can't get Picstart+ to communicate in XP pro[solved kinda]

temtronic · Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:43 pm

I know, not a specific C problem, but how the heck do I get MPLAB7.51 to recognize my Picstart+ attached to a Moschip PCI serial port as com2?
This is a real de-9 comport card and com1 works fine with some Delphi code I cut. Hyperterminal doesn't like it either.
Until today, I've used a win98SE machine, using same MPLAB 7.51 and Picstart+ (fw ver 4.50.03). Figured I'd 'retire' the SE machine and have everything on the XP pro machine.
Any help is really appreciated, I hate to go backwards !
Kinda hard to cut code for my 'fax' project if I can't program the chips !

PCM programmer · Joined: 06 Sep 2003 Posts: 21708

I have an old PicStart-Plus and it works fine with XP Home SP2, running
MPLAB 5.70.40. I use it to program a PIC in one of our older products.
The reason for keeping that older vs. of MPLAB on the system is because
it works for that product, and there's no reason to change it. For new
development I use the latest version of MPLAB.

I suggest that you look in Device Manager at your Com ports, and see
if it really is assigned as Com2. Also check the serial port setup for
the PicStart-Plus inside MPLAB. Make sure it really is set for the same
port number as listed in XP Device Manager.

If this doesn't help, then the Microchip PicStart-Plus forum would maybe
be a better place to ask.

temtronic · Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 6:09 pm

I hate 'upgrades...."
Checked the XP device manager.
Under port settings>adavanced>comport is 2 (allows1 to 255 !)
PS+ is set to 2 as well.

All I wanted was to clean my desk off of a complete PC system...arrgh.

Any other hints..I can't be the only one whose had this problem.

tnx

temtronic · Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 6:20 pm

OK, seems the physical ports are swapped and what is Com2 on the old machine is Com 1 on the XP, and vice versa.
Arrgh...so much for standardization.
I used Realterm and a loopback connector to figure this out.

Why Com 1 doesn't work well, that's for another day.

thanks for the help.

gpsmikey · Joined: 16 Nov 2010 Posts: 588 Location: Kirkland, WA

When upgrading, another thing to watch for - most of the newer motherboards don't even have serial ports on them any more - they are going the way of the old parallel port. I have not tried my old Picstart+ with my new machine through the usb<->serial adapter, but that is an option too.

mikey
_________________
mikey
-- you can't have too many gadgets or too much disk space !
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