Home
JAQForum Ver 24.01
Log In or Join  
Active Topics
Local Time 16:49 17 May 2025 Privacy Policy
Jump to

Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me.

Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Problem with Serial Console on PicoMiteVGA reference board

     Page 2 of 2    
Author Message
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 7558
Posted: 11:44am 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

ManiB:
There is some confusion here. How did you set the OPTIONs?
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4875
Posted: 12:36pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

PS2 keyboard ?

Volhout
PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS
 
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 7558
Posted: 01:48pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

That's not what I meant. Manually or using OPTION RESET, which should be correct and not put 0,0 on the end of the OPTION KEYBOARD arguments as those aren't the default values.

In any case, was the first display after the initial boot on the PC or on the VGA monitor? If on the PC then the console is working as a serial connection I would expect. If not then Windows 8 isn't creating the necessary COM port and never will without a driver. The console is then only ever displayed on the graphics display.

It's not easy getting into the head of a beginner. It shows up inconsistencies and errors in documentation that don't get spotted otherwise. :)
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
ManiB
Senior Member

Joined: 12/10/2019
Location: Germany
Posts: 118
Posted: 02:23pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

  dddns said  Very confusing for everybody.

Please never retype an option list but copy & paste!



I could not use Copy&Paste because the Serial Console does not work ;(

  Mixtel90 said  ManiB:
There is some confusion here. How did you set the OPTIONs?


Here is the description of my problem. Please forget everything I wrote before, because there are spelling mistakes. I apologize for this.

1. i use the original PicoMite Reference Design Board for VGA/PS2
2. instead of the Raspberry PI Pico I use the Raspberry PI Pico 2
3. a PS2 keyboard is connected to the PS2 connector on the board
4. a VGA monitor is connected to the VGA connector
5. i install the firmware "PicoMiteRP2350VGAV6.00.02RC23.uf2"
6. then I don't have to set any options, because the VGA output and the PS2 keyboard work straight away
7. with the PS2 keyboard I added the OPTION SDCARD GP13,GP10,GP11,GP12
8. with the PS2 keyboard i typed in: OPTION LIST
9. the VGA monitor shows this screen





Now I would expect to be able to establish a connection to my PC via the micro-USB connector of the Pico 2 and use a virtual COM port on the Windows 8 PC to be able to use TerraTerm or PuTTY, for example.

But exactly that does not work.

I suspect it's my Windows 8 PC that might have problems with the driver. I can only test this this evening.
Edited 2025-05-16 00:27 by ManiB
 
Mixtel90

Guru

Joined: 05/10/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 7558
Posted: 02:36pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

If you check back through the replies, that is exactly the problem. Windows 8 won't create virtual COM ports, you need Windows 10 or later for that. There are specialised drivers like zadig that you can load that will enable this to work, as disco4now said.

Set that up and you should be fine.
Mick

Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini
Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs
 
ManiB
Senior Member

Joined: 12/10/2019
Location: Germany
Posts: 118
Posted: 02:50pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

  Mixtel90 said  If you check back through the replies, that is exactly the problem. Windows 8 won't create virtual COM ports, you need Windows 10 or later for that. There are specialised drivers like zadig that you can load that will enable this to work, as disco4now said.

Set that up and you should be fine.


Well, I also use the PicoMiteHDMIUSB Reference Board and a CMM2 G2 V2. I have no problems communicating with my Windows 8 computer using the Virtual COM port. So I didn't expect any problems doing the same with the PicoMite VGA/PS2 board.
 
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 334
Posted: 02:53pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

You should better read and not write so much.
Clear the flash and reflash the firmware. then your wrong settings will be gone and you can connect. Do that connect _before_ typing something with your PS/2 keyboard
 
matherp
Guru

Joined: 11/12/2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 10079
Posted: 03:00pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Cmm2 uses a ch340. Completely different drivers
 
Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4875
Posted: 03:02pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

CMM2 uses USB-B

1/ Are you sure you USB-C cable is a communication cable ? Or is it charger only..?

