User`s manual

Ewave Stamper User’s Manual V1.0

4 Troubleshooting

For the most up-to-date Troubleshooting information, please visit Ewave’s On-line Support Center at

http://www.electrowave.com/support/

NOTE: When troubleshooting a new problem, it is useful to understand the three general types of

failures of your BASIC Stamp system. The three general categories are:

1. Problems having nothing to do with the Ewave STAMPER. Please verify correct operation of the

BASIC Stamp system with a normal wired connection before installing the STAMPER.

2. Problems due to incorrect installation of the Ewave STAMPER, or incompatible software.

These problems typically occur consistently and repeatably, every time. Follow the steps below to

troubleshoot your installation.

3. Problems due to RF interference, poor signal quality or insufficient signal strength.These

problems are typically intermittent and may be caused by improper positioning of the STAMPER

modems or by interference from another 900MHz radio device such as a cordless phone, wireless

headphones, etc. You will need to experiment with re-positioning the STAMPER radios and/or

turning off suspected sources of interference as explained below until the problems disappears.

In the unlikely event you experience problems with the STAMPER system, please follow these steps to

diagnose and correct the issue.

• Verify the version of the BASIC Stamp Editor software is 1.1 or higher. Do this by starting the

BASIC Stamp Editor (named stampw.exe; or by opening an existing BASIC Stamp project) and

choosing Help / About from the menu.

• If the version is less than 1.1, upgrade stampw.exe from the Parallax web site:

http://www.parallaxinc.com

• Verify that your system works with the BASIC Stamp directly connected to the PC with a serial

cable. Any problems with your BASIC Stamp environment when using a normal, wired link must be

resolved before proceeding. Parallax has excellent documentation that can serve as a resource for

generic BASIC Stamp issues.

NOTE: For the following diagnostic steps, position the STAMPER modems a few feet apart. Once

you’ve verified proper operation with the STAMPERs separated by only a few feet, move them to their

original positions and try again.

• With the STAMPERs a few feet apart and installed as described above, verify proper operation.

For instance, when performing a BASIC Stamp Identify command, you should see brief flashes on the

TX and RX LEDs on both STAMPERs indicating Transmission and Reception of data and

acknowledgements, and Parallax’s software should display the proper Identify response.

• If either STAMPER’s TX LED is not “active” (neither steadily “on” nor blinking),this

indicates the STAMPER is not receiving power. Check that the AC power adapters are correctly

plugged in and attached to the STAMPERS.

• If the system works with the STAMPERs a few feet apart but not when father apart, look for

a source of RF interference. Either eliminate the interference or change the STAMPERs to a new

channel. See ChangingYourStampersChannel in this document.

• If the system DOES NOT work with the STAMPERs a few feet apart, the STAMPER

modems may be set on different channels. Use the Configurator program to verify the STAMPER

modems are set to, or to set them to, the same channel. See ChangingYourStampersChannel in this

document for details.