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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : PICAXE problem
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Chrisk Senior Member  Joined: 21/12/2014 Location: AustraliaPosts: 131 |
Hi Guys Well I thought using a PICAXE for a small function would be an easy way to go. Wrong! I have a temporary setup to load the program but I am receiving this error. I am using Picaxe Editor 6 to program the Picaxe. The program has no problem when I use the simulator but upon loading I get this error. I don't know if it is the cable or the driver.   I have attempted to load a couple of drivers but Windows always seems to say this is the correct driver. Any ideas? Chrisk  |
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| PhenixRising Guru  Joined: 07/11/2023 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1517 |
Stab in the dark. Is COM3 correct? Not at my PC to refresh my memory but I always have COM3 but it‘s (apparently) reserved for something. |
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| Solar Mike Guru Joined: 08/02/2015 Location: New ZealandPosts: 1171 |
Refresh the com ports, and select from the pick list, the port with AXE027 USB Driver.  Mike |
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| Chrisk Senior Member Joined: 21/12/2014 Location: AustraliaPosts: 131 |
Tried doing the refresh and using Com Port 10 Windows refuses to use the PICAXE driver. Keeps telling me that the correct driver is installed. I had this trouble before with another project and driver and I don't remember how I overcame it. Thanks for the quick replies. HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all you fathers. Chris K |
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| Solar Mike Guru Joined: 08/02/2015 Location: New ZealandPosts: 1171 |
Suggest you un-install Picaxe from your PC, then try again and make sure you install as administrator so all drivers get loaded correctly. I have used every version of windows for the past 10 years and now using Win11, have never had an issue installing the Picaxe system on any of them. Cheers Mike |
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| PhenixRising Guru Joined: 07/11/2023 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1517 |
I have experienced a bit of weirdness with USB when I first used Picotool. All I did was to switch to a different port on my USB hub and all was OK. From there, I could switch back to the original port and no problem. Seems that USB can get its knickers in a twist. |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9634 |
Yes, USB can indeed get its knickers in a twist. It's still easier to get USB working then Bluetooth, IMHO!!!  This may seem obvious, but have you tried a different 20X2 chip? Also, do you get an acknowledgement back from the chip if you click on "Check PICAXE type connected"? I tend to agree with Mike - I too have used the PICAXE on various versions of Windoze, and can't say I've ever really had much of an issue getting either PE to run, or getting Windoze to see the AXE027 cable, so this is a bit odd. Watching this thread with interest. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Chrisk Senior Member Joined: 21/12/2014 Location: AustraliaPosts: 131 |
I tried all the suggestions except using the 20X2 chip. Grogster, how do I "Check PICAXE type connected" The only thing I haven't been able to eliminate is the cable itself. It is a Chinese copy of the AXE027 and I have tried both drivers, the one recommended by the seller and the one recommended for the genuine article. At one stage Mozzie(Lyle) said he was some 35km north of Melbourne. If Mozzie, you are prepared to test this cable for me on your gear I would be happy to travel. I would get in touch with you but I have no idea how to use PM. Regards Chris K |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5221 |
Hi Chris, I fear that the chineese copy of the cable may use a different chip inside. That is why windows indicates it has the correct driver installed. And recent windows drivers sometimes have a silicon-copy-protection build in. Some manufacturers can detect that the chip is a chineese copy of their own silicon. And they adapted the windows driver so it refuses to work with the chineese copy chip. Without any message to the user. The driver is correct, and it refuses to work with the copy chip. This is NOT related to PICAXE, but on some USB-RS232 cables I have, I had to install an older driver (after de-installing the windows preferred driver), without the cable attached. (when you attach the cable windows will default install the latest driver, but when there is nothing attached, you can decide what to install). And with that earlier driver, the cable worked. Regards, Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9634 |
Connect your 20X2 chip(or whatever chip), then click on the blue line below the PICAXE type drop-down box, that says: "Check PICAXE type connected" You should get a response and confirmation from PE. That's quite possibly your problem right there. For USB programming of PICAXE chips, you really should ONLY use the RevEd USB programming cable. More expensive then the cheap Chinese copy, yes, but there is a reason the copy is so cheap. Get a genuine AXE027 cable, and I bet your problems will vanish. I wouldn't mind betting, your problem is the cheap copy cable, in other words. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| circuit Senior Member Joined: 10/01/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 283 |
Are you sure that the Chinese cable that you are using really is a copy of the AXE027? The AXE027 is not a standard USB to serial TTL cable; it uses an inverted protocol. If your cable is a standard USB to serial TTL it will not function with PICAXE. This would also explain why the driver is marked valid by Windows. It is probably working fine, but the PICAXE chip is not speaking standard TTL protocol but is looking for the inverted protocol. I seem to recall several proposed breadboard circuits for inverting the signal from a standard Chinese cable, but really the best and simplest approach is to buy one of the very well-made original AXE027 cables. Edited 2025-09-08 20:15 by circuit |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5221 |
As I mentioned before, the PICAXE cable could just be a USB-RS232 (full +/-9V swing) cable. It only has a 3.5mm jack in stead of a 9pinD connector. The PICAXE platforms uses resistors to prevent damaging the PICAXE chips. Note that the early PICAXE development used a true RS232 port on a PC. That port is also +/-12V. It is most unfortunate that PICAXE IDE development on linux was stopped. Linux did not have any problem with any USB-RS232 cable. Just plug it in, and it works. But on Windows you are depending on the driver, made by the chip manufacturer. I still have the PICAXE IDE (the last version they released) running on linux. And since the PICAXE chips did not change for over a decade (still the same 08M2), it is still usable. Volhout P.S. I am just saying this becuase your cable might very well simply work on linux. Edited 2025-09-08 20:24 by Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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