Troubleshooting Guide

If you’re experiencing problems with your CodeBot, don’t panic! Following the steps below will resolve most common issues.

Reboot and Reload

If your ‘bot doesn’t seem to be responding to CodeSpace, try the following sequence:

  1. Set the power switch to USB.

  2. Unplug the USB cable.

  3. Click Chrome’s Reload button.

  4. Plug the USB cable back in.

Test your ‘bot with a simple “known good” Python program - hopefully you’re back in business!

Reformat CodeBot’s Filesystem

Your Python code is written to files on CodeBot’s MicroPython file-system. If something happens to “corrupt” the files, or the file system itself, your code may not run as expected.

  • Sometimes this happens due to rebooting the ‘bot while it’s connected to a PC that’s in the process of writing files to it.

  • It can also happen if you’re editing files directly on the “flash drive” that CodeBot presents on the USB. Certain text-editor/OS combinations don’t play well with small file-systems like ours!

To re-format the file system: 1 .

  1. Press Button-1 and keep holding it down…

  2. Press and release the REBOOT button.

  3. Keep holding down Button-1 and you’ll see the green USB light blink 10 times. You’ll hear BEEPs the last 5 times.

  4. After the 5 beeps, you can release Button-1.

  5. Your file system is formatted, and the Factory Test program will be running (all LEDs ON).

1

CB3 Note: You will hear an ascending beep sequence prior to the 5-beep confirmation of re-format. Also, if you release Button-1 after 3 blinks (and a short beep tone) the flash will be retained but set to “writable from USB” mode.

Connect to CodeSpace, and you should be able to program your ‘bot like new!

Firmware Update

CodeBot’s firmware is the Operating System code that includes the Python language, debugger, and all the low-level APIs you use to access the hardware. Doing a firmware update takes less than a minute, and it completely replaces the contents of your ‘bots STM32 processor FLASH memory with factory-fresh code.

  • Note: Under normal circumstances, CodeSpace will prompt you when there’s a newer version of firmware available for your ‘bot. Every time you connect your ‘bot, CodeSpace confirms it’s running the latest version.

Update Firmware