Aduino help please.

[Dan Dubeau]

Sorry, didn't realize that picture was as unreadable as it is.

In the IDE the ports menu is grayed out. I'm pretty sure my computer (both that I've tried) is not even seeing it. Nothing pops up in device manager when I plug it in. The fact that I can use the add legacy hardware option to get it to show up under ports in device manager doesn't have me convinced as I can do that with it not even connected.....



In the above pic, It's plugged in, and blinking the "L" led.

Is there a chance this board is a dud and no matter what I do I'm just pissing in the wind. Or am I the dud and I'm just missing something obvious here. I didn't anticipate this much jacking around with stuff, and kinda figured it would be more plug and play (aside from the whole programming part of it).

I'm going to give it another try from scratch tomorrow, but I don't have high hopes for anything different. I'll give it until noon then I'm ordering another one.

Thanks for the help.

[TRX]

Go to eBay or Amazon and order a few extra boards. You'll wind up using them for projects anyway... one of mine just wound up as part of the temperature controller on my tempering oven.

[IanPendle]

There was an issue if Windows assigned a COM port with a number higher than 10 to the Arduino. I can't read the assigned number on your screen capture on my laptop.

Ian.

[RichR]

There was an issue if Windows assigned a COM port with a number higher than 10 to the Arduino. I can't read the assigned number on your screen capture on my laptop.

Ian.

It's says COM13.

[IanPendle]

It's says COM13.

If this is indeed the cause of your problems, then my Arduino booklet says to do this:

"Look for the serial devices in the list under "Ports COM and LPT". Find a serial device that you are not using that is numbered COM 9 or lower. Right click it and choose Properties from the menu. The choose the Port Settings tab and click Advanced. Set the COM port to COM 10 or higher. Click OK and OK again to dismiss the Properties dialog box.

Now do the same with the USB Serial Port device that represents the Arduino, with one change: assign it the COM Port number (COM9 or lower) that you just freed up.

HTH, Ian.

[Mike Amick]

It may be using a FTDI chip ... download the drivers here

http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm

[PStechPaul]

I have been doing a lot of work with Microchip PICs lately, but I found my Arduino (I think it's a Chinese copy "Geekcreit" from Banggood), and I opened the "Blink"sketch. I am using USB-Serial CH340 (COM14). I am using "ArduinoISP" for the programmer (yours says "AVRISP mk11"). It looks like your Arduino is on COM13 but it cannot start. That may be a problem with the driver or the hardware. You might try uninstalling the driver and then plug it in again to see if it installs OK.

[Dan Dubeau]

It's com13 now, but I believe it started off as com4. Every time I uninstall/reinstall it goes up a number. I don't believe "installing" that way by adding legacy hardware is actually doing anything, because I can do that without it even connected. The computer (both) just don't seem to know it's there.

There was an issue if Windows assigned a COM port with a number higher than 10 to the Arduino. I can't read the assigned number on your screen capture on my laptop.

Ian.

I just ordered 2 more. A heat treat oven was one of the eventual uses I want one for. After I figure out how to plug it in.....ha ha.

I've got an old XP workstation buried in the rubble in the basement I'm going to try it on, hopefully today.

[RB211]

As far as I know, theres at least three different usb to serial converter chips floating around on various Arduino boards. You installed the CH340 driver? Cheap clones from Hong Kong usually use that. PSTechPaul is correct.

[Dan Dubeau]

As far as I know, theres at least three different usb to serial converter chips floating around on various Arduino boards. You installed the CH340 driver? Cheap clones from Hong Kong usually use that. PSTechPaul is correct.

I did initially install that driver thinking that was the problem. After looking at it more and comparing my board to others on the net, that wasn't it.

[Dan Dubeau]

New arduino's arrived today. Plugged them in and both were instantly recognized by windows as a serial device. Updated the drivers, and both new ones working as they should be. Tried original one again, and it's still doing the same thing as it was. Windows doesn't see it at all. I'm going to send it back for an exchange.

I hate trouble shooting computer stuff. Mechanical stuff is no problem for me, hydraulic's I can logically pick my way through, simple electronics I can sometimes fumble my way through but computer stuff always has me pulling my hair out with no idea what I'm doing.

Anyway, thanks all who tried to steer me in the right direction. I appreciate it. Now I can spend some time trying to figure out how to program and use this thing......

[Paul Alciatore]

Glad you are up and running. Yes, troubleshooting these devices can be difficult and substitution is often the best way. I have had to troubleshoot devices that had dozens of boards with hundreds of digital chips on them. Talk about fun. Can you say "Factory Engineer"?

I remember one in particular where they advised me to try different series of logic chips (74xx, 74Lxx, 74Hxx, 74Sxx etc.) to fine tune the timing. Hit and miss style. Duhhhhh?

New arduino's arrived today. Plugged them in and both were instantly recognized by windows as a serial device. Updated the drivers, and both new ones working as they should be. Tried original one again, and it's still doing the same thing as it was. Windows doesn't see it at all. I'm going to send it back for an exchange.

I hate trouble shooting computer stuff. Mechanical stuff is no problem for me, hydraulic's I can logically pick my way through, simple electronics I can sometimes fumble my way through but computer stuff always has me pulling my hair out with no idea what I'm doing.

Anyway, thanks all who tried to steer me in the right direction. I appreciate it. Now I can spend some time trying to figure out how to program and use this thing......

[J Tiers]

Wasn't there some comment a while back on here about the copy units?

I seem to recall that using the wrong S/W would brick them permanently. If so that may have occurred.

[Dan Dubeau]

Wasn't there some comment a while back on here about the copy units?

I seem to recall that using the wrong S/W would brick them permanently. If so that may have occurred.

You might be on to something. I do remember it made the "connection" sound initially, but failed to do anything thereafter. I'm wondering if that initial power up fried something, or If I did something different after that, that turned it into a paper weight. I've got an email to the mother ship about a return and am waiting on a reply. Amazon is usually really good about returns, but I hate to send something back if it was my fault if it broke. Especially if I'm doing something wrong that might wreck the other ones.

[RB211]

There’s been a rash of FTDI counterfeits our there, and FTDI released a newer driver that apparently bricked them. FTDI are idiots, because rather than risking that, I will just buy their competition, no worries.