Forum >Error message/red dot when trying to connect to scratch (PC)
Error message/red dot when trying to connect to scratch (PC)
Account cancelled 2016-01-16 10:36:04 11077 Views6 Replies This error is on both "launch arduino" and "Launch vortex communication service". It's an error on the files "contents\node.vbs" and "contents\nodevortex.vbs". Line: 21, Char:1 , Error: the system cannot find the file specified, Code: 8007002, Source: null.
I am using a USB cable, not Bluetooth.
Also the vortex is getting a red dot (not green) in scratch. I assume these are related.
I am using a USB cable, not Bluetooth.
Also the vortex is getting a red dot (not green) in scratch. I assume these are related.
2016-01-21 16:21:37 Hi Jaroslav,
Cool, thank you very much for your confirmation. We will update the document today. Please feel free to ask anything in the forum.
Xia Rex
Cool, thank you very much for your confirmation. We will update the document today. Please feel free to ask anything in the forum.
Mares Jaroslav wrote:Hi Rex,
Thank you very much for your detailed reply. I have downloaded the last DF4Scratch_EN (just 2 hours oldand it works as expected (using Win7 64 bit and Vortex connected by USB cable). Obviously the problem was in the comms service. I have checked both options (start of node.exe in cmd.exe and start using the shortcut) with the same result - Vortex came to dfrobot and obeys Scratch commands. May be you should update the 's4a for vortex tutorial.pdf' on your website because it still recommends to start both comms services simultaneously (see Step 4). I am looking forward to more Scratch experiments next days. I can try the ASUS bluetooth adapter again or, if it will be hopeless, order your Bluno.
Regards Jaro
Xia Rex 2016-01-21 10:44:40 Hi Rex,
Thank you very much for your detailed reply. I have downloaded the last DF4Scratch_EN (just 2 hours old and it works as expected (using Win7 64 bit and Vortex connected by USB cable). Obviously the problem was in the comms service. I have checked both options (start of node.exe in cmd.exe and start using the shortcut) with the same result - Vortex came to dfrobot and obeys Scratch commands. May be you should update the 's4a for vortex tutorial.pdf' on your website because it still recommends to start both comms services simultaneously (see Step 4). I am looking forward to more Scratch experiments next days. I can try the ASUS bluetooth adapter again or, if it will be hopeless, order your Bluno.
Regards Jaro Mares Jaroslav
Thank you very much for your detailed reply. I have downloaded the last DF4Scratch_EN (just 2 hours old
and it works as expected (using Win7 64 bit and Vortex connected by USB cable). Obviously the problem was in the comms service. I have checked both options (start of node.exe in cmd.exe and start using the shortcut) with the same result - Vortex came to dfrobot and obeys Scratch commands. May be you should update the 's4a for vortex tutorial.pdf' on your website because it still recommends to start both comms services simultaneously (see Step 4). I am looking forward to more Scratch experiments next days. I can try the ASUS bluetooth adapter again or, if it will be hopeless, order your Bluno. Regards Jaro
Mares Jaroslav 2016-01-21 07:43:28 BTW, our official releases for Scratch plugin is here.
https://github.com/DFRobot/DFResources/tree/master/Vortex4Scratch
Xia Rex
https://github.com/DFRobot/DFResources/tree/master/Vortex4Scratch
Mares Jaroslav wrote:Continuation ...
Eventually I managed to guess the bluetooth pairing passcode: "vortex". So step 6 of the tutorial was successfuly completed, Vortex lights with constant brightness exactly as desribed there. Comms services are running, green dot displayed, in spite of this all Vortex does not dance, does not play music, does nothing. I seem to be very close to the goal but the result is still the same - the dead robot. Used Win7 64 bit with ASUS bluetooth adapter. One detail more: The green dot flashes regularly - about six seconds green, then one second red, forever. Any idea?
Xia Rex 2016-01-21 07:36:32 Hi,
This means your bluetooth adapter is not actually talking to Vortex. Only constant green dot means a good connection.
