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[on:]

Hello people,

I've made a little buzzer system with my Arduino Uno few weeks ago, and it worked fine, until the day that i needed it, when i turned it on, and tested a little on the buzzer and poof, it died, and when i try to upload the blink sketch to see whether the board is still working, the programmer not responding problem showed up.

Prior to that, while I was testing the buzzers, one of the transistors burnt out of nowhere, and then when i did the upload, it failed, so I suspect that it has something to do with the transistor. Can anybody please help me troubleshoot this?

This is the circuit diagram showing how the transistor was connected.


Thanks.

[Reply #1 on:]

No resistors?

[Reply #2 on:]

ah, i think i missed that. so no, i wasn't using any resistors for the transistor

[Reply #3 on:]

You will need a current limiting resistor on the transistor base.  You may also need a current limiting resistor for the buzzer.

[Reply #4 on:]

Alright, i'll take note next time. But does that mean my Arduino is probably dead?

[Reply #5 on:]

The processor is very likely toast.  The rest of the board have survived.  Start with a loop-back test.

[Reply #6 on:]

So I did that and the message didn't echo. so the processor is dead? How can I replace it or I need to get a new Arduino?

[Reply #7 on:]

The processor may or may not be OK.

The USB-to-serial converter is not OK.  If the board uses an Atmel processor for conversion (like on an Uno) it is possible that reflashing the firmware may resolve the problem.

[Reply #8 on:]

Er. To be frank I don't really understand what you've said, so mind explaining it a bit further and pointing me in the right direction?

[Reply #9 on:]

What board are you using?

[Reply #10 on:]

I'm using an Arduino Uno with ATMEL processor on it

[Reply #11 on:]

Do you have a second working board of any kind?  Do you have a "programmer" like a USBtinyISP?

[Reply #12 on:]

Nop, I dont have any. But if I really need it I think I'll be able to borrow an Arduino Mega from my friend.

[Reply #13 on:]

You won't need a second board / programmer.  Sort about that.  Instructions for reflashing the firmware...

http://arduino.cc/en/Hacking/DFUProgramming8U2

[Reply #14 on:]

I've just tried it step by step like how it was written in the guide, but it failed when I do "sudo dfu-programmer erase". It says "no device present".