Using the FlowKit ICD Tool

Tips, Tricks and methods for programming, learn ways of making your programming life easier, and share your knowledge with others.

Moderators: Benj, Mods

Please rate this article out of 5: (1 being the worst and 5 being the best)

1
0
No votes
2
0
No votes
3
0
No votes
4
1
20%
5
4
80%
 
Total votes: 5

D.Bouchier
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 12:36 pm
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Using the FlowKit ICD Tool

Post by D.Bouchier »

Ok, I managed to make this work with the pre-made .exe :D

Now I would like to take it a step further and build my own GUI to control my ECIO-40 while it is running.

To keep it clear, ill divide my question in 3 parts:

1. What program is suitable (easy to understand, able to make this usb connection)to make a nice GUI with graphical buttons to preform different tasks?

2. The VB .exe uses the usb for it's communication, how do i intergrade this function into a other program, eg. how does the .exe do this?

3. How do I make the Flowcode so that the program runs it's own code but responds on the GUI when it sends information trough USB. Found this one out...(slave w/o service)

My application doesnt have to be top preformance, it's only for demonstrations.

ps. i installed Labvieuw runtime version 9 and the application for the labvieuw slave keeps asking for runtime v8 or compatible, id say v9 would be good enough, why does it still ask for runtime?

User avatar
Benj
Matrix Staff
Posts: 15312
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:48 am
Location: Matrix TS Ltd
Has thanked: 4803 times
Been thanked: 4314 times
Contact:

Re: Using the FlowKit ICD Tool

Post by Benj »

Hello,

Great glad you have it working now.

1) VB is fairly easy to use though can be annoying at times. The compiler is free to use and we have examples that work. Labview is also a good option with working example code but there is only a 30 day free trial of this as far as I am aware.

2) The VB does the USB communications by calling the ECIO dll. You will see the prototypes for the DLL listed at the top of the VB code. The VB code should be fairly simple so you should be able to see what is going on. Basically in the initialise we pass a string containing USB PID and VID values and this then connects to the appropriate device.

3) Great yes the slave without service will work for you. Alternativly you can enable the slave service and then have a command in the service routine which stops the service again by calling the stop slave service macro. This allows you to pick and choose from VB whether the device is a slave or if it can do its own thing.

The Labview runtime must be the same version as the version that was used to compile the EXE for some reason. Therefore you must download and install version 8.0 of the runtime to allow the Labview examples to work correctly. The example Labview source code should run in any version of Labview after version 8.0.

User avatar
Jay Dee
Posts: 398
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:42 pm
Has thanked: 121 times
Been thanked: 154 times

Re: Using the FlowKit ICD Tool

Post by Jay Dee »

Hi guys,
Having a bit of trouble getting going with the FlowKit ICD.
> Using a 16F887A in the EB006 V7 board. The test program is just a single LED flashing on Port C. This works fine.
> Flowkit connected to EB006 with adapter and plugged into Port B. Port B 6 & 7 are the default pins, correct?
> When ICD is set in the flowcode program, compiled and sent to PIC, as expected, nothing happens, the PIC is waiting to step through the program in ICD mode.
> Switch the Flowkit to ICD. PC 'bing-bongs' as it find the device and get a constant LED on flowkit.
> Flowkit is is showing up in the PC's device manager as Custom USB Devices and says that everything is working correctly.
Press any of the Simulation buttons in flowcode and I get the following message;

"Could not communicate with IDC. please connect an appropriate ICD unit (e.g. EB006 v7) and try again."

It seems like a driver issue but have tried again the install program from the ELSAM V2.3 disk and the Flowkit drivers from the web site.
Are there any jumpers I need to change on the EB006 board, 12/13/14 or 29 ?
Thanks for any help,
Regards, John.

medelec35
Matrix Staff
Posts: 9521
Joined: Sat May 05, 2007 2:27 pm
Location: Northamptonshire, UK
Has thanked: 2585 times
Been thanked: 3815 times

Re: Using the FlowKit ICD Tool

Post by medelec35 »

1st you don't require Flowkit for Eb006 V7.
Flowkit is only required for Eb006 V6 or any other programmer that's not Eb006 V7.



So long as all config and osc settings are correct and the chip has been programmed with the flowchart you are using and the * does not appear on the top line of your flowchart, then should be good to go.

Since using Eb006 V7, plug the USB programming lead directly into programmer and not vial flowkit.
Also you will not have to move any jumpers after you have sent program to chip. The USB/ICD2 jumper should stay on USB.

Are you using internal or external osc?

Perhaps you can post your flowchart on the forums, if its not confidential, or commercially sensitive.
I can then check the settings for you.

If you are going to carry on with the flowkit connected to port B (RB6 and RB7 is correct) and you are getting solid LED's on then when you click the run button on your flowchart, that's when the LEDs will fade on and off (even if flowkit is not connected to programmer via port B) until flowkit is removed from USB connection.
Perhaps you can take a screen shot of the error showing the two rows of hex numbers. When it message is displayed about can not communicate and showing more information, then click yes.
Martin

User avatar
Jay Dee
Posts: 398
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:42 pm
Has thanked: 121 times
Been thanked: 154 times

Re: Using the FlowKit ICD Tool

Post by Jay Dee »

Thanks for the pointers... Yep dead right.
I took flowkit out of the loop and just used the EB006 V7, In the main the IDC is working well.
The following are not a issue for me any more but for any others having ICD issues.
I was compiling to hex using flowcode but sending the Hex using PPP running seperatly, after this I often have to unplug / replug the USB cable before flowcode will find the ICD device (EB007).
I changed my flowcode compiler options so that it found my copy of PPP correctly and in most ( 8/10) cases the ICD works after a compile and send all from within flowcode. I still have to unplug/replug my USB now and then but I guess this is my laptop being picky rather than anything else.
Thanks, J.

Post Reply