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[Reply #15 on:]

I'm a dork!  just got home from a long trip & had a chance to take a closer look at everything. fornzix, you're right.  tx on the Arduino mini USB->serial adapter should be attached to tx on the LilyPad and ditto with rx.  For many other usb->serial devices things would be the other way around--that is you'd attach rx to tx, etc.  Everybody, please be aware that this connection is sensitively dependent on the usb->serial device you're using!

& I promise there's nothing wrong with the traces on the LilyPad or the USB mini adapter.

[Reply #16 on:]

I'd *really* like to have a final answer since my lilypad is in jeopardy  ;D

Looking *closely* at the photos on the http://lilypad setup section [url]http://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/ArduinoLilyPad on arduino.cc, we have the mini usb tx (yellow wire) attaching to the rx on the lilypad (rx is exactly at noon on the lilypad).

Are the demo/tutorial photos incorrect?  

Does it depend on the lilypad or mini usb version?

Which is right?

Help me out here...i'm an amateur  :-[

[Reply #17 on:]

tx on the lillypad should be the second pin from the left looking at 12 o'clock, rx is next door, the 3rd pin from the left.

According to the 168v spec sheet, it's pin 31(tx) and pin 30(rx), so the lillypad is wired correctly (I just received 2, and both are correct).

I also received a USB mini03, I can't tell if that's wired correctly because there's text blobbed all over the PCB.

[Reply #18 on:]

OK after some more investigations, I have found that some versions of the Arduino mini USB adapter had different labeling.  The USB connector in the pictures on the Arduino website labels TX as the second connection from the left while current boards label that same connection as RX.  I checked the same picture you did ticklr when I posted my first reply, but was then confused when I returned home and other, more recent, boards I had were labeled differently.  So, I thought I had just messed up in my first post.  I don't think the wiring on the Arduino USB boards changed, I suspect that  just the labeling did.  So, you always want to connect RX on the LilyPad to the connection that is second from the left on the Arduino mini USB adapter (labeled RX in your photos ticklr, but--ack!--TX in the ones I took).

FYI, swapping the TX and RX connection to your LilyPad won't do any harm. Your LilyPad just won't work when they're not hooked up right.  What killed your Arduino USB connector was leaving the conductive foam on the Arduino USB board :-[.  I'm going to spend all day tomorrow working on updated documentation and tutorials and I will put up a post once that's done.

Leah

[Reply #19 on:]

pic of mini USB adapter versions 2 & 3 showing the labeling issue

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leahbuechley/2231257372/

Again, in all versions of the mini USB adapter that I have encountered, you want to connect the second from the left tab (labeled RX in version 3, but TX in version 2) to RX on the LilyPad.

[Reply #20 on:]

New tutorial for connecting the LilyPad is now here:

http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~buechley/LilyPad/computer_attach.html

[Reply #21 on:]

 ;D yay! My arduino decimilia came today.

Tickler is happy now cause my lilypad is now programmable. Now that I know what to do I connected in an instant.

I learned that to upload to the lilypad via the decimilia, the RX on the decimilia connects to the TX on the lilypad (and vice-versa). This makes sense 'cause outbound should go to inbound, etc.

  ohhhh, i wish it didn't cost me $20 bucks for enlightenment

on the upside, now i can go to raves and burning man sporting my new lilypad powered electro clothes  

[Reply #22 on:]

NO WAY  :

I was able to upload the blink sketch to the lilypad.

Then I modified the pin value in the blink sketch, recompiled, and attempted upload with lilypad selected.

The result was the sync error. Thinking I needed to upload to the diecimila I disconnected the lilypad, reset the diecimila and uploaded to it without issue.

Then I reconnected the lilypad, selected lilypad from the IDE, reset the lilypad and attempted upload again.

The upload to the lilypad failed and now the led no longer blinks from the blink sketch. It's like the lilypad lost the blink sketch and was replaced with nothing and i can't upload anything now. I know this sounds crazy. Note that my lilypad does not appear fried cause the led still blinks regularly with the tx/rx connected to the arduino.

Arrrrrrrrrgh !!

Pirate arrrgh.

With the diecimila I have changed pins, powered LED's, etc, etc all within 30 minutes of receiving it.

The lilypad has been nothing but PAIN.

Leah - respectfully, can i send you my lilypad to check it out?

this can't be just me...the deicimila is like a parkwalk to me so i'm fairly sure i'm not a total idiot :-/

[Reply #23 on:]

OK, first of all, did you remove the AVR chip from the Diecimilla before you tried to program the LilyPad?  Two chips attached via the same communication bus will really confuse the computer.  Try that first!

Second, I have to confess that I've never tried programming the LilyPad via the Diecimilla board because I thought that the auto reset functionality on that board might interfere with the LilyPad communication.  This is why I recommend using an NG.  But, your post makes me realize that I should have concrete results to report back on with Diecimilla.  I'll do tests as soon as I get a chance.

Third and sad possibility is that you may have fried your LilyPad when you fried your mini USB adapter.  You probably had a pretty bad power-ground short going for awhile (via the coductive foam) and this makes all electronics unhappy.  If you'd like to send me your LilyPad you're welcome to.  Email me & I can give you my address...

I'm sorry that you'd had a bad experience!  I trust in your competence programming wise & I know how you've feel.  I have been in your boat many times.  From this discussion, I suspect that it was the conductive foam that killed things for you...  Don't give up on the LilyPad yet!

& send a comment to SparkFun about your connection travails, requesting a nicer interface ;-)  This will help me persuade them to invest in a redesign.

[Reply #24 on:]

I also have this "sync" problem with a Lilypad and USB link purchased in 2008. I gave up after a while and moved on to Rabbit. My interest was rekindled recently when someone confirmed that a Windows pc could be used (after all). I now have a Windows 7 64-bit box but the error persists, even with the latest IDE (22). I saw the discussion in this thread about possible reversal of rx and tx between the devices and thought that would explain my lack of success after trying almost everything else. But, even after reversing the two middle pins, I get the same "sync/protocol" errors posted above. There was no conducting foam or shorting since I know about that. I had put everything away carefully before trying again.

Leah, can you suggest anything else?