Slimboard Beginner’s Guide Last Revised: December 2007
Materials checklist: 1) PC/Laptop 2) Slimboard with microcontroller 3) AC/DC Adapter 4) Serial Cable or USB‐to‐Serial Cable
Step‐by‐step Procedure: 1) Setting up your computer a) Install ZDS II ¾ ZDS II means Zilog Development Studio II. This is the software we use to program the slimboard. The compatible version to our slimboard is 4.10.1. b) Setup cables ¾ There are two types of cables that we can connect to the slimboard. The default is to use the serial port, and is the most reliable. But as time goes by, serial ports became obsolete, and USB ports became a standard. So if you don’t have a serial port, the alternate way is to use a USB‐to‐serial adapter, but sometimes there are still issues on conflicts about these adapters.
i)
Using serial port cable
(1) Insert serial cable to serial port ii) Using USB‐to‐serial cable (1) Install USB‐to‐serial driver ¾ There are many chipsets of USB‐to‐serial cables (i.e. Prolific), please install only the software that comes with the USB‐to‐serial. Different drivers are not compatible with each other. (2) Insert USB cable to USB port c) Check communications port assignment i) Go to System Properties (Window key + pause/break)
ii) iii) iv) v) vi)
Click Hardware tab Click Device manager button Expand Ports (COM & LPT) Remember COM port assignment of the USB/Serial Cable When COM port assignment is above COM10 ¾ This must be a bit weird, but ZDS II only allows comports to be selected up to COM10. So we must do this step so we can select the correct port on the ZDS II. ¾ You are only required to do this if your COM port is higher than COM 10! (1) Right click the particular com port, select properties
(2) Click Port settings tab (3) Click Advanced button (4) Select a COM port lower than 10
2) Setting up your slimboard a) Plug‐in power adapter to the slimboard and to the outlet b) Plug‐in serial cable c) Check push button (must be “low” for DEBUG)
¾ Look for the toggle button near the serial port on the slimboard. This is the selector for the DEBUG/UART function of the serial port. Always check this settings when downloading code to the slimboard.
3) Creating new project ¾ You don’t need to follow this if you are loading an existing project! Just double click the *.zdsproj file and ZDS II will open automatically. Just check the project settings of the existing project to match the settings indicated at the “final settings checklist” section of this guide. a) Open ZDS II
b) Click File ‐> New Project from the main menu
c) Enter project name and location d) match this data: i) Project type: Standard
ii) CPU Family: Z8Encore_64K_series iii) CPU: Z8F6421 iv) Build Type: Executable
e) Click Finish button f) Click Project ‐> settings from the main menu
g) h) i) j)
Click Debugger tab In debug tool, select serial smart cable from the dropdown menu Click setup button Match this data: i) Baudrate: 57600 ii) COM port: select correct COM port
k) Click Ok to return to default screen
4) Adding file to a project ¾ You only need to do this if there is no existing file on the “standard project files” folder. There must be at least 1 file in a project! (which contains your code) ¾ Projects are different from files. Projects can have many files that contain the codes for the program. This can be header files or the main program, etc. a) When creating new file i) Click File ‐> new file from the main menu
ii) Type your code ¾ This is the time you will place your code. You can copy and paste some sample codes here. iii) Save file with *.c extension iv) Right click on the editor window , select add file to project v) To check, expand standard project files folder to see the file b) When loading existing file to project
i) Right click standard project files folder , select add file to project ii) Select the file you want iii) Double click file to show on the editor
5) Downloading code a) Click rebuild all on the toolbar
¾ In this part, the program will compile your code. If there is any errors on your program, ZDS will not compile and displays the errors on the lower part of the window b) Click download code on the toolbar
¾ You will know that the download is successful because it will displayed on the debug tab, seen on the lower part of the window c) When finished downloading, click stop debug (shift+f5) to disconnect from the slimboard
6) Testing UART* ¾ Please only follow this instruction if you will use the slimboard with hyperterminal through UART! Not all projects need to use the UART function. a) Check push button (must be “high” for UART) ¾ Look for the toggle button near the serial port on the slimboard. This is the selector for the DEBUG/UART function of the serial port. Always check this setting when using the slimboard with the hyperterminal.
b) Open hyperterminal
c) d) e) f)
Enter name of new connection and click ok Select correct comport on the connect using field Click OK Match this data: i) Bits per second: 57600 ii) Databits: 8 iii) Parity: none iv) Stop bits: 1 v) Flow control: none
g) Click Ok ¾ After clicking ok, the hyperterminal will automatically places a call. But if it doesn’t, click the Call button on the toolbar to place a connection. h) Reset slimboard i) Check the hyperterminal console ¾ When you are done testing, you can end the call by clicking the Disconnectl button on the toolbar.
Final Settings Checklist Device Manager Comport Settings (window key + pause/break) 9 COM port: any port below COM10 9 Bits per second: 57600 9 Databits: 8 9 Parity: none 9 Stop bits: 1 9 Flow control: none
ZDS II Project settings (ZDSII: Project ‐> Settings
Hyperterminal Settings
9 Project type: standard 9 CPU family: Z8Encore_64K_series 9 CPU: Z8F6421 9 Build type: Executable 9 Debug Tool: serial smart cable 9 Baudrate: 57600 9 COM port: any port below COM10
9 9 9 9 9
Bits per second: 57600 Databits: 8 Parity: none Stop bits: 1 Flow control: none
Troubleshooting Q. There is no power on the board A. Check if you plugged the adapter into the wall outlet. Check the board if there is shorted pins. Touch the voltage regulators if they are too hot. Q. I can’t download my code A. Check your toggle button settings. It must be pushed for debug and unpushed for UART. It is also possible that you don’t end your call in hyperterminal. Please end all calls in hyperterminal so it will not conflict in using the debug. Also, check the project settings if you selected the correct settings and com ports. The Instrumentations, Robotics, and Control Laboratory Room 311, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Building, Velasquez Street, UP Diliman, Quezon City Telephone Number: 9818500 local 3360