Test Your Ears: Questions and Answers
Last Update: 2011-09-06
On this page I'll answer questions about the hardware and the software.
If you have any question please look first here, maybe you'll find it answered already. If not you may contact me.
Q: The microprocessor comes in a 16-pin package but the Spyder stick has only an 8-pin socket for programming. What to do?
A: On both packages the pins 1 throug 4 are the ones required for programming. To make a 16-pin package fit stack 2 or 3 8-pin sockets on your Spyder stick. Now the 16 pin package can be adapted. In fact also the pins 5 through 8 on the 8-pin package have the same functions as pins 13 throug 16 of the 16-pin package.
Q: In the Elektor article the microprocessor is identified as HC9S08, in the drawing it is called MC9S08. The device I got reads M9S08QG8. What is right?
A: What I know or suppose is that this Motorola microprcessor family (and maybe others) has been taken over or renamed to Freescale. After that type numbering and order codes have become quite messy, in an attempt to push the Motorola numbers into the Freescale system. It is beyond my knowledge and influence, but all these numbers refer to the same device (-family). Look at the datasheets (order codes) and on the Freescale website.
Q: I get Run-time error '339': Component 'MCI32.OCX' or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid
A: As of September 2011 an Installable Package is available. This should solve such problems. Download all files in this package and follow the instructions.
Background: It appears that installing the Microsoft VB6 Runtime environment is not sufficient.
Q: I can not find a supplier for the component IC1, or I don't know how to program it.
A: I apologize for not mentioning the function of this device in the Elektor article. I just copied the standard connections for the FT232BM chip into my design.
Actually the EEPROM is not required in most cases. It contains a user defined VID-PID (Vendor ID and Product ID) and a serial number with which the device presents itsellf to the USB system. If omitted the FT232 chip uses its default VID-PID, without a serial number.
Only when more than one such devices are present on your computer's USB system there may be a conflict, and / or Windows may allocate a different COM port number depending on which USB port you connect the device to.
I obtained programmed (actually I'm not sure that they were even programmed) EEPROMS from Van Ooijen Technische Informatie, a one man company in the Netherlands. His website provides useful information about getting a VID-PID combination.
This document tells how to program a VID-PID into the EEPROM on your board using a free USB utility.
Q: Is it possible to measure the frequency characteristic of a headphones with simple, low cost means?
A: I am working on that subject.
Q: Is it possible to port the PC software to another programming language, preferably one for which a freeware development platform is available?
A: Sure. But it may require you to substantially rewrite the program. VB6 has a very peculiar syntax you know...
Maybe Java for stand-alone applications is an option.
Microsoft currently has a free-of-charge development platform for Visual Basic 2008. You can find it here: http://www.microsoft.com/express/download/ (Until very recently I did not know of its existence) It contains an upgrade wizard for VB6 projects. At a fist glance I've seen many upgrade warnings which need attention but most refer to different instancies of a few problems.
If someone starts working on this I will fully coöperate. Please let me know. Maybe we can schedule tasks to prevent double work.
Q: Installation problem
Jens-U. L. from Germany wrote me the following, and unfortunately I do not know an answer or even a suggestion for his "DLL problem".
First his question in German and then a translation into English.
Please, if someone has a suggestion mail it to me.
German:
Hallo Jan, Ich bin schon ziemlich alt (74) , beschaeftige mich aber intensiv mit Microcontrollern und bin dabei "C" zu lernen.Von Deinem Hoertestgeraet bin ich begeistert. Leider habe ich Probleme beim Starten von TestYourEars.exe. Ich erhalte immer
die von Dir beschriebene Fehlermeldung, obwohl ich Java Runtime Environment 6.0 SP16 und auch Visual Basic Express Edition 2008 auf dem Computer (XP-Professionel) installiert habe.Das herunter laden der Datei VB6.0-kb290887-X86.exe funktioniert problemlos, aber schon beim Expandieren(selfextracting) gibt es manchmal Schwierigkeiten. Beim Installieren klappt dann nichts mehr. Inder Datei setupapi.log im Ordner Windows (auf C:/Windows/setupapi.log), erscheint immer die gleiche Fehlermeldung "die Inf-Datei des Drittanbieters enthaelt keine Digitalsignaturinformationen, Error 0xe000022f. Im Computer habe ich dann die Signaturpflicht ausgeschaltet, aber auch dieserKniff half nicht. Jetzt weiss ich nicht mehr weiter , schon gar nicht wo der Fehler liegen koennte. Kannst Du mir weiterhelfen?Ich weiss zwar, dass es sich um eine .dll Datei handelt und auch wo sie hin muss(System 32) , aber das ist alles.
