Hi everyone,
I m fairly new to using arduino. For a project (page turning device) I used an arduino Uno and 5 servo motors. I control these servos with transistors as to lower the amount of current needed from the digital pins and to disconnect them when not in use as to avoid overheating. I use the 5V pin from arduino to power the motors. I take care not to operate them all at once in order to limit the current needed. I use a 12V 2 A adapter to provide the power.
In itself, the system works fine. While programming, however, I run the motors one at the time to calibrate their positions. I didn’t dare to plug in the adapter at the same time as the USB connection to the computer as I wasn’t sure if the UNO was able to manage that. The problem I m facing now is that my computer stopped recognizing the arduino altogether. Is it possible that I fried the arduino s USB connection due to high currents? And if so, is there a way to work around it and still get sketches uploaded?
Thanks
I am also a newbie but did you try disconnecting every single component and trying connecting the Arduino isolated.
The possibility is there, try this. Start by removing everything connected to the arduino then try this:
Take these steps:
Power off the board completely (remove the USB cable).
Wait about 15 seconds.
Hold down the Reset button, keep it held down (or, run a jumper wire from the RESET pin to the GND pin).
Still holding down Reset, reconnect the USB cable.
Start uploading a sketch that does not have this problem (I use the Blink sketch).
I have seen this happen several times when I flood the serial output. An indication is the tx light is on.
Try this several times, it does not always work on the first pass.
Secret do not keep the console constantly busy printing. I put a 5 second delay in the setup so I can get control incase of a problem like this. Then remove all the motors from the 5V and power them from another power source, The 12 volt can be regulated to the 5V for the motors. Be sure to connect the grounds.
Good Luck & Have Fun!
Gil
haritha2000:
I am also a newbie but did you try disconnecting every single component and trying connecting the Arduino isolated.
Yes i tried that. I actually have the same issue with another arduino UNO unit. The problem remains even after unplugging everything. It's not just the setup that causes a malfunction, it's the arduino unit itself.
gilshultz:
The possibility is there, try this. Start by removing everything connected to the arduino then try this:
Take these steps:
Power off the board completely (remove the USB cable).
Wait about 15 seconds.
Hold down the Reset button, keep it held down (or, run a jumper wire from the RESET pin to the GND pin).
Still holding down Reset, reconnect the USB cable.
Start uploading a sketch that does not have this problem (I use the Blink sketch).
I have seen this happen several times when I flood the serial output. An indication is the tx light is on.
Try this several times, it does not always work on the first pass.
Secret do not keep the console constantly busy printing. I put a 5 second delay in the setup so I can get control incase of a problem like this. Then remove all the motors from the 5V and power them from another power source, The 12 volt can be regulated to the 5V for the motors. Be sure to connect the grounds.
Good Luck & Have Fun!
Gil
Thanks for the info Gil! It doesn't seem to work however. I have a second Arduino unit with the same issue (i bought a second one as i didn't have the time to figure out what was happening). I have the second Arduino unit, but when connecting to the computer (Apple Macbook), it fails to recognize the device so I'm completely unable to upload anything whatsoever (that includes the blink sketch). I checked the Uno unit for possible burn marks that would evidence a current overload, but there is none to be seen...
This is what i tried so far:
I tried a different USB port, I tried putting a USB HUB in between, I tried another laptop, I tried a Windows PC (which, in fact, could recognize the Arduino but uploading took about 2 min), I tried updating drivers and FTDI, I tried another USB cable... Nothing seems to solve the problem. The only thing that really has worked so far is just getting a new Arduino unit. I'm really getting desperate because I can't keep on buying Arduino units :D.
It may be important to note that Arduino is still getting power and the computer recognizes the device as connected in "device manager". It just seems that Arduino IDE fails to recognize the COM port.
Is it possible to use the other serial input on Arduino (RX, TX) to communicate with a computer? I suppose this involves connecting the + and - data cables of USB to the digital pins.