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[on:]

I probably shorted one of the arduino's digital pins while being an output. I've read that this kills the atmega328. To check this, I carried on some experiments. Oddly enough, powering and/or resetting the board causes the LED at input 13 to blink, which indicates the bootloader is working according to what I have read. Some of the pins I had programmed to work seem to be working too, but I can't assure it's working properly. However, when I try to load a program to the board, I get the typical "stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00" error message, and the TX and RX LEDs do not blink as they did before. Does the blinking of these LEDs depend on the 328 or just on the 16U2? If not, does this mean the 16U2 is dead? Furthermore, my computer recognizes the device properly, but I'm not sure if the COM ports are being assigned correctly. When I plug in the Arduino, my computer always assigns COM8 to it. However if I plug in another device, e.g. a serial/USB converter, it assigns other COM ports (5,6,7, depending on the USB port I plug it in). I'm not sure whether I should replace only the microcontroller or the entirety of the board. I hope someone can help me. Thanks

[Reply #1 on:]

Your computer will always assign the same COM port to that specific device, so what you're seeing is normal as far as port assignments.  Are you selecting the correct board and port in the IDE before you hit upload?

[Reply #2 on:]

Yes, I select COM8 at Serial Port and Arduino Uno at Board.

[Reply #3 on:]

Which pin did you short, do you think?

[Reply #4 on:]

I think it might have been digital pin 7 or 8.

[Reply #5 on:]

Does the blinking of these LEDs depend on the 328 or just on the 16U2?

The 16U2 does the blinking.

[Reply #6 on:]

Hi - have you tried a loopback test? short pins 0 & 1 together, Hold reset - and connect using the Serial Monitor, type stuff - it should be returned when you press enter.

[Reply #7 on:]

Hi, yes, I have already tried the loopback test. It didn't work. I think I'll have to replace the entire board.

[Reply #8 on:]

you could salvage most of the parts to make a breadboard job ,with maybe a few new components .
its ridiculous that you cant fault find the board with any accuracy and then just bin it ,even though its not expensive .
the error messages are a pain ,its the same old out of sync message that you get for eveything
,i can tell you i am hacked of with arduinos and not spending another penny on them ,as i have too many dodgy untested modules.
quality control is non existant

i just sent back a sparkfun FTDI board that dont work as well ..

[Reply #9 on:]

you could salvage most of the parts to make a breadboard job ,with maybe a few new components .
its ridiculous that you cant fault find the board with any accuracy and then just bin it ,even though its not expensive .
the error messages are a pain ,its the same old out of sync message that you get for eveything
,i can tell you i am hacked of with arduinos and not spending another penny on them ,as i have too many dodgy untested modules.
quality control is non existant

i just sent back a sparkfun FTDI board that dont work as well ..

Well that has not been my direct experience. In over three years working with about 6 different arduino boards, I have yet suffered a hardware failure. Keep in mind that an arduino board is not a general consumer plug and play type product. It assumes either a prior knowledge of general electronics fundamentals or the active ability to learn the theory and skills needed to safely design and build arduino based projects.

 There is an arduino compatible board designed to protect users from most of the mistakes that a begineer is likely to do from damaging the board. It costs a little more then a standard arduino but in this case it may save you a lot in the long run. http://ruggedcircuits.com/html/ruggeduino.html

Lefty

[Reply #10 on:]

do a search on the forums for complainants about the dreaded error message out of sync ,despite you do need some savvy to get them going .of course .
i have spent around 6 months on and off trying to get a sparkfun FTDI board to work despite checking all the forums and trying the remedies suggested ,to no avail ,and its not rocket science with 5-6 wires and the correct driver .
i see hobbyists selling off their entire large kit of parts on ebay as theyve had enough

[Reply #11 on:]

do a search on the forums for complainants about the dreaded error message out of sync ,despite you do need some savvy to get them going .of course .
i have spent around 6 months on and off trying to get a sparkfun FTDI board to work despite checking all the forums and trying the remedies suggested ,to no avail ,and its not rocket science with 5-6 wires and the correct driver .
i see hobbyists selling off their entire large kit of parts on ebay as theyve had enough

I am sorry for the problems and frustrations you have experienced with using arduinos and related modules. Perhaps someday you will find a platform better suited to your needs.

Lefty

[Reply #12 on:]

,i can tell you i am hacked of with arduinos and not spending another penny on them ,as i have too many dodgy untested modules.
quality control is non existant

Every Arduino I've purchased has worked, so I haven't had that experience. One stopped working recently, probably because I zapped it with static electricity.

I think over the last couple of years I got one (slightly) faulty board from another supplier, which they replaced without question or cost.

I probably shorted one of the arduino's digital pins while being an output.

Sorry, but sounds like you damaged your own board. That isn't bad quality control. As Lefty says, the Ruggeduino is designed to withstand that sort of stuff.