Mac OSX (10.4.11) and Diecimila connection help

I hope this isn't a re-post.

I can not make a connection under OSX (10.4.11) via USB to a Diecimila. I have followed all instruction, including adding the current usb drivers. The green light is on, the LED in 13 flashes....etc.

I am very familiar with Stamps, and this is my first Arduino.

I have used the IDE 0009 and just tried 0010.

The message I got in 0009 was a '.jar error', in 0010 I get 'serial port com1 not found'

In the tools menu, serial port is greyed out.

I have removed all other application, and turned off all processes.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

  • Marc

This is the full message I get now...

java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: javax/comm/CommDriver thrown while loading gnu.io.RXTXCommDriver
processing.app.SerialException: Serial port 'COM1' not found. Did you select the right one from the Tools > Serial Port menu?

at processing.app.Serial.(Serial.java:149)
at processing.app.Serial.(Serial.java:72)
at processing.app.Uploader.flushSerialBuffer(Uploader.java:66)
at processing.app.AvrdudeUploader.uploadUsingPreferences(AvrdudeUploader.java:55)
at processing.app.Sketch.upload(Sketch.java:1632)
at processing.app.Sketch.exportApplet(Sketch.java:1701)
at processing.app.Editor$41.run(Editor.java:2004)
at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(InvocationEvent.java:209)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:461)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:269)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:190)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:184)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:176)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:110)

It sounds like the drivers aren't installed correctly, as the Arduino software can't see the virtual serial port that they create to allow communication with the board. In the Terminal, what do you get if you run:

ls /dev/tty.*

with the Arduino board connected?

Thank you for responding!!!!

I get:

/dev/tty.modem /dev/tty.usbserial-A4001qyc

Huh, the second one should be your Arduino board. What if you edit your Arduino preferences file (~/Library/Arduino/preferences.txt) when Arduino is not running, and change the value of serial.port (I think that's the name) from COM! to /dev/tty.usbserial-A4001qyc ? And then run Arduino and try to upload a sketch?

I tried the preferences thing, no luck. (but maybe I put the wrong thing...shouldn't it omit the /dev?) I tried a few ways.

I also booted up in a "Clean User" mode, installed IDE 009 and I still do not get a list in the tool/serial port.... menu.

I purchased the board assembled, maybe I should try it on my PC laptop?

I have been using the Parallax chips for many years, I just bought the Arduino since it looked so cool working with Flash, processing etc.......I am getting frustrated, this certainly 'aint no basic stamp. (I guess that's good and bad)

Any other suggestions? I even got the latest drivers from the link on the site....

Thanks for you help so far!!!

What error did you get after editing the preferences file?

It's worth trying on a PC, too, though it should work on either.

I installed everything on my PC (Vista) laptop, just to prove I am not a total idiot, and to make sure the board and USB cable, etc was OK. It works perfectly, uploaded a few sketches.....etc.

However, I was intending on switching from the basic stamp and propeller chips because I really like the Mac software for Arduio. (including Flash interfacing)

I would love to work only on my Mac, any ideas?

What error did you get after editing the preferences file?

Also, try uploading the ASCII Table example to the Arduino from the Windows machine. Then (again after manually setting the serial.port in the preferences file), try connecting the Arduino to the Mac and opening the serial monitor in Arduino. Does that work?

I will try that tonight. Thanks!

I tried for 2 days now. I am going to assume since I use this Mac for tons of work and have a 100 usb accessories that I must have something funky going on. (I think I turned off all the automatic ones)

I am going to try installing it on my Macbook (which I did not want to use for many reasons) and see how that goes.

Thank you so much for you help, it's nice to see a community similar to the Parallax community when it comes to troubleshooting and helping others.

I am experiencing the same problem on my MacBook, the Serial Port menu is greyed out so I cannot choose a port. Has anyone figured this one out yet? I don't have a PC here to fall back on!

Thanks!

Same question. In the Terminal, what do you get if you run:

ls /dev/tty.*

with the Arduino board connected?

Pretty much the same thing, I get

/dev/tty.Bluetooth-Modem /dev/tty.ZEROGRAVITY-DevB-1
/dev/tty.Bluetooth-PDA-Sync /dev/tty.usbserial-A4001t5b

when the Arduino is plugged in, and

/dev/tty.Bluetooth-Modem /dev/tty.ZEROGRAVITY-DevB-1
/dev/tty.Bluetooth-PDA-Sync

when it is not. The MacBook sees it, but Arduino10 does not. Based on a post from an earlier discussion I found, I downloaded Arduino05 and ran the macosx_setup.command script, but it didn't help.

One more (maybe related) thing... I am getting the following error when opening Arduino10 and after opening the tools menu...

java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: javax/comm/CommDriver thrown while loading gnu.io.RXTXCommDriver

Hmmmm.

Thanks!

Does it matter if you have the Arduino board plugged in or not when you start the Arduino software?

What's the ZEROGRAVITY device? I wonder if somehow it's confusing the serial library we use (RXTX).

One potential workaround is to edit your Arduino preferences file (/Users//Library/Arduino/preferences.txt) and set serial.port to /dev/tty.usbserial-A4001t5b. (Edit the file when Arduino isn't running.)

Ok, I edited the preferences file as you suggested, no luck. It says:

java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: javax/comm/CommDriver thrown while loading gnu.io.RXTXCommDriver
processing.app.SerialException: Serial port '/dev/tty.usbserial-A4001t5b' not found. Did you select the right one from the Tools > Serial Port menu?

The Serial Port menu is still grey.

The ZEROGRAVITY device was a bluetooth headset, I deleted it and it does not show up when I ls /dev/tty anymore, but still no help. I have restarted, done everything with the Arduino software off, etc...

Thanks again for helping to work through this!

Weird. Can you try this, I want to make sure that there aren't any weird non-printing characters in the name of the USB device:

ls /dev/tty.usb* | hexdump -C

and post the output?

Ok, I turned off bluetooth completely, so the connected Arduino is the only port. Here is what I got for the hex dump...

00000000 2f 64 65 76 2f 74 74 79 2e 75 73 62 73 65 72 69 |/dev/tty.usbseri|
00000010 61 6c 2d 41 34 30 30 31 74 35 62 0a |al-A4001t5b.|
0000001c

I have checked the serial.port= value in the preferences, and tried it with and without the "." at the end.

Throughout all of this, the Tools > Serial Port menu remains greyed out.

Weird.

Is there another computer you can try uploading from, temporarily, just to see if the board works at all?

The last period isn't part of the name of the serial port, btw, it's the character that hexdump uses to represent non-printing characters, which in this case was the newline that ls outputs.