CF-19 RS232 Comms Issues

I am going to try here first as I think this is an issue based around the "Panasonic" hardware setup. I use this stuff everyday, but I am usually using a wireless Bluetooth Serial comm setup to talk to my automotive ECU. Relevant? This is on com 40.

Today, I need to use the port on the back of the computer. I use a port check program and get a hit on com 3. Message is:

9600 baud
"s"ing 's'
115200 baud
"s"ing 's'

I test the serial comms on the ECU, jumping the processor, using hyper terminal, and get typed echo back with port 3 set.

Okay so "seems" everything is working, right? Move on. Build crystal circuit, install processor. Using firmware loader for ECU, with a signature read I get message:

Reading signature:
Trying command 's'
s
Signature: "s"

Okay cool, still "looking" right to me. But upon loading the firmware I get:
(lots of lines of relevant code, pathway, and stuff then...)
ERROR: Unknown error status response, e=0x21

I try for a while thinking saving the .s19 file had been the problem, Windows dropping the .s19 and putting .txt on the end. Finally seem to get that sorted and the firmware loader says the file is good, but still getting above error message.

Okay so I try connecting with my tuning software, it tells me the ECU is sitting on com 30 without firmware loaded. Say what com 30? Okay DUH, I know firmware isn't loaded... So I try to configure the firmware loader for com 30, can't. Only lets me pick 1-9.

So I try com 30 on Hyperterminal. With processor attached, get weird characters back. Remove processor and jumper proper pins, get normal echo. Un-jumper, single character. Unpower, same. It would seem to be on com 30.

Okay go into device manager, try to change com 30 to com 3 (I think) get warnings. Hit okay... Now nothing seen on 3.

I am a bit lost here. Baud rates and all the parity etc should be setup correctly. But what is on Com 3 that would have given me "normal" responses, but not actually be the rear serial port??? What was I on that was echoing the characters back????

Any ideas on what next?

Very confused, device manager has all sorts of ports, like RIM, that shouldn't even be on my machine. Not sure where the "normal" rear com port is.

Maybe it wasn't enabled in Bios, goes and checks... Okay both Serial port A and port B are set to Auto. Port A is on the back, and port B would be on the docking connector right? Lets see what is where on the reboot...

Okay on reboot in device manager I see "Communications Port (COM1) and " " (COM2). COM1 is set for the baud rate I need, 115200.

Trying the firmware load all over again, and I finally have success with COM1. I wrote this in process after about 4hrs of confusion, but I am seriously baffled as to what happened.... Any insight on this and the above questions or thoughts, might help me. Talk small, LOL. I hate serial port setup issues....

 

I don't know much, but I would lock the ports in the bios..I would not use auto...

 

This is all above my pay grade...

I do not exactly see a "locked" setting. I have Auto, Enabled, or Disabled. Enabled lets me assign the I/O address, IRQ (Interupt Request) whatever the hell that is... I "could" fiddle with this and select what comes up first, test and see if I have comms. But zee crap is finally working set on COM1, with COM1 set to Auto in BIOS.

I "think" what went wrong in my testing earlier was whatever the hell is/was on COM3, was sending back information that "looked" kosher. When testing on COM1, I was getting crap. BUT, I still had the boot jumper installed on the processor. Seems this gets you garbage.

Again, messing with this stuff is beyond me. I understand tuning it, not coding it. I can follow directions real good, but when they get foggy on something I have poor understanding of, I get a bit confrazzled.

 

My poor choice of words.

I meant set it to enabled and not Auto...That will "lock" the port to whatever number you set it at.

 

I had similar experiences, but found the problem was the software I installed for the communication with the car. This software installed virtual com-ports (i.e. also named COM1), which makes me confusing to connect to the real com port on the back with different software.

 

I still don't know what I messed up...

So Shawn, I would set it to "enabled" and then since I have NO IDEA what the IO/IRQ crap, I mean settings are, just leave the default ones selected?

It is VERY rare that I actually connect a serial cable to the rear port. Most of the time I use the bluetooth.

Is there an easy way to figure out what on earth is on com 3?

Onirakkiss, are you using a multiplexer setup? If so I feel your pain from here....

 

• COM1: I/O port 0x3F8, IRQ 4
• COM2: I/O port 0x2F8, IRQ 3
• COM3: I/O port 0x3E8, IRQ 4
• COM4: I/O port 0x2E8, IRQ 3

If you force it in bios to one of these, it will stay there. otherwise in auto mode your OS can assign it any port it wants to.

 

Okay well everything is behaving now... It was my firmware loader that whacked everything out. I should really lock the ports down to prevent this... But I need to figure out how to deal with it across the two platforms first. IE my CF-19 and CF-30 need to be setup to match. My Tuning software gets synched across the two machines via dropbox.

Still unsure what on earth is on com 3...

 

Do you have GPS?

 

That was my first thought... But no, not in the CF-19. I have the parts to put it into the (former) WWAN PCI slot. But it is not currently installed there. I DO have a $7 chinese PCI to SSD (or some such) adapter in the WWAN slot. I am using the USB input to have a small 8gb drive I can turn off in BIOS. Works nicely. But nothing else on it is hooked up. I wonder if it is looping back or something....

 

My bet is it's a dialup modem )

 

That is a freaking useless wast of perfectly good modding space AND software + drivers to give me headaches. I bet your right!

I forget what it was, but on one of my Toughbooks (YEARS ago) I had to disable and unplug that stupid bit of electronics. It was giving me headaches, configuration problems, and error messages. It was likely on the OLD CF-25...