Connecting an Xbee to the Axon

[KurtEck]

Yep, I have had some bad luck at times with the Sparkfun one.  Works great on some boards, but others...  I have never had any bad luck with the ones from Parallax.  Some of them are not big, like: http://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/txtSearch/xbee/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/664/Default.aspx

Kurt

[napnyl]

Well, I made a post refering for my problem but NO RESPONSE from Admin. I had exactly the same issues as you mentioned here, I passed 2 weeks and changed my program for the axon2 from webbotlib to my own program because i tought there was a webbotlib mistake (sorry webbot). Now I see this post and everyone says that sparkfun xbee explorer doesn't work, the problem is that I have like 4 or 5 of them for my graduate project for the University, so if anyone "Admin", "Webbot" experienced could tell us or put an image telling us how to modify our sparkfun xbee regutaled to make it work because you can't imagine the amount of people that is in the same situation as me. And something else ADMIN please make sure to write somewhere that advertice that sparkfun xbee regulated isn't working on Axon 2, I think a lot of people will appreciate that. Thanks

[Admin]

Well, I made a post refering for my problem but NO RESPONSE from Admin.

Which post? You only have four posts, and the oldest one was posted yesterday . . .

Now I see this post and everyone says that sparkfun xbee explorer doesn't work, the problem is that I have like 4 or 5 of them for my graduate project for the University, so if anyone "Admin", "Webbot" experienced could tell us or put an image telling us how to modify our sparkfun xbee regutaled to make it work because you can't imagine the amount of people that is in the same situation as me. And something else ADMIN please make sure to write somewhere that advertice that sparkfun xbee regulated isn't working on Axon 2, I think a lot of people will appreciate that.

The problem is Sparkfun misadvertising their product. Get the one by Pololu, it actually does what it claims.

If you google'd you would have solved the issue quickly:   
https://www.google.com/search?q=axon+xbee

The first result:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/robotforum/index.php?topic=9790.0

[napnyl]

Now you comment and twice jejejejeje (It wasn't necessary). Well what a surprice axon+xbee returns this post!! First of all as a rootics hobbist you know that you look for the problem in many ways I tougth a lot of things when I was in that trouble, I tougth it was my program and I looked up for USART in Axon and I did waht it tells many times, even thogh the problem persisted, so I looked for other things and at the end (today) I serched Axon2+xbee and the first result as you mentioned was this post, so I founded the answer. Also I can give everyone the answer I was waiting for form you.. "JUST SHORT THE DIODE IN DIN" I did it and it worked perfectly at 38400 baud rate. So no neccesary to buy another one ... And don't forget to mention it when a person is going to buy the Axon or one of your products, it's going to save a loooooooooot of time. And not refering about your product because it works perfectly but it's a comunity and its supoused that we are going to help each other . Anyway thanks for answering (twice) to my comment. 

[madsci1016]

The new Sparkfun 'Xbee Shield' uses proper level shifting both ways. Seem they learned their lesson from the xbee carrier boards...

[Gertlex]

The new Sparkfun 'Xbee Shield' uses proper level shifting both ways. Seem they learned their lesson from the xbee carrier boards...

Indeed, new version of the XBee Explorer Regulated came out today, too: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11373

Speaking of customer feedback, we’ve revised the XBee Explorer Regulated to replace the old diode level shifter with a proper and more robust MOSFET level shifter. Now you should have a lot less communication issues with your XBees.

That said, I think I'll stick with Parallax's board. I don't like red