Hi Tom, welcome back 🙂

Things have changed a little since that time (2013!) but not a lot. Electrically, the board is the same as the modern Polarshields, but the LCD might have changed. I'm not sure if yours is a 2.2" screen or a 2.4" screen. If it's the 2.4" screen, then you can try the .hex file in this commit: https://github.com/euphy/polargraph_server_polarshield/tree/a3fd0956e143db015205d33b47f19a295ccee749 (and see https://github.com/euphy/polargraph/wiki/Uploading-precompiled-binary-hex-files for how to upload precompiled binaries if you need it).

If it's the 2.2" screen, then you might try https://github.com/euphy/polargraph_server_polarshield/blob/749a526b2a250b17975e7cc48d6b8b612176dbc5/polargraph_server_polarshield_22.cpp.hex (download the "raw" version).

There's been a handful of changes since then, none of them are dealbreakers, but if you want the latest yes you'll have to compile it.

Change the LCD setting here:

//Uncomment the following line to use a 2.2" panel
//#define LCD_TYPE ITDB22

(https://github.com/euphy/polargraph_server_polarshield/blob/master/polargraph_server_polarshield.ino#L62-L63)

And you'd got to change the touch-screen calibration setting in the UTouchCD.h file that's in the UTouch library:

The UTouch library needs a couple of calibration values - these
ones are the ones I use for the ITDB02-2.2 inch screen.
#define CAL_X 0x039281CCUL
#define CAL_Y 0x03A2C1DEUL
#define CAL_S 0x000AF0DBUL

Put them in libraries/UTouch/UTouchCD.h

https://github.com/euphy/polargraph_server_polarshield/blob/master/polargraph_server_polarshield.ino#L31-L42

I _think_ that's all that needs changing in the firmware.

Now, the controller is a bit more unusual - that really just should work. Your report isn't really helpful though, when you say "nothing happens" what do you mean? The button doesn't change, flash or respond in any way, or you mean that it doesn't have the effect you're expecting?

I suppose I'm asking for 1) What did you do, 2) what did you expect to happen, 3) what actually happened?

You can't enter machine size or anything else... Same questions - how are you entering the machine size, what do you expect to happen, what's actually happening?

Do any buttons work? The serial port button must be. Which ones?

(One last thing - maximise your window then save the properties file and restart... Sometimes there's a problem whereby button location doesn't get updated when the window gets resized.)

Good luck!

sn

Aha that's good news - the number-based controls for width etc (the ones with the blue triangles at the side) are number spinners - click and drag up and down to change the value.

Two things to try to troubleshoot the connection:
1) With the Polargraph Controller closed, what do you see in the Serial Monitor in the Arduino IDE? (Set the baud rate to 57600.) You should see something like a bit of boot-up text, and then a regular message coming from the Arduino saying "READY_200" every 5 seconds or so.

That proves the Arduino is running fine. Remember that two things can't connect to one serial port at the same time so if you're running the controller you can't connect through the Serial Monitor, and vice versa.

2) It's good that you're running this in Processing too, makes troubleshooting easier. What do you see in the console in Processing? The white-on-black bottom half of the Processing IDE should show a bit of startup stuff too ("Starting Polargraph controller ... etc"), and eventually will have something like

Serial ports available on your machine:
COM3 COM4
About to connect to serial port in slot 0
Get serial port no: 0
Successfully connected to port COM3

(That's what's on mine.) It'd be interesting to see what yours says on startup.

Pop open the serial port chooser sub window and choose anything except COM5 and wait a moment - it takes a couple of seconds to change the port. Close the serial port chooser then pop it up again and choose COM5.

Last thing - I want to clarify that you always have "no serial connection" in red at the top of the window. But that you can click on the header at the top of the command queue (it says "CommandQueue: QUEUE PAUSED ...") and it goes green and changes to "... QUEUE RUNNING".

You said that you can see the controller sending out code through the queue though ... if that's happening then the connection is working. I'm confused about whether the queue is actually running or now.

sn

Some additional follow-up...
I've checked the stepper motors with an adafruit shield and they do work... wiring is correct (as near as I can tell). Again, the pen lift servo is the only thing the board seems to be operating.
Question: Do you by chance have a copy of the polarshield v1.6 firmware... I could try re-installing that firmware... it was working before and so was the touch screen.
Many thanks for all the help... T.

Hello again...
Using 7.5volt and it is plugged into the shield (not the arduino)... should the jumper be on or off?
Set home command does lock the motors... but no motor movement when I attempt to draw an image through the Trace tab.
I will attempt to upload the older firmware you just sent... and then get back to you.

You've uploaded the machine spec?

@parker_t - the selected area is what gets drawn, and you can store those coordinates as a "frame", allowing you to re-select the same area repeatedly (with SELECT FRAME)

@Sandy - A memory jogger for you - Last January, I similarly upgraded my old machine to the latest version (which was 1.3.1 at the time, red menu), and my touchscreen wouldn't work - the console showed anywhere I clicked returning weird button values. When I went a version earlier (1.3, green menu), the touchscreen worked as normal.
P.S. I'm tempted to make a custom t-shirt for you that says, "You've uploaded the machine spec?", but then you'd have to constantly explain it to people.