■Confirming the operation of "PICNIC"
1. First power-up and adjustments
2. Tools required for confirming operations
4. Confirming operations (normal mode and Ethernet connection)
6. Checking in bootstrap mode (serial connection)(optional)
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Updated April 29, 2005 21:56
●First power-up and adjustments
Procedure for first power-up／Insertion of IC into sockets／Contrast adjustment of LCD module
3.1.1 Procedure of first power-up
On the first power up of the PICNIC, do not insert the PIC microcomputer LSI or EEPROM into the IC sockets.
If for some reason, a wrong power supply or signal is sent to these chips, the ICs will be destroyed and this will make it difficult to find the causes of problems in later operation checks.
Be sure that there are no electroconductive materials under the circuit board. It is recommended to use spacers (10mm or more) for raising the circuit board up during these checks.
(1) Connect the AC adaptor to the DC power supply connector.
(2) If there are any strange sound (snapping, popping, crackling) or burning smells, turn off power at once and confirm the mounting of all parts. (If any burnt components are discovered, procure new parts (from local electronics stores or similar shops on the Internet) and replace them.)
(3) If nothing unusual occurs after step (1), leave the power on for about one minute to see how things go. If there are no problems, turn off the power.
3.1.2 Inserting ICs into the sockets
If there are no problems after the first power-up, insert the PIC microcomputer LSI (40pin) and EEPROM (8pin) into the IC sockets. To determine the placement direction of an IC, check for a nick in the socket which indicates the location of pin 1. （On the surface of the IC, a small "O" hole is carved out to indicate the location of pin 1.）
Push the IC into the socket completely. Check the placement direction of the IC and be careful not to bend or break the pin legs in the process.
3.1.3 Contrast adjustment of LCD module
Attempt the second power-up of the PICNIC.
The contrast adjustment of the LCD module will also be done here.
(1) Align and connect CN5 of the LCD module.
(2) Connect the AC adaptor to the DC power supply connector.
(3) If there are any unusual sounds or smells, turn off the power immediately.
(4) After step (2), slightly rotate the contrast adjustment VR1 counter-clockwise until the ******‥* pattern appears lightly on the LCD panel. Once the contrast is sufficient, the adjustment process is completed. [Picture 1]
[Picture 1] LCD contrast adjustment VR1
●Tools required for confirming operations
To confirm the operations of the PICNIC as an HTTP server, the following types of materials will be necessary.
＜Items Required＞
・Personal computer with Ethernet port (including a web browser)
・Ethernet cable（straight cable if using a HUB, a cross cable if using a 1-to-1 connection to the personal computer）
＜Already set up for some environments＞
・For adjustments of a network hub (HUB), a standalone should be used.
＜Other convenient items＞
・RS-232C D-Sub9pin male ⇔ female serial/straight connection cables
●Network environment
The IP address and net mask are preset to default (initial) values of 192.168.0.200/255.255.255.0 in the PICNIC firmware.
First, we will construct a network environment (local IP segment) that will allow the PICNIC to connect to the personal computer with this setting and then check that a remote I/O screen can be displayed from this IP address using a web browser.
Changing the Ethernet network settings of a Windows PC／Connecting PC ⇔ PICNIC 1-to-1 with a cross cable／Connecting via a HUB (PC ⇔ HUB ⇔ PICNIC)／Acquiring (global) IP addresses from a DHCP server／Using fixed global IP addresses in a university or company LAN
3.3.1 Changing the Ethernet network settings of a Windows PC
For users who have administrator authority in Windows/XP (classic menu)
Open, [start]→[control panel]→[network]→[local area network connection #]
The properties of [Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)] are set as follows.
(These are the settings on the personal computer side, not on the PICNIC side.)
Internet Protocol address: 192.168.0.10
Net mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway address: ＜blank＞
[ Figure 1 ] Network setting window #1
[ Figure 2 ] Network setting window #2
3.3.2 One-to-one Personal computer ⇔ PICNIC connection with a cross cable
Buy a cable specifically marked as a "cross cable" at a personal computer shop, etc. It is a good idea to write "Cross" on the connector with a permanent marker because it can be very confusing if you use it in work with straight cables as well.
