MKR1000 not detected anymore

Hello!

I have got my MKR1000 and used it only once. I have installed the arduino IDE and the drivers and the wifi library. It worked very very well, I have successfully communicated in WiFi and Serial with it.

Now I want to use it for the second time only. But it is not detected by Windows 10. The device manager list does not even refresh when I plug/unplug it! Only twice on hundred times it has been detected. At this time the IDE had accepted to upload the program on it or to open the Serial Monitor. But it last maybe 10 seconds and then it has not been detected anymore. In fact it is during the upload that the device has been unplug the twice.

I have updated the drivers to the last driver version to the 1.6.14 instead of 1.6.13 but it changed nothing. I have reboot 3 times my computer but it changed nothing too...

The arduino had been detected by an old MacBook (I have tried nothing more).

I have notice also that the "L" and "CHRG" LEDs are blinking differently in function of how I move the board.

Do you have any idea of what happens ?

Thank you very much in advance,

Olivier

Ever consider reading the forum section names ?

Will ask that this be moved to the correct section for you.

Have you tried to quickly double tap the reset button to put it in BOOTLOADER mode (it will read as a different com port) and use that to upload something simple like BLINK.

Hello thanks for helping.

Double tapping the reset button effectively allows the computer to detect the board, but it is still detected for three seconds only. Once the board was detected maybe 10 seconds that allow me to successfully upload an easy blinking led program.

Then I tried on a USB 3.0 port, and now the board is well detected. So I have upload a serial communication program, the switchCase2 example. The problem now is that after sending a certain combinaison of letters, the board reset (I can see the "chrg" led and windows see it unplugged then plugged again). In fact I send "abc" (the letters "a", then "b", and finally "c") it is rebooted after sending "c". Or "abdec", or "acb" or "debca". I wonder if it wasn't an over consumption of the LEDs, so I have switched the 220 ohms resistors for 1000 ohms but it is still the same. More, it worked very well the first time I used the board with the 220 ohms.

So I wonder if the board wasn't damaged somewhere maybe after a static electricity shock.

Thanks,

More, you can note that without the LEDs (so no current is drawn) the board also reboot !

Just going to address the CHG light issue for you.

It is normal for that to come on in what appears to be a random fashion.
With a suitable LIPO attached and charged by the board it will go off.
It will also remain off if the LIPO is attached and you unplug it from the USB cable.

Next.. What resistor and why and where ?
Please supply a schematic of what you are attaching to the board and how it is connected.
It does not matter if it is a hand drawn schem.

You have been one of the few lucky people to get Arduino working on a USB 3.0 port as most report issues with that type of port.

The quality and length of USB cable can play an important role with Arduinos too.

Ignore my schematic request.
But double check your wiring very carefully !

BTW the MKR is a 3.3 volt board so you need to re-calculate the resistors.

There are lots of online ones but you need to specify more than just the voltage.

Hi Ballscrewbob,

The resistors are just in serial with the LEDs from the output port of the arduino to the ground.

So there is 5 times this structure for the 5 pins (port 2 to 6) of the switchCase2 example.

All the hardware I have and I use is the official hardware I bought in the GENUINO MKR1000 BUNDLE.

Thank you

Thats not a schem but I welcome your effort.

You need the spec for the LEDs to be able to calculate the resistance.

When you have that just type "calculate resistor for led" in to google and there are lots of sites that will do the calc for you.

EDIT chances are you will be using something about this spec

1.8-2.2VDC forward drop
Max current: 20mA
Suggested using current: 16-18mA
Luminous Intensity: 150-200mcd

And using the 3.3 volt as the voltage source.

More questions from me I am afraid.

What OS ?
Which version of the IDE ?
Which version of the boards for SAMD M0 ?

Also I doubt is relevant in this case but there was a firmware update for the MKR's.

LINK TO MY VIDEO HERE

I'm on Windows 10. I use the 1.8.1 Arduino IDE. Sorry I really don't know how to find the SAMD M0 version. On the board it is written "SAMW25H18-MR510PB" and REV.R3.

I have done the firmware update as you show in the video with the board model B.

