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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : CGMAXIMTE making it go??
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muddy0409 Senior Member  Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
Righto blokes, the time has come to display my ignorance. Unpacked my new CGM, plugged it into USB port on my laptop and ...... nothing? So I figure it doesn't do anything "straight out of the box"? So much for being the new XZ80, VIC20, C64 etc. Can one of you lovely blokes point me at the most basic (simplest, that is) instructions on getting this good looking thing working. EG is the interpreter already on board or do I need to get one from somewhere and get that going in order to do something?? I am afraid I don't have a degree in "making things work" so I find the instructions I have found are beyond my ken. I just hope that if/when it does appear to work, making it do something isn't too far beyond me. ....getting too bloody old for all this new learning stuff, that's why I haven't got into them Arduino or Raspberry Pi things... Using bare PICs with PBP and designing the necessary hardware to suit my needs is pretty easy, but I would like to try a couple of slightly bigger things with keyboard and very tiny VGA screen... So stop larfing at us old geezers and I would really appreciate some VERY simplistic "get it started" stuff. I'm gunna go have a Bex and a good lie down for a while. I might even put all this off until next year. As always, thanks in advance. Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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donmck Guru  Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
As no one else has indicated that they had problems with it Peter, I would think it should work straight out of the box. Just make sure the power selection jumper is pointing at USB power input. Which should bring up the power LED. Is that on? See if you can get it into firmware update mode with the flashing LED. That will prove that the firmware is loaded. If may be a VGA problem, so you can try it in terminal mode. I'm sure Rob will assist, if he reads you are having problems. Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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| paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329 |
Hi Peter, As Don said, make sure the power shorting link is on the left two posts (VUSB)of the four post connector. When you plug in the USB cable you should then get the red light at the left of the SD card reader coming on. If so you're running, but if not either the cable's not fully home (mine was very tight to start with) or the firmware's not loaded, or there's a fault. If the light does come on and still nothing on the screen make sure the keyboard and VGA cables are fully home - again mine were very tight to start with. I think the first few times it's a good idea to support the connectors with a finger at the back (on the card side) when you're pushing the plugs home. Greg |
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| muddy0409 Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
Hi Don, sorry to gtake up your day off. You have known me long enough to know you gotta very carefully select words of 1 sylable (or less) or I won't understand!! LOL R<ightio, here's where I am.. CGM plugged into my laptop USB. Power selected from USB Led ON Terminal program running but hasn't connected. the end Gunna do some more messing around and see if anything happens.. might even try a different terminal prog.. PM Port Hedland WA (Soon to be in Gulargambone NSW, had enough of the bloody red dust up here) Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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| muddy0409 Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
Hi Pacemen, So you gotta have keyboard and screen? It wont work with lappy as a terminal then? Bummer. Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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| muddy0409 Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
Hmmm.... Just found Maximite in my Win7 device manager. Where do I get a driver for it?? Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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| paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329 |
Hi Peter, No, sorry, I didn't mean a laptop/terminal program wouldn't work OK - I was assuming that's what you had there and you were just powering it with USB. If the light's on then it's running and should work. Try talking to it with CG's MMIDE program that he's got on his site to download. Both Geoff and CG have the driver on their sites - on Geoff's site it's included with the MMBasic download. Greg |
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| muddy0409 Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
So then, I gotta get some things from Gizmo, Some things from Geoff, Some things from God knows who else, Not to mention I gotta chop down 3 trees, and get 2 litres of genuine HP ink in order to get a manual. Then plug it all together and it will work? Well, these people should check their advertising blurbs. That is not the way the publicity reads. Doesn't any ONE single entity supply EVERYTHING you need to fire it up, together with EASY instructions that some (especially this)old geezer can understand? I do agree that this device would be a great way to introduce new learners to the world of electronics and MCUs. (Sounds like Raspberry pi, doesn't it?) but all the setting up and the lack of absolute beginner paperwork will scare lots off. (BTW I am NOT a brand new beginner, but I have been fairly successful in training lots of new people into various trades over the years, based on assuming they know absolutely nothing about anything and explaining things at abasolute base levels.) This is all becoming too effing hard. I think I will stick with the Chipino and keep on designing specific things for specific jobs rather than wasting my time on something that does everything, if only you can get it fired up in the first place. Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
They don't come any simpler then this. :) At least when you use a keyboard and vga screen. When you connect those then when switched on you can work on it right away. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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| muddy0409 Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