※The difference from the normally used "straight cable": the Tx and Rx are connected alternately
(In other words, CN1:Tx -> CN2:Rx, Cn2:Tx -> CN1:Rx, a "crossed" connection)
[ Picture 2 ] A one-to-one personal computer ⇔ PICNIC connection using a cross cable.
[ Picture 3 ] Appearance of the connection on the personal computer side ("Cross" is written to avoid confusion )
3.3.3 Connection using a HUB as in personal computer ⇔ HUB ⇔ PICNIC
Buy a cable specifically labelled as a "straight cable" at a personal computer shop, etc. If you already have a straight cable, you can use that. Do not connect the UPLINK side to an ADSL modem or on-premise LAN.
[ Picture 4 ] Connection via a HUB as in personal computer ⇔ HUB ⇔ PICNIC
3.3.4 When (global) Internet Protocol addresses can be obtained from a DHCP server
Since the initial value of the Internet Protocol address written in the firmware is a fixed Internet Protocol address, even if you connect to an environment where a DHCP address can be obtained, the DHCP address will not be acquired and the operation will not be correct.
If you set "IP address=0.0.0.0" in the connection environment of 3.3.2 or 3.3.3 above using the IP address setup screen described below and do a reset, then you will be able to use DHCP address assignments.
3.3.5 When fixed global Internet Protocol addresses can be obtained in university or company LANs
In this case also, just as in 3.3.4 DHCP assignments above, you will have to first use the connection environment of 3.3.2 or 3.3.3 above and the IP address setup screen below to make the IP address=＜IP address from the network manager＞, netmask, gateway modifications and do a reset to continue operation in your configured environment.
●Confirming the operation (normal mode and Ethernet connection)
The network of the personal computer for the operation check is set according to the procedure 3.3.1 above and the connection environment of 3.3.2 or 3.3.3 is confirmed.
When you have confirmed the environment, we will check the operation of the normal mode (Depending on the Ethernet connection) is executed according to the following procedures.
(1) The network cable of PICNIC and the personal computer are connected to the Ethernet connector (or HUB).
(2) The AC adaptor is connected with the DC power supply connector.
(3) After step (2), verify that the LINK of the NIC status LED lights up on the PICNIC board.
※ If the LED is not lit: causes could be wrong choice of cable type, bad cable connection, or the NIC on the PC side is not configured for one-to-one cross cable connection. Check the connections again.
[ Picture 5 ] Setup of network connection and LINK lighted up (in the initial setup "*******" is displayed)
(4) Do a connection test with the "ping command".
For the Windows/XP personal computers do the following
[Start]→[Program]→[Accessories]→[Command prompt]
When the command prompt window is displayed
input the "ping 192.168.0.200" command and check the ping response from the PICNIC.
If the following type of response is returned, the operation is OK.
[ Figure 3 ] Example of ping response from PICNIC (examined on local area connection #3. )
※If a ping response does not return: possible causes are incorrect setting of network address or net mask, or the parameter (IP address) to the ping command is incorrect. Confirm the settings again.
●Control via a browser
Test of remote I/O control／Changes in PICNIC side network settings (optional)
3.5.1 Test of remote I/O control
Since we were able to confirm a ping response from "192.168.0.200" according to above-mentioned procedure 3.4, we can do a connection test by the http protocol using a web browser.
(1) Start a web browser such as "Internet Explorer" or "Netscape".
(2) Specify the following URL http://192.168.0.200/.
[ Figure 4 ] Display of remote I/O control screen
(4) Confirm output value changes of RB4 to RB7 by clicking the [H] or [L] buttons. Also confirm that the corresponding LED lights turn on and off on the board.
[ Picture 6 ] RB4 is changed to High from the remote I/O control screen.
[ Picture 7 ] Output monitor LED and RB4 are lit (high).
(5) Confirm whether or not the output value of the temperature sensor IC (centigrade) indicates a completely different value (e.g., 80℃).
3.5.2 Changes in PICNIC side network settings (optional)
Under a specific network environment such as those described in above-mentioned 3.3.4 and 3.3.5, the PICNIC can be inserted into a LAN environment with DHCP servers, global IP addresses, etc., by changing the various parameters of the configuration section of the remote I/O control screen via a web browser.