You need to use cable first to make sure the problem in not in the connection. And maybe you can show me your screenshot for your serialports? ( you can press win+R and type in `msinfo32` then in the window go to component->ports->serial. ) Vortex needs to be occupying the first port or the library might find something else to talk to.
Xia Rex
This means your bluetooth adapter is not actually talking to Vortex. Only constant green dot means a good connection.
You need to use cable first to make sure the problem in not in the connection. And maybe you can show me your screenshot for your serialports? ( you can press win+R and type in `msinfo32` then in the window go to component->ports->serial. ) Vortex needs to be occupying the first port or the library might find something else to talk to.
Mares Jaroslav wrote:Continuation ...
Eventually I managed to guess the bluetooth pairing passcode: "vortex". So step 6 of the tutorial was successfuly completed, Vortex lights with constant brightness exactly as desribed there. Comms services are running, green dot displayed, in spite of this all Vortex does not dance, does not play music, does nothing. I seem to be very close to the goal but the result is still the same - the dead robot. Used Win7 64 bit with ASUS bluetooth adapter. One detail more: The green dot flashes regularly - about six seconds green, then one second red, forever. Any idea?
Xia Rex 2016-01-21 07:20:01 Hi Jaroslav and Philip,
I have looked through your post and I can give you some feedbacks. Sorry about the trouble you have to go through. I'll patch it up and sync to github.
First you are right about those node.exe programs. They are the communication services. One of them is daemon.
For this to work, the command is really just
```
node.exe vortex.js
```
The rest of the bunch is just wrapper for handling unplugging and re-plugging of the cable situations. (Sadly that does not work on non-Chinese OS, I'll test and fix that.)
This program talks via serial ports. It scans the serial ports and look for the first connected port that looks like an arduino-compatible link. Usually with most of the modern desktop and laptop the Vortex/Arduino device would be the only device attached, so please tell us if you have trouble with node.exe pinpointing your device.
Second, USB cable should work better than Bluetooth. Vortex talks to bluetooth 4.0 devices only with an accent built in its hardware. If you have one of our BLE links https://www.dfrobot.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1220&search=ble&description=true#.Vp-kbTZ7wW8, you can connect to Vortex as if it is connected via cable.
I would suggest you still plug in the cable, use CMD.exe and execute `node.exe vortex.js` and see what it prints. If I can have the error messages it would help me guide through the problem. By the look of your screenshot you are using win7 (hopefully not vista), which should be compatible with the serial library.
And please ***make sure your Vortex is using its default firmware***. The Scratch plugin talks to Vortex using its own protocol. Please use WhenDo to flash its firmware back to default when you begin to use Scratch.
Also one detail caught my eye: you said "four" node.exe. It only happens if you launched **both** Arduino and Vortex communication programs. They will compete for serial ports, so please shut them all down and only launch the Vortex comms program.
Meanwhile I am working on the issues in the English shortcuts.
Best,
Rex
Xia Rex
I have looked through your post and I can give you some feedbacks. Sorry about the trouble you have to go through. I'll patch it up and sync to github.
First you are right about those node.exe programs. They are the communication services. One of them is daemon.
For this to work, the command is really just
```
node.exe vortex.js
```
The rest of the bunch is just wrapper for handling unplugging and re-plugging of the cable situations. (Sadly that does not work on non-Chinese OS, I'll test and fix that.)
This program talks via serial ports. It scans the serial ports and look for the first connected port that looks like an arduino-compatible link. Usually with most of the modern desktop and laptop the Vortex/Arduino device would be the only device attached, so please tell us if you have trouble with node.exe pinpointing your device.
Second, USB cable should work better than Bluetooth. Vortex talks to bluetooth 4.0 devices only with an accent built in its hardware. If you have one of our BLE links https://www.dfrobot.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1220&search=ble&description=true#.Vp-kbTZ7wW8, you can connect to Vortex as if it is connected via cable.
I would suggest you still plug in the cable, use CMD.exe and execute `node.exe vortex.js` and see what it prints. If I can have the error messages it would help me guide through the problem. By the look of your screenshot you are using win7 (hopefully not vista), which should be compatible with the serial library.
