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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Still having keyboard lockups.
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9488 |
I'm still having frequent KB lockups - anyone else still having this issue? It is one of two faults: 1) KB just stops responding all together. No keypresses register at all anymore. Sometimes, if you leave the MM alone for a few minutes, the KB returns, but usually not. 2) KB gives wrong keystrokes - ENTER produces 6 kind of thing, K produces @ kind of thing - mapping totally screwed up. In both these cases, you HAVE to cycle power to fix the problem - as soon as you do this, the KB is fine again. I am sure those of you who know of this issue, remember my old thread about this, but as the issue is still there, I wondered if anyone else has noticed this or if any other progress or solutions might have been tried or found. I have tried numerious KB's, different PSU's(linear and Switchmode), 10k's in parallel with the KB_DTA and KB_CLK lines to drop the overall pull-up resistance to around 5k etc - nothing so far has fixed this. Three different MM boards, so not a faulty board - has to be something else. One B/W MM from Dontronics, 1 CMM1 from CG, and now a CMM2 from CG - all have had the KB issues. As I say - cycle power, everything is fine. This is also one of many reasons that I use MMEdit to develop the code, then just run it on the MM, cos if this happens while in the internal MM editor, your changes are lost, as you can't get the KB to work. 
I don't suppose anyone has any new hints? What about the rest of you - anyone else had or are having these KB lockups? I know of at least one other member here who is, but I have not heard from them for a while, so their problems might have vanished, I don't know. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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Geoffg Guru  Joined: 06/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 3269 |
I cannot think of what the issue could be. You seem to have ruled out everything except the firmware but if there was such a bug in the firmware I would have been inundated with emails - but yours is the only case that I have heard of (so far). In V4.4B I did some work on the keyboard routines to fix other issues so it might be worth trying that version in case I changed whatever is causing your problem... just a long shot. One question - does unplugging and re attaching the keyboard fix the issue? Or do you have to cycle power on both the MM and the keyboard? Geoff Geoff Graham - http://geoffg.net |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9488 |
Thanks for your reply Geoff - I have not tried pulling the KB while powered on. I will do this next time the issue occurs, and let you know. As you say - you would have lots of emails if there was a really serious issue, so I am totally confused at this point myself.... 
There does not appear to be any predictable way to say when it will happen - I have left the MM on for days at a time, and the KB still works, but sometimes I get a run of about 2 minutes, which is what prompted this thread today, and the KB stops responding. I love a good mystery though. 
My current version of the FW is 4.4(not A or B). I will download the B flavour, and keep it handy. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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trippyben Regular Member  Joined: 26/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 91 |
Have you got a logic analyser? Might be time to hook it up and see if the keyboard data changes when things go wrong. This would then clarify if the keyboard is spitting out junk or if the MM is interpreting junk. |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9488 |
No, but I do have a DC-3GHz spectrum analyser - would that be of any use? How much are logic analysers and where can I get one? Probably would be useful to have for other things too, if they are not too drastically priced, that is... EDIT: Found this at Sparkfun... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| trippyben Regular Member Joined: 26/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 91 |
I've got one of the 8ch Saleae units - awesome unit, great software. Is always connected up with my PIC32 software development. Saves lots of time when you can see the external data (especially I2C SPI etc) when your software isn't doing what you think you programmed! I reckon that the price is pretty good, there was some talk of eBay clones around that will cooperate with the Saleae software for a bit less. EDIT - Yep, that's it |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9488 |
Is that unit fast enough to sample the PS/2 keyboard? I understand that PS/2 data is pretty fast..... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| trippyben Regular Member Joined: 26/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 91 |
Max sample rate of 24MHz - no problem for PS2. |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9488 |
Cheers. 
I will get one now - no doubt will be useful for all my other serial comms when debugging. Many thanks for your prod in that direction. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| trippyben Regular Member Joined: 26/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 91 |
No probs - now to claim my commission!! You can download the software from the Saleae website and run it in demo mode to get a feel for it. When you get it hooked up, run a scan and press one or two keys when everything is working OK. Make a note of which keys. The software will let you keep a copy, click the right arrow near the magnifying glass down the bottom and it will open a new tab. When things go bad, click the magnifying glass tab and rescan pressing the same keys. The you can flick between the two tabs and see if anything changes. Have fun. |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9488 |
Ordered with FedEx shipping. Sounds easy enough to drive... Kudos instead of commission?
I do a lot of work with digital stuff and serial these days, so I have no doubt this little toy will come in handy in other areas. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9488 |
Had another lockup just now - KB won't respond at all EXCEPT for ENTER. You can press enter, and it gives you another > prompt, but none of the other keys work at all - just ENTER. As per your request, I hot-plugged the KB(removed KB plug and put it back in with the MM powered, about 3 seconds out before I put it back in), but it did not help - still no response.
Cycle power, and the KB is back again working as it should. I am eager to try the logic analyser on this issue, once it arrives...  Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Geoffg Guru Joined: 06/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 3269 |
That sounds as if the firmware has got confused rather than the keyboard... it might be time to try V4.4B although as I said, it is a long shot. The Saleae logic analyser is a great product. I use it all the time and wrote a review of it in the Sept 2009 issue of Silicon Chip. Geoff Geoff Graham - http://geoffg.net |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9488 |
Any idea WHY the FW would be getting confused? I know that is a very general question - it could be just about anything, but prepared to consider anything.... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Geoffg Guru Joined: 06/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 3269 |
No, it just does not make sense. The firmware does the same thing over an over without fault... except for you! What does it mean? Unplugging the keyboard would have reset it, that is why I don't think that it could be the keyboard. Geoff Geoff Graham - http://geoffg.net |
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CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1427 |
Next time it happens press and release each of the keys that modify other keys: shift, control, alt. Perhaps the firmware or keyboard thinks they are depressed but not released. Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9488 |
Some more experimentation... I use CTRL-C to break out of the programs all the time. Last time I had the issue, for experimentation, I pressed CTRL-C again at the > prompt, and the KB came back to life! Not sure if this is just a coincidence, but I have tried that a couple of times now with the KB lockup, and it seems to restore the KB for me. That is to say, CTRL-C at the > prompt - you have already stopped the program and have the > prompt, but at that point, if the KB is unresponsive, press CTRL-C again(despite being out of the program), and the KB then responds. Also remember that sometimes, when there is no response from the KB, just wait a few seconds, then try again, and away it goes - just sometimes. I eagerly await my logic analyser to see if that can help to track down the problem. @ CG - nice to see you back around the forums. Last I read, forums would not let you log in for some reason. You obviously got that sorted. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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elproducts Senior Member  Joined: 19/06/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 282 |
If ctrl-c corrects it, is it possibly the program that was running on the maximite may be causing the issue? Can you get it to happen after any program? www.elproducts.com |
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| CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1427 |
Just tap the ctrl key a few times. Does that work? Thanks. There is a bug in the forum that insists that I use the right password to log on. (I had the wrong one written down...)Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9488 |
UPDATE: My logic analyser has arrived, so I will hook it up to the KB header beside the socket on the CGCMM2, and monitor things with the software. Once I get a lockup, I can then post the two waveforms, but I am not really expecting the logic analyser to be able to track down this problem, as if it IS a FW lockup, then the logic analyser won't see that, and with the FW locked up, the KB waveforms will probably look identical for the same key before and after lockup. However, a chance to play with my new toy anyway! Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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