I find nowhere the reference of my LEDs... But with a 220 ohm resistor they are shining quite well and 1000 ohm too. But as I said this switchCase2 program was working very well the first time with 220 ohm resistors and according to your values, a 100 ohm resistor shall be used.

if simple sketches work OK then there is a very good chance the board is fine and a typo in the sketch if you changed anything or a simple wiring issue would be indicated.

Thank you very much for your help.
So you think the board is still good. When should I set the bootloader mode on the board and when should I leave it?

Thanks

I still on occasion need to use it but it has been a lot better since I did the firmware upgrade even though I don't think that aspect was in the fixes.

To find the cores version go to Board Manager, The cores are all listed by board type in there and look for "Arduino SAMD Boards(32-bits ARM Cortex-M0)

Current version is 1.6.14
You can also select from the Type box "Updateable" and update any that are listed one by one.
I usually close out the IDE and restart my computer after that ( probably not needed but worth doing IMHO )

Hi !

I am deeply sorry to reply so long after your last message. I didn't had time to take care of my arduino since.
After several tests, it seems that the pin 4 of my arduino has an issue. I don't know why but when I use my little program with another pin it is working.

Thank you very much again for your help and sorry for this reply delay.

If you have any idea of why and how my pin 4 can be dead, I'll take. Else I think you can close this topic.

Thanks !

Olivier

Without knowing what you had connected to pin4 and how including a schematic of some sort its pretty much impossible to tell what might have caused a single pin to misbehave.

Some of the more simple things are trying to take an analog reading from a non analog pin or trying to send PWM signals from non PWM pins but they quite often wont pop a pin but just cause unexpected results.

Sorry about your news.

No post is ever closed or deleted as there may be a hint of help for others.

I have a similar problem that after a few times of usage, the mkr1000 cannot be detected anymore. May not help contribute to the solution, just want to share my experience to see if anyone has similar problems.

At first, it could work with my MacBook Pro (High Sierra). I didn't wire anything to the board, but use the built-in examples of wifi scan and log in programs.

But after a few hours, when I wanted to upload a program, it shows no port on the /dev/cu.usbmodem14411mkr1000. I unplugged the board, and plugged in again. Not working. Double-click the reset button, not working. Unplugged and waited for a few hours, then plugged it in, and it could be detected. At that point, I suspect there might be some electrostatic charges.

Ever since then, the port problem happens more and more often. The period that it worked got shorter and shorter. Sometimes, after loading the programs a second time, its port stopped being detected. Until now, it is totally dead. I tried MacOS, Windows 10, Ubuntu 16.04 with the latest IDEs, non of the platform can detect mkr1000 port. On the contrary, my Arduino UNO R3 works well on all three platforms.

It shows similar symptoms discussed in the thread. The CHRG and L LEDs are blinks randomly. I haven't figured out what are the messages the board wants to convey, but it doesn't look like a good sign. Because I know when the board worked before, the LEDs won't blink in such a way.

Since my board has not been wired to any other components, I suspect there might be an electrical shock. Also I suspect there might be leakage current to build the charges as the problems did not happen at the beginning. I might be wrong, but just want to share my thoughts.

Anyone see similar problem or have a better solution to this? I kind of give up on the board, and consider reordering a new one, but I hope to have an explanation to avoid similar problems happening again.

Thanks,

@frankzhao

Would like to put to bed an assumption you made about the charge light before you take it as fact.

The charge light will come on at seemingly random periods.

It is a well known phenomenon and simply unplugging and re-plugging will make it disappear for a short while.

You didn't supply the last known sketch so it would be impossible to tell if the other LED is doing what it is supposed to or not and there is a method to actually turn off the "L" LED.

I still have a BETA MKR1000 which has performed down to over minus 40 up to plus 35 'C.
My other MKR boards also continue to run and have been used for multiple forum and other development tests.

We dont know what you have had connected and how so I cannot say if it was just a fluke that you are having issues or something you may have done.

Some of the more simple issues have been leaving the anti-static foam on the boards, USB 3.0 port issues, Incorrect battery type and or connections to the LiPo connector, Using 5 volt sensors when the board is a 3.3 volt board, powering external components and allowing a voltage feed back to occur, failure to have shared grounds between external items and the board.

There are more but you would have to read the MKR sections to gather those clues.

Some of the earlier boards had a recessed RESET and these did on rare occasions fail but were simple enough to either replace or add external ones.