JAVA Opening COM Port message ààààààààà

[EdmondsLibrarian]

On some occasions, when trying to open the drawbot, the Java will return the message

ààààààààà[/color
]ààààààààà ààààààààà
ààààààààààààààààààààààààààà

For varying lengths It doesn’t succeed in connecting to the Drawbot.
What does it mean? How can I fix it?

[Anonymous]

That’s a new one to me. What OS are you using? Do you have any problems uploading firmware through arduino? Seeing the [color] is very strange and sounds like a Java issue, it should never display the [color] codes.

[EdmondsLibrarian]

Sorry not to be clear, the aaa s are all in the color yellow in the console. There isn’t any color code.
The aaaa aaaa s come while the Java is trying to connect to a COM Port.
I’m using a Gateway laptop running Win 7.

[Anonymous]

Does it do this when connecting with Arduino? I only see that kind of effect when the baud rate of the java software is different from the baud rate of the arduino.

[EdmondsLibrarian]

Perhaps a video of the process will communicate better than my word picture…

[youtube:2vgqouws]tnrcNgbmEJI[/youtube:2vgqouws]

[Anonymous]

Try double clicking the drawbotgui.jar. I believe in the latest version you don’t need the runme file.
Also, why is your motor moving before you’ve sent any commands to the robot? that’s … wierd.

[EdmondsLibrarian]

I think I opened that file at the 2:00 minute mark of the movie.

Is there something I can try in the COM port settings?
9600 bits per second, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, none for flow control.

[Anonymous]

Please try this:

Remove the motor shield from the arduino.
Plug in the USB cable.
Connect through software.

What result do you get?

[EdmondsLibrarian]

There is a “ready” in the bottom left corner. The message frame shows “connecting to COM XX” There aren’t any ààààà
After quitting, can program “blink” command in Arduino.

[Anonymous]

please copy/paste the entire message log (just above the ready message) when you try to connect without the motor shield. I’d like to compare to the shield version. Also, does the name of the window change when you try to connect?

[Anonymous]

I’ve only been able to partially reproduce your results. When I connect to a device that is NOT the drawbot I get a bunch of random characters in the gold text. Perhaps the board is damaged, or something isn’t properly soldered? It’s my only guess at this point.

[EdmondsLibrarian]

Some progress? I discovered that my jar-in-jar files were still zipped. I uncompressed them. I also eliminated all the drivers except for mine (Uno) and updated.

Running the Uno only- Above the ready message: The progress is that there is green text for the graphic file on screen, and the estimated run time. Then is says Connecting to Com XX- with no result.

When the stepper shield is added the ààààààà messages returns after the opening Com XX

WinRunmebat file is
java -classpath RXTXcomm.jar -Djava.library.path=classesrxtxnativeWindowsi3680mingw32 -jar DrawbotGUI.jar

[Anonymous]

You shouldn’t have to unzip anything.
The software should connect whether or not the shield is there, so trying without should eliminate one possible condition.
I’m wondering if there’s damage to the board. Can you take a close up shot of the board and shield, both sides?

Are you able to upload the firmware to the arduino or connect to it throught the arduino serial window?

[EdmondsLibrarian]

After several tries, I’m concluding that there aren’t any messages to view aside from the
ààààààààà
The name of the window stays as “Drawbot Not Found” and the Ready in the bottom corner stays as Ready.
Thanks for your brainstorming. I know that this is not “normal” but am at a loss for what to try.

[Anonymous]

Send me a private mail, let’s connect on skype and see if we can make progress face-to-face. how does 4pm PST work for you?

[Anonymous]

Ok! We figured out that the Makelangelo firmware (the code that goes on the arduino) was not installed. Once we got past that we were able to jog the motors and move things manually. Then we got a little stuck because the arduino wasn’t responding when we asked it to start drawing whole pictures.

We can try manually sending commands through the serial monitor window like

G00 X100;
G00 X0;
G17;

and so on. After each command the robot should reply with

done
>

The DrawbotGUI will wait forever for the ‘>’ before it sends the next command. The question is “Why doesn’t it send the reply?”

We can also try editing the hello world file to remove unrecognized commands.

[EdmondsLibrarian]

What a great a day for me! It’s the end of the funny aaaaa messages! I can’t thank you enough for your personalized help. THANKS.

[Anonymous]

My pleasure. Have you solved the next step? I can’t reproduce your results yet.

[Anonymous]

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2242&p=2488#p2488

Does this help at all?

[EdmondsLibrarian]

Sorry about my delay in moving forward- holiday fun!

It’s so great that my Drawbot is “talking” but hasn’t quite mastered the conversation. At least part of the process I should have ready the directions more carefully and had the proper Motor files (with the drawbot extension) in the proper place. The drawbot still appears “stuck.”

My motors do “jog” both directions nicely. Bobbins wound. It’s pretty cool all on its own.