Rightio, I will chase up some bits. I got a screen, did I read somewhere that a USB keyboard with a USB to PS2 adaptor plug doesnt Work? P.S. I have calmed down a bit now. Took a Zoloft pill. This heat and dust gets to ya finally. Looking forward to our move up the bush in NSW. Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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| MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
Most keyboards have a dual interface and automatically switch between usb and ps/2. I have many keyboards including the small numeric ones and only one of them did not function with a usb/ps2 adapter. I guess your chance for success is pretty high. Maybe the newest keyboards are usb only, they not always specify it on the box. Having a dedicated power supply is also good, then it is not depended on another computer. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2914 |
Hi Muddy, Basically there are two ways you can work with the Color MM, 1. Using a PS2 keyboard with a VGA monitor... Just supply power either via USB or an external plugpack.. or 2. Using a PC to talk via the USB port and a terminal program.. To get the PC to recognise the CMM you need to install the driver located here Driver After the driver is installed, it sets up the USB port to look like a SERIAL COMMS port so it can be talked to using any serial terminal program.. Common programs are: Tera-Term (my recommendation) Putty Hyperterm PowerTerm and many others. Just configure for the port that has been defined by the driver (linked to above) this port No. can be found by looking in the Control Panel, Device manager, Ports and looking at which port it is set for. All information about the CMM can be found on Geoffs very detailed page located here. Maximite inc Color MM Good luck and let the fun begin... Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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| muddy0409 Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
Aaahh! Thanks heaps Mik. Yep, that done it. Ain't it amazing what you can do when you get some instructions your tiny mind can understandf. Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1425 |
Like I said in another thread, I'm sorry to have been offline for a bit - I missed this conversation when I could have helped. muddy: I'm sorry that you had issues early on knowing what to do to get the CGCOLORMAX1 operating for you. But I appreciate the feedback. I'll have to make some instructions to explain how to set up the CGCOLORMAX for first time users. Thank you to the other TBS members for helping out in this thread. -Rob Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
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| MOBI Guru Joined: 02/12/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 819 |
This looks as good a place as any to ask. What is the best way to get into the current MM system (latest version). I can handle soldering SMD, so is kit form the way to go or is it more cost effective and less posterior ache to get a preassembled version. Does the PIC come with basic installed? I know I could go searching, but perhaps someone is feeling benevolent and will point me in the right direction. David M. David M. |
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BobD Guru Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
David, no matter which way you go you won't get the latest version of MMBasic. However, an update to the latest is an easy thing to do. If you want assembled already then there is Circuit Gizmos but it seems a bit physically fragile at the moment. Altronics has a kit for the Colour Maximite or you can buy the PC board and a pre-programmed chip from Silicon Chip. Bob I should add that we can expand on whatever direction you want to take. |
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| BobD Guru Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
There is another option. You can get the UBW something or other and then add BigMik's expansion board which will make it into a full functioned Colour Maxi. I don't know all of the details there but at least part of that you have to assemble yourself and you may need to program the PIC. |
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| muddy0409 Senior Member Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 125 |
Hi Gizmo, If I may go back to my first job, (Oh God! the old fart's reminiscing?) in 1969, it was at a country radio station as a tech in training. Most of the original stuff was with valves, but then along came these cute little things called transistors, diodes & LEDs. I did learn that "solid state" meant if you dropped them, they didn't necessarily break. I decided way back then that I really didn't care what made them do what they did, I would leave all that theory to the boffins in the invention labs. All I wanted (needed) to know was that if you did this to that leg, then the other leg did something else. To (mis)quote Oddball, "I just use 'em, I dunno what makes 'em work." I simply figured that if the smoke got out and it didn't work, then I couldn't fix it, so who cares why it works. It's just important that it does. I still (quite obviously) hold to that today. I think your plan to make the most basic instructions available would be most appreciated by many. BTW is the Getting Started manual available in its pre PDF format (word, publisher or whatever) as I would like to add some of my notes on assorted pages as I pick up something interesting/important/new etc. I do look forward to doing a lot more with this C64 on steroids. (I should live that long!) Got a couple of projects that are just a little bit too big for a Chipino so..... Don't poo poo conspiracy theories. Remember that everything ever discovered started somewhere as a theory. |
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| MOBI Guru Joined: 02/12/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 819 |
Hmmmm. That is a bit more to research, i.e. programming the Pic. Does the Pic come with built in bootloader or is it base level programming. Maybe I need to modify my trusty programmer to suit the bigger Pic. Highest capability so far is 8 bit 16F88 style. To date, this has been more than enough. David M David M. |
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| MOBI Guru Joined: 02/12/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 819 |
You know you can copy and paste from a PDF? It only gets the text and the formatting is not too flash but it is a way. BTW (also reminiscing) Joined RAN 1965 as apprentice (Nth Sydney Tech) Remember when the 807 was THE valve. Reg power supply, modulator, Power Amp..... sigh!!! Was the 6BE6 pentagrig converter the first integrated circuit?? David M PS edit: I agree with the need for some very basic "make it work" instructions for the engineering type who don't like to read the manual until all else fails. David M. |
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