Data logging carrier board hookup guide problem - uSD 'Card failed, or not present'

Development Boards MicroMod
1

Hi,

Thanks for your support.

I’m trying to get the example in data logging hookup guide working, but it’s failing to initialize the microSD card. I’m using the Artemis as the guide assumes it, and notes that if using a different processor board, one needs to workout the proper CS pin.

I ensured a fat32 formatted card - tried both a 4GB and 8GB card. Both are readable by a MacOS host. I began to look into something being wrong with the CS definition.

Expectation is by using the provided sketch, the definition of 23 should suffice. (Comments note: // The CS pin is DATA3 or 23 for the MicroMod Artemis Processor.)

I started digging into the carrier board and Artemis. TS_Brandon’s following comment caught my attention in a different thread:

From a quick search of the various processor boards, I’ve noticed that the Artemis processor board uses those SPI/SDIO pins for programming. Since there needs to portability between all carrier boards and processor boards the engineer probably opted to not use these pins for the uSD card. There could be other reasons, but that’s the most obvious one to me.

When I look at the schematic for data logging carrier board, I see on the uSD the following for CS:

SD_CS → DAT3|CS

For the MicroMod connector, I see:

SD_CS is SPI_CS, which is pin 55. I tried pin 55 instead of 23 in sketch defintion, and that resulted in the same uSD initialization failure.

I guess my main question is whether someone at SFE can plug in an Artemis and GPS board in to the data logging carrier board, run the default sketch, will it reproduce this error?

If this can be reproduced, what are the necessary steps to get this working?

Regards,

Sterny72

2

Hi SFE team,

It’s been over a week since my last post - can someone let me know if this issue is being investigated? I see other TS-* agents responding to what apparently is lower hanging fruit issues, so I assume my post has been read.

As the support policy states,

We are here to troubleshoot product issues and test both hardware and software problems against SparkFun’s internal and external documentation, tests and information to resolve issues for our customers.

So in my plain reading, something not working ‘out of the box’ without any modifications seems to qualify as something SFE support is generally willing to look into.

Thanks for reading.

3

The CS pin in the example is indeed in-correct.

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one having issues.

Switch the pin over to 41 and it’ll be the correct mapping.

I had to pull the schematics of the artemis carrier board to figure out which digital pin mapped out to the actual micro-mod connector.

4

HI ArticBlue,

Thank you so much for your support and recommendation.

Altering the definition ended up solving the problem. Your explanation also helped me understand how these MicroMod schematics are organized.

I will mention that it didn’t immediately work - but I ended up trying a second data logging board, and that was successful. But after re-inserting the sdcard several times, and jiggling it a bit, the initial board I was working with functioned as expected.

Lesson here for me is that a proper definition is required, and there’s a potential for a loose sdcard contact with some of these boards.

best regards,

Sterny72