AXE027 drivers installed etc. but "can't find hardware"

JayAuckland

New Member
A couple of days ago my trusty laptop died while I was using the Picaxe Editor. Looks like it was a power system thing... the laptop just went dead. I've transferred all my files to an external drive and for now am using that on an older PC running Windows 7.

I've downloaded what seems to be the most recent picaxe editor - 6.0.9.3 - a slightly later version of what I was running on the laptop i think. After hours of mucking around I've finally got the AXE027 drivers installed, in both the ports and the USB parts of the device manager. The Properties of both say "The device is working properly."

In Picaxe Editor the AXE027 appears on COM port 6. So far so good.

BUT when I connect the cable to a small proto board with an 08M2 inserted, just to check it all out by downloading a simple bit of code (flashing C.2 on and off), the download fails and the editor says it cannot find the hardware on COM6. Power supply is fine, all connections seem fine, doing a hard reset doesn't help and probing the serial in and out pins with a LED (with resistor) doesn't detect any action there while the download is attempted. I've tried several 08m2s and a couple of 14m2s on a breadboard as well for good measure and... nothing: Hardware not found on COM6.

I've moved the cable to two other USB ports but exactly the same thing happens: Hardware not found on COM5 COM3, etc.

The only think I can now think of is that maybe something in the cable got fried when the laptop died. No one in Auckland stocks Picaxe parts these days so a replacement cable will take several days (plus a weekend!) to arrive after online purchase. Before I do that can anyone suggest what else might be going wrong???

Jay (close to tantrum stage)
 

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
It does sound odd.

Have you done a loop-back test on the cable - In the Workplace Explorer Panel click the "configure and test" link under the COM Port drop down. Then click "Test Download Cable".
 

JayAuckland

New Member
It does sound odd.

Have you done a loop-back test on the cable - In the Workplace Explorer Panel click the "configure and test" link under the COM Port drop down. Then click "Test Download Cable".
Yes, did a test... the voltage part is fine but the test messages don't come up when the sleeve and ring are linked. In haste I had misread the text about those messages not appearing and originally thought that no messages meant everything was ok. But now I've done the test again to be sure I see i misunderstood. No test messages appear.
 

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
Yes, did a test... the voltage part is fine but the test messages don't come up when the sleeve and ring are linked.
It does sound like the receive from PICAXE part of the AXE027 has been damaged.

Don't throw the cable away just yet. When you can program a PICAXE, create a looping SERTXD("OK") program, check that works with the new cable, then try with old to see if that receives anything.
 

inglewoodpete

Senior Member
It is possible that one of the connections between the wire in the cable and its contact (in the rear of the plug) has become broken or intermittent.

If your 08M2 has never been programmed before, it should be sending "I am your PICAXE 08M2" (or words to that effect) on the serial out pin. If you open the PE terminal (<F8> key) and select he AXE027 port (COM6) and baud rate = 4800, you should receive the message on the terminal screen. If not, it suggests that the AXE027's serial receive leg is open circuit.

If necessary, you can replace the 3.5mm plug.
 

JayAuckland

New Member
Thanks for your ideas guys. Unfortunately Surplustronics seem to be almost out of all Picaxe items and tell me they won't be getting any more. They have a very limited range of PICs left, no USB programming cables, etc etc. There is a guy in Christchurch doing mail order parts but he too is somewhat limited judging by his website and it does take stuff a few days to get here from there. I'll order one to be sure then pick through your suggestions and if I find anything interesting (or distressing) I'll report back FYI!

Jay
 

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
If going inglewoodpete's 'repair it yourself' route, cutting off the jack plug and fitting a new one, it is probably worth doing the loop-back test after stripping the wire but before fitting the new plug. Identify the 0V then connect the other two wires together with a croc-clip or temporary solder joint to check that it does work before soldering the new jack on.

I would be tempted to find an already wired jack, cut the cable for that, and make a cable to cable connection rather than a cable to jack socket connection. I have never found soldering to jack plug connectors to be easy - they seem to have an anti-solder coating and need 'nuclear heat' to get solder to flow nicely - but that could just be me.
 

AllyCat

Senior Member
Hi,

I would be tempted to find an already wired jack, cut the cable for that, and make a cable to cable connection .....
But do be very cautious about trying to "reycle" headphone and similar cables. I've encountered several really nasty types of conductor, presumably intended to be small or flexible (and of course cheap). For example, a very fine copper "ribbon" wound helically around a fibre/textile core, or "enamelled" wire (like that used for winding coils), in one case with left and right channel conductors (with different colours of enamel) all mixed in together. And of course any conductor intended for crimp or "insulation displacement" connection may be primarily aluminium with perhaps just a very thin cladding of copper. :(

Cheers, Alan.
 

chimere322

Senior Member
Hello,
under Windows 7 the drivers must be installed in manual and in two parts. This is an excellent french site that explains the correct method. In the page see installation under Windows 7. Here
 
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