※If a reset or power off/on is done after the settings are changed, it will not be possible to connect from the personal computer with the current settings(IP address 192.168.0.10/25). Please do similar tests with the newly inserted environment.
[A] Environment in which (global) IP addresses can be obtained from a DHCP server
(1) If you obtain an IP address from a DHCP server, you will not know what the address is so you should set the LCD port UDP # of the Configuration section to "10000" beforehand and do a reset. The IP address acquired from the DHCP server should be displayed in the LCD panel.
(2) Do a "reload" and refresh the contents of the web browser.
(3) For instance, if the acquired IP address is "160.252.131.126" it will be possible to connect under this environment by specifiying http://160.252.131.126/ in the URL field of the browser.
[B] Environment in which it is possible to obtain a fixed global IP address
(1) If you set a fixed IP address, you will not know what the address is so you should set the LCD port UDP # of the Configuration section to "10000" beforehand and do a reset. The fixed IP address just configured should be displayed in the LCD panel.
(2) Do a "reload" and refresh the contents of the web browser.
(3) For instance, if the fixed IP address set is 160.252.131.19 connections from this environment will be possible by specifying http://160.252.131.19/ in the URL field of the web browser. (The screen shot of the PICNIC in Fig. 4 above is operating with a fixed global IP address.)
※If any errors are made during these procedures and as a result you are no longer able to connect via Ethernet or you have forgotten the configuration values, you will have to do the following check in bootstrap mode with a PC (terminal) connected with a serial cable and make the necessary changes.
●Check in "boot strap mode" (serial connection) (optional)
Necessary tools and terminal software／Serial connection of personal computer ⇔ PICNIC／PICNIC start-up by "boot strap mode"／Just tell me how to restore the initial values?
3.6.1 Necessary tools and terminal software
For checks in "boot strap mode" (serial connection), you will need to prepare the following equipment and terminal software.
＜Required＞
・Personal computer with RS-232C serial port (hard to find these days)
・If you do not have this, you can purchase a USB connection virtual serial port adaptor (allocated in COM5:, etc.) and set it up for connection to the personal computer (you can buy these at a personal computer shop, but they are quite costly.)
・RS-232C D-Sub9 pin male ⇔ female serial straight connection cables
＜Terminal software＞
・"TeraTerm Pro" recommended for Windows.
3.6.2 Serial connection of personal computer ⇔ PICNIC
Connect both D-Sub 9pin connectors with the serial cable.
[ Picture 9 ] RS-232C D-Sub9 pin male ⇔ female serial straight connection cable
[ Picture 10 ] Connection of PICNIC ⇔ personal computer with a serial cable.
3.6.3 PICNIC start-up in "boot strap mode"
To start up the firmware of PICNIC in "boot strap mode" do the following procedure when the power supply is turned on (change setting of JP2 jumper).
(1) Change jumper pin JP2 1-2 open → JP2 1-2 short.
(2) Start a terminal program such as "TeraTerm Pro" and specify the COM port number on the personal computer (when a standard serial port is available, test with COM1: or COM2:). The communication conditions are set to 9600bps, 8bit, parity none.
(3) With the terminal program running, connect the AC adaptor to the DC power supply.
(4) If the connection is made correctly, the following type of opening messages will be received and displayed by the terminal program.
[ Figure 5 ] Start-up in "boot strap mode" (opening message)
(5) Refer to page 6 of the instruction manual of the kit and set the proper values for IP address, etc.
(6) Once the configuration has been done, turn off the power, restore the jumper pin JP2 to its original position (1-2 open).
(7) Connect to the target environment and perform the operation checks again.
3.6.4 Just tell me how to restore the initial values?
Input the following commands
IP address: 192.168.0.200(i=192.168.0.200)
Net mask: 255.255.255.0(n=255.255.255.0)
Gateway address: 0.0.0.0(g=0.0.0.0)
do a reset and return to the beginning of the setup procedure.
wasaki@cs.shinshu-u.ac.jp
Copyright(c) 2005 Katsumi Wasaki. All rights reserved.