And please ***make sure your Vortex is using its default firmware***. The Scratch plugin talks to Vortex using its own protocol. Please use WhenDo to flash its firmware back to default when you begin to use Scratch.
Also one detail caught my eye: you said "four" node.exe. It only happens if you launched **both** Arduino and Vortex communication programs. They will compete for serial ports, so please shut them all down and only launch the Vortex comms program.
Meanwhile I am working on the issues in the English shortcuts.
Best,
Rex
Mares Jaroslav wrote:I can confirm the same experience, the S4V tutorial Getting Started instructions fail in step 4 because of three shortcut LNK files that do not work.
Both Launch Services fail on line 21 of linked VBS scripts where the current directory should be set. Anyway, it seems quite unnecessary in the tutorial context, so I fixed it by adding an apostrophe at the beginning of the line 21 (leaving it there as a comment).
On the other hand, the Stop Services shortcut links to a nonexistent BAT file named by Chinese characters. There are three files with strange names in total in the ‘contents’ folder. I guess the shortcut needs that one calling EasyServiceUninstall. So you have to find it out, rename it and then right click on the “Stop Communication Services.lnk”, choose Properties and replace the Chinese target by your new name.
After that you can complete the step 4. Each Launch Service creates two ‘node.exe’ processes and with them running you may continue by step 5. Start Scratch by double click ‘Vortex Example.sb2’ and you should see (at least I do) the desired green dot above the black blocks with Vortex commands. Double click on the “Stop Communication Services.lnk” and it will change to red while all four ‘node.exe’ processes disappear.
Unfortunately, the little green light is not the end of troubles; it just confirms that the Scratch application and node.exe (DFRobot Helper process?) talk one to each other. Communication between node.exe and Vortex has to be started yet.
But step 6 is the stumbling-block for me. When I am using USB connection instead of Bluetooth, Windows Device Manager reports Vortex as working properly on COM7 but Vortex never connects and its lights are still fading and brightening. When I try Bluetooth adapter in my PC, I can start Add Bluetooth Device dialog, the Vortex is quoted there, but I am forced to enter a Vortex pairing code which is unknown to me. Usual default code 1234 does not work; 6 characters are required, so after many unsuccessful trials I gave it up. Yes, I do not use Bluno adapter but could hardly believe it is necessary nor the tutorial says so.
Another programming options, e.g. Scratch for Arduino (promised by DFRobot and described in their DF4Scratch Manual) or Snap4Arduino (Snap is an advanced successor of Scratch) are impossible because after uploading of StandardFirmata or other software to Vortex board the only published way how to then upload back the default Vortex firmware is bounded to WhenDo app and IOS. More details about sensors and servos connected to Arduino board might be also necessary for such experiments.
We can only hope that DFRobot will publish such details soon as well as their default firmware. At the launch of their project and even now in their tutorial they declared support for Arduino IDE/WhenDo/Ardublock/Scratch and a need of reverse engineering was never mentioned.
My final question:
HAS ANYONE MANAGED THE VORTEX PROGRAMMING USING SCRATCH?
Share your experience, please!
Regards Jaro
Xia Rex 2016-01-19 00:48:22 Continuation ...
Eventually I managed to guess the bluetooth pairing passcode: "vortex". So step 6 of the tutorial was successfuly completed, Vortex lights with constant brightness exactly as desribed there. Comms services are running, green dot displayed, in spite of this all Vortex does not dance, does not play music, does nothing. I seem to be very close to the goal but the result is still the same - the dead robot. Used Win7 64 bit with ASUS bluetooth adapter. One detail more: The green dot flashes regularly - about six seconds green, then one second red, forever. Any idea? Mares Jaroslav
Eventually I managed to guess the bluetooth pairing passcode: "vortex". So step 6 of the tutorial was successfuly completed, Vortex lights with constant brightness exactly as desribed there. Comms services are running, green dot displayed, in spite of this all Vortex does not dance, does not play music, does nothing. I seem to be very close to the goal but the result is still the same - the dead robot. Used Win7 64 bit with ASUS bluetooth adapter. One detail more: The green dot flashes regularly - about six seconds green, then one second red, forever. Any idea?
Mares Jaroslav 
