VGS Post-assembly Troubleshooting Thread

[damaru]

Thanks !

looking forward for the blog post! hopefully we can get the info before xmas to play around during the xmass time off

[layne]

damaru,

I'm having trouble getting my Mega 2560 working with either Linux or Windows (XP or Seven) (maybe I got a broken one?), but here's what I think should work:

Cut the trace between VGS pin 11 and the hole next to it. Solder a wire from the shield hole 9 to the shield pin 11. This connects the SYNC signal to the proper pin (RB5) on the Mega.

Solder a wire into the shield hole 7, and plug it into the mega's digital pin 29. This should connect the VIDEO signal.

Solder a wire from shield hole 10 to shield hole 11. This connects the audio signal.

For the nunchuck connections, there are three wires:
1. The I2C SDA pin has been moved to D20 on the Mega. Solder a wire into the shield hole AD4, and plug it into D20, labeled SDA.
1. The I2C SCL pin has been moved to D21 on the Mega. Solder a wire into the shield hole AD5, and plug it into D21, labeled SCL.
3. The pin that indicates which Nunchuck to talk to is D12, and doesn't need to be changed.

As I said above, I haven't been able to get the arduino 21 software to talk to my Mega, so I haven't tested this pinout change. I'll be working tonight and will hopefully have some success with it. I'll post a photo once it's working, to help explain the changes.

Thanks much!

--
Matthew

[layne]

Alright, I got the Mega 2560 working, and loaded up some VGS code. Using the modifications I described in the previous post, everything seems to be working great! Here are a few photos of everything soldered up and plugged into the Mega. Keep in mind that some of the pins are still connected, for example, pin 7 on the shield is connected to both D7 and D29, so don't use D7 for anything. These pins shouldn't be used in your sketch: AD4, AD5, D7, and D9.

Modifications for the audio and video signals. Photo 1/2.

vgs_mega_video_audio_01_s.jpg (228.12 KiB) Viewed 5266 times

Modifications for the audio and video signals. Photo 2/2.

vgs_mega_video_audio_02_s.jpg (171.75 KiB) Viewed 5266 times

Wires for the Nunchuck connections.

vgs_mega_nunchuck_wires_s.jpg (193.54 KiB) Viewed 5266 times

Close-up of the Nunchuck extension cable, minus the clear plastic piece, plugged into the VGS on the Arduino Mega.

vgs_mega_nunchuck_plug_s.jpg (142.83 KiB) Viewed 5266 times

I used a nunchuck extension cable, and I removed the clear plastic piece to get it to fit better since the Mega has stuff in the way.

[damaru]

Thanks for the detailed explanation - will hack this weekend and let you know how far I I get

!

[damaru]

-edit- Sounds demo working good with tv ouput too - I think the video ouput has to be 30 and not 29 btw -

will do more test - looking forward to make my own game ! !

can't connect player 2 with the video cable connected to 30 - not a big deal at this point

not sure if the controler works neither - will do more test over the weekend - since there is no example that works with only 1 controler I'll have to code some more

thanks again - that's be all for my update for today

[layne]

We're working on a single player game right now, and it should be released in the next week or so. It's a good one

I tested out these mods on my mega, and both audio and video are working just fine, using a single Classic Controller connected to the P1 port. The tvout library homepage says that for the Mega, the VIDEO signal goes to pin A7, which is digital pin 29 on the Arduino Mega schematic. Seemed to be working for my hardware.

Good luck with your conversion, let us know how it works out or if you run into trouble!

[zhazam]

I can't get the VGS to work - the LED on it isn't lighting up. I'm using the shield with a Diecimila w/ a 328 chip - which should make it function like a Duemilanove. I'm not sure if it handles power differently, though?

( I've checked the soldering several times over, and I don't think it's causing the problem - if this turns out to be the case, however, which components would be best to check out first? )

[wayne]

I can't get the VGS to work - the LED on it isn't lighting up. I'm using the shield with a Diecimila w/ a 328 chip - which should make it function like a Duemilanove. I'm not sure if it handles power differently, though?

( I've checked the soldering several times over, and I don't think it's causing the problem - if this turns out to be the case, however, which components would be best to check out first? )

zhazam, the Diecimila with a 328 chip works great with the Video Game Shield. I have one just like that, so it isn't anything with the power. One possibility is that you soldered the LED backwards--it happens to all of us. If you did this, the shield would still work, but the LED wouldn't until you turned it around. Does the LED have a flat edge?

Does the standard arduino blink sketch blink the LED on the Arduino board?

Secondly, do you have a multimeter? Check to make sure that your arduino is making 5V on the 5V line. Also, unplug the Video Game Shield, and check the resistance between power and ground on the shield.

Adam Wolf

[zhazam]

Ah, good to know that the Diecimila isn't at fault

With the shield unplugged, the Arduino is giving out 5 volts on the 5V line.

With the shield plugged in, the standard blink sketch does not blink at all - in fact, the Arduino loses power as soon as the shield is plugged in.

There is no resistance between 5V and GND on the unplugged shield - which might be the problem?

[layne]

Ah, I believe the Diecimila and newer have some over-current protection, to try and protect your USB port from wiring troubles. It sounds like there is a short between 5v and GND on the shield, causing the arduino's power to get interrupted temporarily. Your no resistance between 5v and GND makes it sound like this is the case. You can try looking for solder bridges between Vdd and GND, and I'll try to think up a good way to track down where the short is.