2/ CMM2 uses a CH340 for USB, Pico HDMI/USB uses a CH340 for USB. The pico you are building uses RP2350 for USB. That may require a different W8 driver.

But it should show in W8 device manager. Check if it has a USB device with a warning label to it (warning the driver is not installed).

-or- walk over to the neighbour, and plug the unit in a W10/W11/linux machine.

Volhout

P.S. OPTION KEYBOARD only gets 4 numeric values WHEN YOU EXPLICITLY SET THEM, the default is not shown, especially the last 2 numbers. So you DID program them. Maybe not intended, but you did.
Edited 2025-05-16 01:07 by Volhout
PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS
 
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 334
Posted: 03:29pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

With a repeat rate of 0, input might be difficult
 
Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4875
Posted: 07:03pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

  dddns said  With a repeat rate of 0, input might be difficult


User manual: 0,0 is minimum delay, maximum repeat rate. Not 0.

I use these values also when using console/PS2 to control a game using the normak keyboard routines. If you need faster then that you have specific solutions for USB and PS2, but these are not universal. 0,0 is not handy for editing. The defaults are much better.

Volhout
Edited 2025-05-16 05:04 by Volhout
PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS
 
ManiB
Senior Member

Joined: 12/10/2019
Location: Germany
Posts: 118
Posted: 07:25pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

So now I've tested it with an Windows 10 Intel NUC Computer - and it runs without any issues.

As soon as I connected the PicoMiteVGA/PS2 computer with the USB cable, the virtual COM port was set up in Windows 10 and PuTTY was able to communicate successfully with the Pico via 112500 baud.

- So it was not a wrong cable
- It was also not a wrong firmware
- I also don't need to run Clear_Flash.uf2
- With the Reference Board it is also not necessary to set the options first via serial connection, because screen output and keyboard already work with the basic installation

The only problem was that my Windows 8 obviously has problems with the Pico 2 driver for the virtual COM port, which I hadn't expected.

I now know why this is the case.

Many thanks to everyone.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
 
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 334
Posted: 07:47pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Well done, maybe this all got you on the right path.
But from a support perspective, it's important to have a clean base and that was not given.
 
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 334
Posted: 08:00pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Would you please post once more your actual option list. I'm interested. My setting e.g. is 0,0,200,80 but I'm not sure what PS/2 would use.
 
ManiB
Senior Member

Joined: 12/10/2019
Location: Germany
Posts: 118
Posted: 08:07pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Now I have successfully installed the Zadig driver on my Windows 8 computer - and the serial communication is working. Thanks for the hint.








 
ManiB
Senior Member

Joined: 12/10/2019
Location: Germany
Posts: 118
Posted: 08:08pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

  dddns said  Would you please post once more your actual option list. I'm interested. My setting e.g. is 0,0,200,80 but I'm not sure what PS/2 would use.


Here you go:
> option list
PicoMiteVGA MMBasic RP2350A Edition V6.00.02RC23
OPTION FLASH SIZE 4194304
OPTION COLOURCODE ON
OPTION KEYBOARD GR, 0, 1, 0, 0
OPTION RESOLUTION 640x480 @ 252000KHz
OPTION SDCARD GP13, GP10, GP11, GP12

The help feature is a great tool:
For a USB keyboard they are 100 to 2000mSec and 25 to 2000mSec.
For a PS2 keyboard they are 0 to 3 indicating 250mSec, 500mSec, 750mSec and
1000mSec (default is 1) and 0 to 31 indicating 33mSec to 500mSec
as per the PS2 keyboard specification (default is 12 or 100mSec).



Edited 2025-05-16 06:15 by ManiB
 
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 334
Posted: 08:15pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Thank you!
 
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 334
Posted: 08:46pm 15 May 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

  ManiB said  
The help feature is a great tool:


Indeed - I'll check it out. thanks
 
     Page 2 of 2    
Print this page


To reply to this topic, you need to log in.

The Back Shed's forum code is written, and hosted, in Australia.
© JAQ Software 2025