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

---

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.

Refresh the com ports, and select from the pick list, the port with AXE027 USB Driver.


Mike

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

  Chrisk said  

Grogster, how do I "Check PICAXE type connected"

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.

  Chrisk said  

It is a Chinese copy of the AXE027...

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.

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

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

G'day Chris,
As others have suggested, sounds like the cable might be the problem.

I am away this week but will be available over the weekend / next week if you would like to organize something.

I have a known working (genuine) AXE027 cable and it works with WIN7 here, although it does need to use the specific driver from Revolution, won't work with generic driver.

I'll send you a PM, just click on "Private Messenger" up at the top of "The Back Shed" once you've logged in and hopefully it will arrive.

Regards,
Lyle.

The genuine AXE027 cable works OK the win 11 native driver.

Bill

Hi Guys

Here is the USB end of the AXE027 Chinese cable the other end is the standard 3.5mm audio connector.
The label does state 5V TTL.





Chrisk

I checked the code TTL-232R-5V-AJ and it's a standard FTDI usb to TTL cable sold by a lot of companies. The FTDI datasheet shows the 3.5mm plug as
tip is Tx
ring is Rx and
sleeve is GND (0v)

But the AXE027 is wired differently:
tip is 0V
ring is Tx
sleeve is Rx



 

Maybe that's the issue.
regards
Peter

...and remember that the protocol needs to be INVERTED as mentioned by circuit

I'm convinced the cable is your problem.  So far, we have established that:

1) It's a cheap Chinese copy and not the genuine cable
2) It's 3.5mm plug is wired differently to the genuine cable
3) It's standard TTL and the PICAXE is looking for INVERTED TTL.

Any one of those three would cause an issue, but you have ALL three working against you here.

Bin it - it is completely false advertising to say this thing is an AXE027 cable, cos it's very clearly NOT.  But then, false advertising is how all this stuff gets sold.  Look at the 2TB USB flash-drives you can buy for about fifty bucks!  
Edited 2025-09-10 10:32 by Grogster

The FTDI wiring is standard. PICAXE have used nonstandard wiring so you need to buy their overpriced unit.

If the signal is standard TTL serial the polarity of the data needs to be inverted, as mentioned by Volhout.
TTL serial is idle high, data low but the PICAXE requires idle low, data high.

To check this plug it into a USB port and measure between sleeve (0V in FTDI diagram) and the tip (Tx in FTDI diagram). If you get near 0V you just need to rewire the plug by chopping the lead and reconnecting the wires.
If you get 5V you will also need a pair of logic inverters.

NAND or NOR gates will also work if the inputs are connected together.
A pair of transistors will also do the job.

Edit

  Quote  

Look at the 2TB USB flash-drives you can buy for about fifty bucks!

Ripped off! I got one with a USB-C cable and A to C adapter for $20. After getting a refund pulled it apart and found a 16GB thumb drive plugged into an adapter.

So now have those bits for free.
Edited 2025-09-10 10:47 by phil99

If it's using a proper FT232R IC inside the USB plug then there is a way to invert the Tx,Rx logic.
FTDI have a utility called FT_PROG which allows anyone to reprogram the IC's internal EEPROM. One of the parameters sets the logic of the signals. I've used the FT232R a lot but the only time I needed to invert the signal logic is when using it with a PICAXE. I haven't looked deeply into it but I don't think the CP21xx or Prolific USB-to-TTL ICs have this option. This is why Revolution Education use the FTDI IC.

Here's a screenshot of the setting using a genuine AXE027 & FT_PROG





Forgot to mention, if you do change any settings in the FT232R make sure you unplug and then plug the USB cable back in so it loads the new settings.
Edited 2025-09-10 11:46 by ElectroPI

If that doesn't work I have just tested a pair of transistors as inverters on a PIC32MX170 set to use inverted serial logic and it works fine at 115200 baud.

  Quote  

OPTION CONSOLE INVERT
INVERT will invert the data polarity on both the console transmit and receive lines.
This allows the console to be used with RS232 signals without a converter (see the chapter "Low Cost RS-232 Interface" in Appendix A).
It also allows the use of a PICAXE style programming cable.

BC548 transistors, emitters to ⏚ (any general purpose NPN will do)
FTDI Tx -> 10k -> Q1 base. Q1 collector -> MX170 Rx and 1KΩ to Vcc
MX170 Tx -> 10k -> Q2 base. Q2 collector -> FTDI Rx and 1KΩ to Vcc

The base resistors can be up to 100kΩ and the collector resistors up to 4.7kΩ.

If you use MOSFETs (eg 2N7000) you won't need the base resistors.

To check if the tip or sleeve is ground clip a meter probe to the sleeve then probe the outer contacts of the USB plug. one of them is ground. If there is no continuity clip onto the tip and repeat.
.
Edited 2025-09-10 15:00 by phil99