easyHID question

[keymuu]

If you are using an external power supply, you should not connect the +5 volts to Pin 1 of the USB connector.
Not sure if you meant that in post #1 USB connections.

If you do, it will cause an over current condition, and the USB port will shut-down.

The capacitor should be at least .22uF (220nF).
It may still work with 100nF, but it may also be unstable.

I have a schematic that is surely a working system where I can see all the same things (100nF, 22ohm). However I will change the Vusb=100nF to bigger one day, soon... just to be more on the safe side...

The +5V is not connected to USB port, instead USB-connector.1 is connected to PIC portB.5 (pin 38) so the software can detect when the USB cable is connected. There could also perhaps be an USB interrupt possibility, but I thought this would be simpler looked from the program side, on change interrupt or perhaps just polling, ... let's see said the blind man ...

[Darrel Taylor]

220nF is the value recommended in the datasheet.

17.2.2.8 Internal Regulator

The PIC18FX455/X550 devices have a built-in 3.3V regulator
to provide power to the internal transceiver and
provide a source for the internal/external pull-ups. An
external 220 nF (±20%) capacitor is required for stability.

The 22 ohms should be fine. I've just never seen them before. Your reference to the SN65220 helped with that problem.

Ok on the +5V.
I prefer to detect the plugged status in a USB interrupt, because it tells you when it's communicating with the computer. The way you have it, it only detects if it's plugged into a port or hub. But that's not going to help the problem at this point.

There are several things that can go wrong here, we'll just have to work through it.

You mentioned before ...
> The programmer configuration is: ...

Are you setting the config's manually in the programmer's software?
If so, is the VREGEN bit enabled? (Turns on the 3.3v regulator)

I assume you've blinked an LED somewhere to verify the oscillator is running at the correct speed.
On these chips, if the main oscillator isn't working, it can switch over to the internal oscillator at a different freq.

[keymuu]

ok, back again....

220nF is the value recommended in the datasheet.

changed the Vusb=100nF to 200nF (added another 100nF), but this did not change anything, no ding-dong sound. Ok one small change, before there was a pop-up window telling that the USB port is not usable. That pop-up window does not come anymore, but the port still dies after the second connection and the PC needs a reboot to come alive again.

The 22 ohms should be fine. I've just never seen them before. Your reference to the SN65220 helped with that problem.

Ok on the +5V.
I prefer to detect the plugged status in a USB interrupt, because it tells you when it's communicating with the computer. The way you have it, it only detects if it's plugged into a port or hub. But that's not going to help the problem at this point.

The USB connection is not a high priority matter, not now and not later either, don't now yet how to implement it...on portB change interrupt perhaps...

There are several things that can go wrong here, we'll just have to work through it.

You mentioned before ...
> The programmer configuration is: ...

Are you setting the config's manually in the programmer's software?
If so, is the VREGEN bit enabled? (Turns on the 3.3v regulator)

The configuration, the mePROG configuration is attached. Where else could one set any configurations, one would think that easyHID could do that job for you... I do not know where that would be...

I assume you've blinked an LED somewhere to verify the oscillator is running at the correct speed.

No LED blinking, however I have verified that PIC runs with the correct speed. Can tell, that if the speed is not correct and then when you connect it to your PC it will tell you something like "An illegal USB device is....". I have quite fresh experience of that. I have also verified the speed with a oscilloscope to be correct now. And as earlier told, PIC works just fine with the USB commands commented in Pic Basic Rro.

On these chips, if the main oscillator isn't working, it can switch over to the internal oscillator at a different freq.

I'm not quite sure about this, meaning what? If it works without USB (same configuration) shouldn't it the work also with the USB or at least every part should see the right frequency. As earlier said, it works fine without the USB compiled to the code. Ex. if you have a 12MHz crystal, it is first, inside PIC divided with 3 (12/3, 8/2, 4/1, 16/4, 20/5 etc) to get 4MHz that is then multiplied to 96MHZ that goes to USB use and on the other hand divided with 2 to get the 48MHz for the PIC other parts. Then when one instruction takes 4 clock cycles to accomplish, the real speed of a 48MHz PIC is actually 12MHz. That is when you can see the crystal frequency, the reference. So, one basic instruction is about 83 ns long.
Correct?

[arniepj]

In your configuration bits, the USB voltage regulator needs to be enabled.

[keymuu]

In your configuration bits, the USB voltage regulator needs to be enabled.

I tried how it worked with it on, however without success, that seems not change anything, so the fault is somewhere else...
It seems that I had read the data sheet carelessly

Back to the basic, first question:
Is easyHID generally considered as a 100% working "code generator" and should work straight away? A silly question perhaps when just looking at the picbasic code, but there are other files also that aren't "so clear"...

[Darrel Taylor]

As long as you've done everything exactly right, then yes, An EasyHID program will connect to the computer without any hassles.

I tried how it worked with it on, however without success, that seems not change anything, so the fault is somewhere else...

When you have MORE THAN 1 problem at the same time. It's often hard to find them, because simple trial and error no longer works. No matter what you change, it still won't work.

In the case of the VREGEN. IT MUST BE ENABLED!!!

Please try the attached .HEX file. It's for an 18F4550 @12mhz.
I've set all the configs in the program, so allow meProg to use those settings.
Remove the .TXT extension.

All it does is connect the USB.
All other pins are set to input.
MCLR is disabled.

After programming, be sure to cycle the power ON/OFF once.

This should tell us if it's hardware, or software.

[keymuu]

As long as you've done everything exactly right, then yes, An EasyHID program will connect to the computer without any hassles.


When you have MORE THAN 1 problem at the same time. It's often hard to find them, because simple trial and error no longer works. No matter what you change, it still won't work.

In the case of the VREGEN. IT MUST BE ENABLED!!!

Please try the attached .HEX file. It's for an 18F4550 @12mhz.
I've set all the configs in the program, so allow meProg to use those settings.
Remove the .TXT extension.

All it does is connect the USB.
All other pins are set to input.
MCLR is disabled.

After programming, be sure to cycle the power ON/OFF once.

This should tell us if it's hardware, or software.

Thank you it surely did tell us...

The behavior is exactly the same, no difference. The configuration as earlier, with the exception that the USB voltage regulator is enabled as it should be.

If your code was working (that is surely was, of course, no doubt ) then the fault must be a hw matter. Please take a look at an excerpt from the schematic that is attached. That is the schematic from which the prototype pcb has been done. It is Eagle-cad, and it claims (and so it also is) that the board and schematic are consistent, so it is easier to look at it than on the pcb. I can not see an error there, but I'm often quit blind, too often...