The Serial Connector

Downloading
To download the IC programs to the microprocessor board, a link must be created from the hard drive to the board. The MIT kit supplied us with a connector and a standard phone line. To make the link, an additional cable had to be bought which connected the hard drive to the connector.

Problem
Once all the components were hooked together, the green LED on the board was supposed to light up to show that the link was made. The green LED did not illuminate, so we had to start troubleshooting.

Solution
Eventually, we re-wired the supplied connector, per Dr. Brockman's suggestion, but the LED still did not light up. Then, Dr. Stevenson found some on-line documentation noting that the LED did not always light up with a Macintosh interface until the actual downloading process was begun. So, we began the downloading process, the LED lit up, and the IC software was downloaded via our connection.

Battery Charger
The power transformer for the battery charger is supposed to output 12VDC. Unloaded, out transformer outputs 16 volts. This value might drop once loaded down to 12 volts. If it does not, our motor batteries will charge at a slightly faster rate than is recommended.