What Next? 297Experiment 34: Hardware Meets SoftwareScroll down past all the software until you get to Additional Resources. Look
for the AXE027 PICAXE USB Download Cable. At first glance, it looks as if they
want to sell you a cable, but in fact this is the list of drivers. Double-click the
one appropriate to your computer, and choose a destination on your com-
puter for the download—a place where you will find it easily, such as your
desktop.
The download will leave you with a zipped file folder. You will have to unzip it.
On Windows XP, right-click the folder and choose “Extract all.” View the extract-
ed files and you will find a PDF installation guide. Linux and Mac users can find
instructions currently stashed at http://www.rev-ed.co.uk/docs/AXE027.pdf.
When installing the driver on a Windows platform, here are a few tips to mini-
mize your exasperation level:
- Remember, the special USB cable contains some electronics. It is not just
a cable, but a device designed for interacting with a PICAXE chip. Don’t try
to use it for anything else! - You have to plug the cable into a USB port before you install the driver, be-
cause your computer will need to verify that the driver matches the cable. - You must not attach the PICAXE to the other end of the cable until after
you have installed the driver. - Every USB port on your computer has a separate identity. Whichever one
you choose when you first plug in the cable, you should use that port
every time in the future. Otherwise, you will have to repeat the process of
telling your computer what the cable is. - Bearing in mind Tip #4, you should avoid using the cable in a standalone
USB hub. - The cable is fooling the PICAXE into thinking that it’s talking to a serial
port on your computer. Those “communication” ports are known as COM1,
COM2, COM3, or COM4. When you install the driver, the installer will
choose one of those COM ports for you, and later you will have to know
which one it is. The PDF guide should help you through this procedure.
Unfortunately, you cannot skip it.
The Programming Editor software
If you have come this far, you’re ready for the next big step, which is much
easier. You need the PICAXE Programming Editor, available for free on the Soft-
ware Downloads web page where you found the USB driver. (If you are using a
Mac or Linux, you will need AXEpad, which is on the same web page.)
Downloading and installing the Programming Editor should be simple and
painless. Once you have done that, you should find that it has placed a shortcut
on your desktop. Double-click it, go to View→Options, and in the window that
opens (shown in Figure 5-127), click the Serial Port tab. You should see a dialog
box like the one in Figure 5-128. Now make sure that the Programming Editor is
looking at the same COM port that was chosen by the USB driver. Otherwise, the
Programming Editor won’t know where to find your PICAXE chip.
Be careful not to download the driver
for the USB010 USB-Serial adapter
by mistake. The USB-Serial adapter is
something else entirely.