I’ve configured the master area and paper area. Clockwise: 30, 10; 15, 30; -10, -30; -30, -15. Essentially a 60 cm square with a piece of paper in the middle. Negatives left and down as mentioned in other forums
https://www.marginallyclever.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2242&p=2488#p2488(Very Helpful! )

However, much like the users here:
https://www.marginallyclever.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2239My Drawbot behaves irregularly with “Drive Manually.” It doesn’t matter which button I click the pen goes down.
Since my àààààààà problem is solved, it might be better to add some troubleshooting suggestions at
https://www.marginallyclever.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2239
Unless…

One other suggestion you had was to manually enter the directions. I am unable to type in the lower window. How can I send a command?
One other hint in the process is that in the case of “Hello World” the “Ready” status changes to 9/929. If I pause, then unpause, it will step along with the commands. 11/929, etc. In most cases there is no pen movement, but in a few the pen will move. Not sure if that helps.

[Anonymous]

you can open the arduino serial window and send commands. first you have to send the CONFIG command to tell your machine the limits (copy paste it from your java log window) and then you can send instrctions like
G00 X10 Y-15;
which means “go 1mm right and 15mm down”. note that it’s g-zero-zero, case-sensitive, and instructions must end with a semi-colon.

[Anonymous]

also could you please post your log window output? note to self: save log to file.

[EdmondsLibrarian]

I’m sorry to say my Arduino was only good enough to get the serial window open, but nothing happened on the drawbot. I hope this is the log referred to:

This does three commands of the Hello World File

Opening file C:DrawbotArduinoarduino-1.0.1gcodeHello World outline.ngc… feed rate=25.0 2315 line segments. 74.090324cm of line. Estimated 3m25s s to draw. Connecting to COM7… Opened.

HELLO WORLD! I AM DRAWBOT #103
== DRAW BOT – http://github.com/i-make-robots/Drawbot/ ==
All commands end with a semi-colon.
HELP; – display this message
CONFIG [Tx.xx] [Bx.xx] [Rx.xx] [Lx.xx];
– display/update this robot’s configuration.
TELEPORT [Xx.xx] [Yx.xx]; – move the virtual plotter.
As well as the following G-codes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code):
G00,G01,G02,G03,G04, G20,G21,G28,G90,G91,M18,M114
> CONFIG T30.0 B-30.0 L-30.0 R30.0 I1 J1; TELEPORT X0 Y0 Z0; L=

HELLO WORLD! I AM DRAWBOT #103
== DRAWBOT – http://github.com/i-make-robots/Drawbot/ ==
All commands end with a semi-colon.
HELP; – display this message
CONFIG [Tx.xx] [Bx.xx] [Rx.xx] [Lx.xx];
– display/update this robot’s configuration.
TELEPORT [Xx.xx] [Yx.xx]; – move the virtual plotter.
As well as the following G-codes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code):
G00,G01,G02,G03,G04,G20,G21,G28,G90,G91,M18,M114
> * Made using CamBam – http://www.cambam.co.uk * Hello World 2012-03-31 11:19:50 AM * T0 : 0.0 G21 G90 G64 G40; done
> G0 Z90.0; done
> * T0 : 0.0 * Engrave1 G17; M3 S1000 G0 F250.0 X47.3349 Y-4.7591; G1 Z10.0;

HELLO WORLD! I AM DRAWBOT #103
== DRAWBOT – http://git hub.com/i-make-robots/Drawbot/ ==
All commands end with a semi-colon.
HELP; – display this message
CONFIG [Tx.xx] [Bx.xx] [Rx.xx] [Lx.xx];
– display/update this robot’s configuration.
TELEPORT [Xx.xx] [Yx.xx]; – move the virtual plotter.
As well as th e following G-codes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code):
G00,G01,G02,G03,G04,G20,G21,G28,G90, G91,M18,M114
> G1 X49.9657 Y7.6238; done

[Anonymous]

Here’s what I’d like you to try. Open the arduino serial window when connected to the drawbot.
When the Drawbot starts you should see this message:

HELLO WORLD! I AM DRAWBOT #103
== DRAW BOT – http://github.com/i-make-robots/Drawbot/ ==
All commands end with a semi-colon.
HELP; – display this message
CONFIG [Tx.xx] [Bx.xx] [Rx.xx] [Lx.xx];
– display/update this robot’s configuration.
TELEPORT [Xx.xx] [Yx.xx]; – move the virtual plotter.
As well as the following G-codes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code):
G00,G01,G02,G03,G04, G20,G21,G28,G90,G91,M18,M114
>

at which point you type in:

CONFIG T30.0 B-30.0 L-30.0 R30.0 I1 J1;
TELEPORT X0 Y0;
G00 X10;

and hit enter after each semi-colon. make sure to type the semi-colon! The first line tells the robot “you are this big”. The second tells the robot “your pen is now in the center of the board”. The third says “go right 10mm.”

What happens when you do this?

[EdmondsLibrarian]

I hope this is what you meant.
I connected the drawbot and jogged the motors. (good)
Still can’t enter directly in the message/status window.

Then I tried to open Arduino, but got a message that the Com Port was already in use (and it wouldn’t proceed).

When I quit drawbot and tried to send the message only in Arduino there was no response in either the serial monitor window, or motor movement. Is there something I can change to make the line command work? Or is there some other Arduino example I could run as a test?

[Author]

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