help me with that bootloader

For problems with Gamebuino itself, NOT your project

Re: help me with that bootloader

Postby albertinjo » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:20 am

First of all thanks for your help.

I am pretty sure gamebuino reads the C button on startup. I successfully burned the bootloader on my arduino nano v3.0. When I hold the C button on startup (or in gamebuino boot screen) LED on pin 13 starts flashing (because pin 13 is used to communicate with the screen and the SD card)

(digital pin 13 on arduino is used as SCK (CLOCK) when comunicating with SPI devices)

So the LED starts flashing and the bootloader writes "loading..." for a second. Then arduino just restarts.

That is strange because I can read files from SD card (even stream music), and the loader sketch works fine when I manually burn it into the flash memory with USB cable via my PC.

I suppose the bootloader is working and trying to find LOADER.hex file on the sd card, but it cant find it because of a "noisy SPI connection" which is the result of:

1) as you said "breadboarded circuits behave slightly differently to circuitboarded circuits due to the electrical characteristics of a breadboard" so the SPI connection

2) could the LED on pin 13 affect the SPI communication, on R0d0ts gamebuino design there is no LED on digital pin 13 ???
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Re: help me with that bootloader

Postby rodot » Thu Jul 03, 2014 10:27 am

There is no LED on pin 13 in the Gamebuino design.

Anything that shows up on the screen is not done by the bootloader itself but by the program which was previously in memory. So when you hold C down while you turn the power on, it fails to trigger the bootloader, for some unknown reason.
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Re: help me with that bootloader

Postby albertinjo » Fri Jul 04, 2014 7:15 am

On my arduino nano (and on most arduinos) there is a red LED tied to digital pin 13.

If I hold the C button in gamebuino startup screen it writes "loading...", that is done by the program in the flash memory.
If I hold the C button before gamebuino startup screen initializes it just restarts, so i guess the bootloader is triggered, but can not reach the LOADER.hex file it is looking for.
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Re: help me with that bootloader

Postby rodot » Fri Jul 04, 2014 8:49 am

But when the loader program (the one to brows the micro SD card) is loaded, you manage to select a game and successfully flash it don't you?
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Re: help me with that bootloader

Postby albertinjo » Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:32 am

Yes, I can load games in flash memory and access the sd card with the LOADER program.

I can not invoke the LOADER sketch from the SD card (using bootloader), altough I flashed the LOADER sketch on my arduino with my PC (via the USB programmer).

I can load hex files using the LOADER sketch, I can not invoke the LOADER sketch from the SD card, but I can flash the loader sketch in flash memory via the onboard USB programmer.

When I flash the LOADER sketch with my USB cable, it searches for HEX files, then I load a HEX file from the SD card, but I can load no other games , because I can not invoke the LOADER program again.
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Re: help me with that bootloader

Postby rodot » Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:36 am

It was problem with the previous versions of the bootloader with some slow micro SD cards but it has been fixed for a while now, are you sure you flashed the r11 ?
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Re: help me with that bootloader

Postby albertinjo » Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:43 am

Well, I think so, I do not really know because there is no version history for the bootloader.

I think I burned the latest bootloader (it came with the settings.hex in it)...
even bought an USBasp only for that purpose.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-ISP-USBASP- ... 4ad69ace98
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Re: help me with that bootloader

Postby rodot » Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:51 am

Okay the bootoader with settings in it the the latest version.
Did you try to update the .HEX files with the latest from github ?
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Re: help me with that bootloader

Postby albertinjo » Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:57 am

Yes, I have
I am going to investigate a bit more and keep you posted
Thanks for your help
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Re: help me with that bootloader

Postby treflip » Fri Jul 04, 2014 11:42 am

I was going to post this pic from my LA on the SCLK pin yesterday but couldn't get it to upload from my ipad before work. It looks good though just thought I would show that it isn't noisy or anything.

I am starting to think like you and look at the nano and SD speed as possible inhibitors to the problem. I'll follow along and do some investigating too!
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2014-07-03 09.23.37.png
LA of CLK to SD/LCD
2014-07-03 09.23.37.png (180.59 KiB) Viewed 6733 times
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