English:
Hallo Jan, I'm quite old now (74) but I work intensively with microcontrollers and learning "C". I am enthousiastic about your Hearingtest apparatus. Unfortunately I have problems starting the TestYourEars.exe, I always see the error message you described, although I have Java Runtime Environment 6.0 SP16 and Visual Basic Express Edition 2008 installed on my computer (XP-prof). Downloading VB6.0-kb290887-X86.exe works fine, but when extracting the file problems arise. When installing nothing works. In the file C:/Windows/setupapi.log I always see the same error message "The third party .Inf file contains no digital signing information, error 0xe000022f ". I have disabled the signing requirement in the computer but that does not help. Now I do not know what the cause of the problem might be. Can you help me? I do know that it is about a .DLL file and also where I should look (System 32) but that is all.
A: As far as I know the Tye software has no interaction with Java. Visual Basic Express 2008 is quite different from VB6 and comes likely with a (for this program) unsuitable runtime environment. For the digital signing problem I have no solution, only a tip which is worth checking: Recently I had a problem with certificates of downloaded software being reported as invalid. Only when I saw the message "This certificate will only be valid from april 2007" I realized that the computer I was trying to repair had a weak motherboard battery for the Setup and Realtime Clock and was living somewhere in the year 2000. After setting it to the current date/time all problems were gone.
Q: Is it correct that the Reset pin of the microprocessor is not connected?.
A: Yes, that is normal for this family of microprocessors. In fact it does not even operate as a reset pin, unless configured to do so, and I had no reson to implement an external reset circuit, because the internals of the uP do that perfectly.
Q: I had some problems configuring the soundcard's output. I get the "calibration.failed" error . Have you some suggestions?
A: Soundcards, when properly installed, generally have some kind of control panel. Often it can be reached via the "Configuration screen" if it is not on the task bar. Set the "WAV" or "Wave" mode and the general volume controls to their maximum. Synthhesizer and CD are not used and can (but need not) be set to minimum, or muted.
You can check with the headphones directly connected to the PC's sound output whether there is a signal when you attempt a calibration. Caution ! it is quite loud !
Q: 2009-11-01. Dr. G. C. from Mainz, Germany sent me a letter with some valuable remarks.
A: You can see his letter (German only) here, with my answers (in English)
Q: Communication problems with the USB-unit.
In dec. 2010, F.I. from Austria reported some problems. The hardware was inspected to be OK, but led2 on the USB unit did not light.
A: The problem was that the Commport number was not properly configured. I also gave some diagnostic advice.
In the "Attenuator Control Panel" six boxes are initially black, and they should turn white or green when the communication with the unit works. If they stay black there is definitely a communications problem. Most likely a wrong Commport number.
You may find out which commport numbers are present on your computer with Start, Settings, Configurationscreen, System, Hardware, Device Manager, ports(COM & LPT) It should list the available COM-ports, also the USB-based ones. A problem might be that some ports are not listed here when the device is not connected. so do the test when the unit is connected. For a USB-based commport you should generally see a comport number higher than 2.
You could also inspect the USB-system with with Start, Settings, Configurationscreen, System, Hardware, Device Manager, USB-controllers. Connected USB devices are listed here but there is little information about them
Another usefull diagnostic tool will be "usbview.exe" from Microsoft. It can be downloaded for free and does not need installation, just run the .exe.
The port should be listed there as a "USB Serial Converter" and when you click on it, the other panel should list (Future Technology Devices International Limited) This means that the proper driver has been installed.
It may be necessary to edit the file TyE_init.INI. (use wordpad or similar) The third line has the commport number. Set it to the value you found in the Device Manager, then start the program and watch the black boxes turn white. They should turn green when a button is pressed.
Also the yellow led2 on the USB-box should blink now rather fast and maybe a bit faint. It indicates that the communication between the PC and the unit works. This Led may also blink when another program is trying to communicate with the unit (quite rare but not impossible and doomed to fail) If you then start the TYE program you will get the fatal error "Port already in use"