Troubleshooting LEGO Mindstorms Downloads

Unfortunately, downloading a program for the LEGO Mindstorms RIS 2.0 software into your RCX robot unit is not foolproof. When a problem occurs, you will get an error message that looks like this:

If you run into trouble with a download, the following collection of steps should help you get it working:

1. Make sure you have the tower that is connected to the computer you are using. 2. Make sure your RCX unit is turned on. When it is turned on correctly, you will see 4 numbers, followed by a stick figure person, followed by another number – as shown here:

If the numbers are missing, it means the RCX has lost its firmware – which is a whole different problem…

If the RCX was off, click the Retry button to attempt the download again. 3. Make sure you have the Tower positioned properly in relation to the RCX unit:

The towers we use look slightly different, but the key is that the “window” in the front of the tower is where the infrared beam comes out and the black window in the front of the robot is where it needs to go in. Reposition the tower and click the Retry button to attempt another download. Troubleshooting LEGO Mindstorms Downloads

4. Sometimes, after an unsuccessful download, the software gets messed up. Click the Ignore button and then click the Download button again. 5. In some extreme cases, the RIS 2.0 software gets really goofed up (not your fault). If you still haven’t been successful downloading, save your program, then exit from the RIS 2.0 software (going to File -> Exit), start the RIS 2.0 software again, Open your program, and then download again. This usually fixes things if nothing else before this has. 6. If none of the above steps work, it means you probably have a problem with your tower. Push the plug in the back of the tower to make sure it is attached well. Also, push the plug that runs from the tower to the back of the computer to make sure it is well attached. 7. The next possibility is that the battery in the tower is dead (there is a 9V battery in it). You can try to fix this by swapping the tower connected to your computer with one connected to another computer. 8. If this STILL doesn’t work, you may be so unlucky that both towers have bad batteries – ask for a replacement. 9. If all else fails, it may be the computer. I know that we have one computer in T921 with a bad serial port. Try a different computer.