Cauldron Skeleton

[JonnyMac]

Got your SFX00.WAV file via email, popped it into my AP-16+ and connected it to the SERIAL terminal on the HC-8+. It works. I have a simple test file for SFX01.WAV but I verified that it played and then went back to your ambient show. I'm feeling much more confident in the code.

Note that I'm using the VIXENxx.BIN files attached here in the forums.

[youngti]

okay so it started to work.  After I replaced the HC-8 with the spare I have.  The first one would not program, I would check if the hardware is identified (it was) then F11 and it would say can't find.  After i repaced it it loaded the code.  And started up.

This is what it did.  Started playing show 1, everything seems to be working.  Then show 2 started, plays for about 30 seconds then goes back to show 1, plays for a bit then show2, goes back to show 1 after 30 seconds, then show 1 repeats it's self over and over but only the first 30 seconds.  I took a video but I am having trouble getting it uploaded.

[JonnyMac]

Sounds like an electrical problem -- do you have any servos binding that could can noise or other electrical disturbance in the system?  If something causes the board to reset it will look like you're going back to the ambient show (though you should notice a start-up delay as the program waits on the AP-16+).

[youngti]

Well I have each servo in the skull soldered to a 22gauge shielded line.  That goes down the spine of the skeleton to one of your water proof boxes.  They are then coiled in a loose 4" roll zip tied to the lid of the box.  I have the HC-8 next too the AP-16 in the box as well as an LED darklight flicker controller.  Each board is powered by their separate power supply going out of the box.  The servo power supply is a 5v, 8amp and is in a radio shack project box outside of and underneath the main box.  Is it possible that the servo lines are creating interference from being coiled up and in the lid of the box?  The HC-8 and the AP-16 are powered by 12v 1amp power supply. 

Here is the video link.  http://youtu.be/HQR-Af7Ath8

[JonnyMac]

You may need a bigger supply for the AP-16+ -- what could be happening is that at a loud part the power supply is being stressed and causing the HC-8+ to reset.

[JonnyMac]

Here is the video link.  http://youtu.be/HQR-Af7Ath8

Video is set to private.

[youngti]

set to public now.

sorry it's side ways.

[youngti]

Wondering if it would be better to directly connect the + and - of each servo directly to the servo power supply it would be better.  Rather than cutting the trace under the HC-8 board.  Connect the signal on the HC-8.

[youngti]

You may need a bigger supply for the AP-16+ -- what could be happening is that at a loud part the power supply is being stressed and causing the HC-8+ to reset.

So I missed this.  i went out to check and I actually have the HC-8 on a 18.5v, 2.5a and the AP-16 on a 18v, 3.3a.

[JonnyMac]

Try the show without servos to see if it plays all the way through.  As I indicated, I was able to run the Vixen files you posted in the forums without problems. To be fair, I only had two small servos connected but my goal was to test program logic.

[youngti]

okay so that works.  So do you think I should just pull the servo power and ground and hook that directly to the power supply?  With the signal connected to the HC-8?

[youngti]

I also imported the bin files into vixen and copied the channel 2 (which is the jaw movement) into channel 5 (which should be the LED eyes)  but that didn't work.  I have the + connedted to ttl pin 4-+ and the - to ttl pin 4 -.  I am very new to vixen most of what I have done it in VSA.

[JonnyMac]

Since you have a stout power supply going into the HC-8+ you might have success. We use a 5A 5V regulator on the board for servos.  You will of course have to re-bridge the cut you made for external power.

Moving a servo to channel 5 without changing the code will no work -- it can't read your mind <wink!>  The code sets up a servo controller with four outputs and a dimmer with four outputs.  You need to adjust the code if you're moving servos around.  Since we know it's a power-related issue, I would suggest you go back to the original files and code (4 servos and 4 dimmers).

[youngti]

Moving a servo to channel 5 without changing the code will no work -- it can't read your mind <wink!>  The code sets up a servo controller with four outputs and a dimmer with four outputs.  You need to adjust the code if you're moving servos around.  Since we know it's a power-related issue, I would suggest you go back to the original files and code (4 servos and 4 dimmers).

I was not moving the servos.  I was trying to get the LED's to blink in time to the jaw movements.  Since I am running out of time with this prop I thought that just copying the vixen channel 2 to the vixen channel that has the LED eyes attached would work.

[JonnyMac]

Okay, I understand.

I've attached an update that lets you set the number of servo channels and the rest are declared as dimmers.  You'll find the settings in the CONstants section near the top.

Note that if you set DEBUG to YES and keep the programming cable connected, you can press F12 to get a terminal. Set it to your programming port # and 115200 baud -- this will show you the status of the program.