Visual Basic 6 to PIC MCU (HOW TO)

[kinjalgp]

Are you sure you have connected RS232 cable on COM1?

A silly question...but sometimes people make this mistake.

 

[TekNoir]

This tutorial from SparkFun Electronics might be useful to you.

https://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/present.php?p=BEE-4-UART

At the bottom of their main tutorial page, under the heading General PIC Tutorials, they have some other serial and UART related information.

I apologize if it's too little too late, but perhaps it can be of some help for others.

 

[Peter_wadley]

I did not sort through the wiring. A schematic would go a long way here. The text version makes my head hurt.

Prior to getting into that lets make sure the PC is doing its job.

Unplug the RS232 cable from the PIC.

Type and you should see nothing.

Short pins 2 and 3 on the RS232 cable (it is still plugged into the PC but not the PIC target). To do this you can makup an DB9 with a wire soldered between 2 and 3.

With the jumper in place you should see what you are typing on the PC.

If this does not work either you did not follow these instructions or the BASIC program has problems. Maybe flow control problems. Others may have talked about that.

It appears my problem is bigger then the PIC and the MAX.

When I short pins 2 and 3 of the serial cable It still does not work.

Could it be my fire wall?

It is on COM1 for sure.

Why do we jumper 7 and 8?

Why do we jumper 1 and 4 and 6?

I know these are probably the lamest questions but it really will help me solve this.

Does anyone have the VB6 program made?

No need to go and make it , but if have it already..

Well I dont really understand! I am a very consious programmer.. everything in the VB appears to be right..

Fairly new computer.. COM port has never given problems.. worked with my edrum and programmer..

HMMMM

 

[kinjalgp]

Firewall generally doesn't block COM ports so I guess thats not the problem.

Try this project. Its a terminal program written in VB.
**broken link removed**

 

[Peter_wadley]

what should the flow control be set at ?

it is on HARDWARE right now.

 

[kinjalgp]

It should be NONE. You don't require any hand-shaking in most cases.

 

[Peter_wadley]

sweeeeeeeeeeet

I was just messing with the Properties window for MSCOMM and now it working!

Input mode was set to Binary.. changed it to Text.

Dont ask, heh.

Ill try it with the MAX now..

Works.

Ill try it with the PIC now..

Works!


Thank you guys SOOOO much! This has given me so many more circuit ideas!!

Next is USB i guess.. any recommend chips?

See you.

 

[kinjalgp]

USB is pretty difficult to start with. Its not like Serial or parallel port. It requires lot of coding.

But if you use USB to Serial converter chips like FT232...things become much easier as USB coding is abstracted by using the DLLs supplied by FTDI. www.ftdichip.com

 

[3v0]

Build a few projects with the RS232 serial first.

Then you may want to take a look at
UBW (USB Bit Whacker)

It uses a PIC18F with USB. It may not be the exact application you are looking for but it is fun to play with and quite inexpensive to build.

 

[Peter_wadley]

Build a few projects with the RS232 serial first.

Then you may want to take a look at
UBW (USB Bit Whacker)

It uses a PIC18F with USB. It may not be the exact application you are looking for but it is fun to play with and quite inexpensive to build.

Will do.

Probably going to use RS232 with VB then JAVA then C++ before I go for USB.

 

[Peter_wadley]

I wanted to add that I found the MSComm1 property that fixed my problem..

If anyone is trying serial communications like this and cant get proper character sending and receiving even with pins 2 and 3 shorted on the serial connecter..

Change INPUTLEN to 1 on MSComm1

 

[3v0]

Will do.

Probably going to use RS232 with VB then JAVA then C++ before I go for USB.

I have been using C# with .NET on the PC side. The .NET stuff keeps getting better.