This page explains how a CrcDuino board can be connected to a computer.
The CrcDuino magic really resides in how it’s programmed by its user, and that can be done by first connecting it in a computer.
It’s pretty straightforward: a micro-USB port on the side of the controller allows to connect it to a computer. That's it!
It’s recommended to connect a USB extension to the board micro-USB port to reduce the mechanical stress on the connector. Frequently plugging-deplugging will put the quite fragile connector solders to the test, so plugging-deplugging in the USB extension instead is less risky. A USB extension will also probably make it easier to connect a controller when installed on a robot.
Isn't it weird that some Status LEDs are lit up, while others are not, even if no 12V supply is connected to the board?
No, don't worry. Remember what we said earlier about different voltage levels? A USB cable supplies 5V to the device it is connected to. Therefore, certain parts of the 9880 board's 5V and 3.3V circuits are backfed by the microcontroller's USB port. You can interact with the microcontroller, but some 5V supplies (like the ones on the I/O pins) are independent from the supply of the microcontroller and therefore won't work if no 12V supply is plugged in. In other words, some features of the board can work only on the USB 5V supply, but all features work with only the 12V supply. To learn more about the Status LEDs, click here!
Cool, so a computer directly talks to the micro-controller via USB?
Well, kind of. In fact, the USB connection goes through a CH340g module, a USB-UART converter. While USB is a connection type widely available on computers, micro-controllers like the one controlling the CrcDuino prefer “talking” over a serial interface. Therefore, your computer is in fact “talking” to the CH340g module, which then translates and send everything to the micro-controller.
If a CrcDuino board can’t be recognized by a computer, it’s important to make sure that the most recent CH340g driver is installed on the computer, so that the computer knows how to communicate with the CH340g module installed on the board.
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