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digix:tutorials:basics

This is an old revision of the document!


(Improvements, tips, more basics, etc are welcome here!)

What follows is a list of tips and differences for using the DigiX vs using the Arduino Due - for most users we've set everything up (if you're using our modified IDE) so it will work how you expect - but if you have questions about pin assignments, serial ports, etc - here are some answers.

Otherwise - Here is a great getting started guide that applies to the DigiX just as well: http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/ArduinoDue

Tips:

If the COM port isn't showing in the Arduino IDE - unplug and replug the board. If that doesn't work - unplug, hold down the erase button on the board for a moment and then replug - you may then have to select it from the com port menu as it may be on a different port - but it is a sure way to get it to respond even if your sketch crashed the USB stack.

Differences when using the modified Arduino IDE:

If you have installed the DigiX additions to the Arduino IDE (either in the form of the Digistump version of the IDE or the add-on files) and you use the “DigiX” board option to program your DigiX then you should be aware of the following differences:

  1. The computer connected USB port is accessible by SerialUSB AND Serial (ex. SerialUSB.begin(9600) AND Serial.begin(9600) are the same thing) The Serial port on pins 0 and 1 has been renamed Serial0 and is usable even when Serial to computer communications are being used.
  2. Pin numbers on the board are the pin numbers for the IDE.
  3. Flip over your board for alternative functions for the pins. All pins are usable though 110-113 have 10k pull ups (and can be used for JTAG) on them and 104,105 are connected to the WiFi module for (optional) hardware flow control. Those pins can be disconnected from the WiFi module using the solder jumpers on the bottom (by cutting the trace between the jumpers).
  4. Pin 106 can be tied to WiFi reset is desired by the solder jumper on the back.
  5. Pins 52 (CSN) and 53 (CE) are shared with the nRF24L01+ module - remove the module to use them for other things.
  6. Pin 51 can be tied to the nRF module's IRQ line by the solder jumper on the back.
  7. Serial1 is shared with the wifi module - remove the WiFi enable jumper to disable it.
  8. The Micro SD card is on the default slave select pin so the SD library works out of the box.
  9. Examples are provided for the DigiFi (DigiX WiFi), EEPROM, and nRF module - the WiFi library is for the Arduino WiFi shield and is not compatible with the DigiX module.

Differences when using the unmodified Arduino IDE:

If you have not installed the DigiX additions to the Arduino IDE (either in the form of the Digistump version of the IDE or the add-on files) and you use the “Arduino Due (Native Port)” option to program your DigiX then the following differences need to be taken into account:

  1. The computer connected USB port is accessible by SerialUSB not Serial (ex. SerialUSB.begin(9600) not Serial.begin(9600) - often sketches assume Serial is the one connected to the computer and because of this you'll need to change those calls to SerialUSB for them to work with the Serial Monitor/other applications. If you are programming using our addon file/version of the IDE and the DigiX entry in the boards list then you do no need to do this.
  2. Serial1 is shared with the wifi module - remove the WiFi enable jumper to disable it.
  3. The Micro SD card is on the default slave select pin so the SD library works out of the box.
  4. The “Arduino Due (Programming Port)” option does not work, as the DigiX only has one USB interface.
  5. Pins 90-113 are not usable.
digix/tutorials/basics.1378543994.txt.gz · Last modified: 2013/09/07 01:53 by digistump