are the same, and only vary by the particulars of the attached device. So I got to thinking why not build a general device that illustrated the underlying concepts, write a manual, and supply .Net code and sell it. (Did I mention that I am an unemployed, 57 year old, in my second year of a two year technical college, with 40 years of varied programming and networking skills. The irony of my first computer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_1620 and the power of the PIC microcontroller family is not lost on me.)

The search for a platform to build my conceptual device has been arduous. Another manufacturer, who will remain nameless, has treated me as if I was doing them a favor by buying their products, and there have been others. Several hundred dollars later...

I ended up here, hoping that this experience will be better, knowing that I was going to have to spend several hundred more. All of this to build a product that I may or may not be able to sell. The good news is that the school I am attending might actually be persuaded to buy some, and I have many resources available to help me write the manual. The .Net side of this is as done as it can be without a conceptual device.

I have one criticism of the RS232 board (EB015). It is great that RTS / CTS were accounted for, but strictly speaking DTR / DSR should also have been accounted for, even though many devices today don't pay attention to them. For what I am trying to do this is not a deal killer, but if this board is ever updated please consider adding these two. One of my first jobs was as an assembler programmer on a communications processor for a large mainframe so it is alien to me not to see these four pins as fundamental.

Has Matrix ever consider building a CPU board for the EB061 with a socket instead of a hardwired MCU?


One last time. This is what is being recommended for FlowCode?

http://microcontrollershop.com/product_ ... ts_id=3718

[Spanish_dude]

Haha thanks .

Did I mention that I am an unemployed, 57 year old, in my second year of a two year technical college, with 40 years of varied programming and networking skills

I certainly will appreciate some tips & tricks from a person who has 40 years of experience to share !

[dbasnett]

Lets hope that some of that experience transfers over. The wonderful thing about this business is that it is always different.

BTW - The help patch worked.