At this point, it's probably a good idea to seat the EEPROM and Propeller in their socket to verify that they are functional.
The EEPROM comes pre-programmed with the ImAlive.spin
program (/demos/assembly/ImAlive.spin
), which blinks the software-controlled LED to indicate that the Propeller is indeed alive.
You will discover pretty quickly that IC pins never seem to line up exactly with the socket; they are too wide. This is pretty much always the case, so the pins must be bent very slightly to straighten them out.
For large ICs like the Propeller, the easiest way to do this is to press one long edge of the IC against the table, and roll the pins gently inward, until they are perpendicular with the IC body (the black part).
Be gentle with ICs, and don't bend the pins If you bend IC pins too many times, they will break off, and then you will need a new chip. |
Seat the Propeller onto the 40-pin DIP socket, with the IC tab on the end closest to the crystal. Don't wedge it in too tight, because you'll need to remove it again later.
NEVER INSTALL AN IC BACKWARDS Doing so usually results in frying the chip completely. |
It's best to gradually press the IC on either side. If you apply a lot of pressure to seat all pins at once, but come to find your pins are misaligned, you may bend and break many pins all at once, so don't!
24LC256
printed on the top.
Doh! The Propeller itself is the heart of the system. Without it, nothing else does anything. |
You gotta make sure to seat the Propeller gently but firmly on the board, all the way into its socket. |
These definitely need to be fixed and quick. If they get bent too much, they will weaken and fall off. |