[WAVGAT pseudo-clone] Issues and Troubleshouting

Using Arduino IDE 1.x
1

[DISCLAIMER: This is only a recompilation of knowledge on the topic.
In no case, it is an official post by Manufacturer, nor it is supported, overviewed or approved by Manufacturer.
Any product modification should be done with user full knowledge of their own responsibility.
Author accepts no responsibility of consequences or possible damages due to following below instructions (or bad understanding of them or bad fulfillment).]

Hi,

I also got caught in the trap of thinking I was smarter for spending less...
Until connecting it, I did not realize of my error...

As I had to look in INet to find the different solutions, I thought I could just open a post putting everything together (and so other users can be warned and have all the info before doing the purchase).

Some Points:

  1. "Buy Quality and cry only once"
    It is not that WAVGAT product does not work, it is SIMILAR to UNO R3, note the emphasis on similar.
    The main issue is that everybody thinks "Compatible with Arduino UNO R3" means "100% compatible with Arduino UNO R3" and it does not...
    You will need to do some tasks in order to work with it and even after them you can probably suffer some bugs.

  2. USB connection
    WAVGAT uses CH341, so you will need to download and install the drivers, find below link:
    CH341SER.EXE - 南京沁恒微电子股份有限公司

  3. Arduino IDE configuration
    As commented above in order to work with WAVGAT, you will need to add some files:

a)

According to Manufacturer, after installing official IDE software you have to:

950×405 77.6 KB

950×329 38.6 KB

Always with the IDE closed

1- download update files from
https://drive.google.com/open?id=10gwrG9uTDwaEO-7EudsmBkfgdcyrcABI
2- copy the content (folders "hardware" and "libraries" ) in following path
c:\Users\ADMINISTRATOR\Documents\Arduino\

instead of ADMINISTRATOR, it can be different depending your installation.

3- restart IDE software and select development board
[Tools] > [Board] > WAVGAT UNO R3

See video
https://ae-cn.alicdn.com/wWzCWa8wUpLP4BKHrkv/cJkVwpNqV3ILHFjZQ0f%40%40hd.mp4

b) After doing as indicated by manufacturer still detected some annoyances, so I investigated and found (I currently use IDE 1.8.5):

1- In [Tools] > [Board] , it shows "Arduino AVR board" for WAVGAT.
It is quite simple to solve it.
In the folder where you copied the above files (point 20-a2), you have to modify file platform.txt inside both Hardware/WAV/var and Hardware/WAV8F/var
Replace
3rd-party-Hardware-specification name=Arduino AVR Boards
with
3rd-party-Hardware-specification name=WAVGAT AVR Boards

2- While testing, a message kept appearing:

'WAVGAT AVR Boards' contains deprecated recipe.ar.pattern="{compiler.path}{compiler.ar.cmd}" {compiler.ar.flags} {compiler.ar.extra_flags} "{build.path}/{archive_file}" "{object_file}", automatically converted to recipe.ar.pattern="{compiler.path}{compiler.ar.cmd}" {compiler.ar.flags} {compiler.ar.extra_flags} "{archive_file_path}" "{object_file}".

In the folder where you copied the above files (point 20-a2), you have to modify file platform.txt inside both Hardware/WAV/var and Hardware/WAV8F/var
Replace
recipe.ar.pattern="{compiler.path}{compiler.ar.cmd}" {compiler.ar.flags} {compiler.ar.extra_flags} "{build.path}/{archive_file}" "{object_file}"
with
recipe.ar.pattern="{compiler.path}{compiler.ar.cmd}" {compiler.ar.flags} {compiler.ar.extra_flags} "{archive_file_path}" "{object_file}"

  2. By the way, as July 2018 one of the crystals already indicate 16 000 (16MHz).

  3. Note PWM pins are 5 / 6 / 9 / 10 / 11 (seems 3 is not, unlike in UNO R3)

    950×447 64.8 KB

    950×390 72.3 KB

  4. WAVGAT UNO pinout (from Aliexpress)

    899×702 59.4 KB

  5. Analogical inputs goes from 0.0V (0) to 3.3V (4064) [ADC 12 bits]
    then decreases up to 5.0V (2540)

[20180608] [Ardu-Ino] (wavgat problems... - #8 by Ardu-Ino - IDE 1.x - Arduino Forum)

Another problem is that the analogRead function behave abnormally. The value spans 1500-1600(more than 1023, and values keep on changing even in steady state.

(AingeruJM) Tested (without multimeter) and confirmed.
No understanding why or how can it be solved...
No connection between 12 and 19
GND connection between 2 and 3
0V 0 (linear increasing=>) 3.3V 4064
3.3V 4064 (linear decreasing=>) 5V 2540
(Artur310) Tested with multimeter
wavgat problems... - #22 by Artur310 - IDE 1.x - Arduino Forum

2

This post is reserved for detected issues (without confirmation or solution)

[20180418] [solarpeter] (What is this nasty clone? Running at quarter speed! - #4 by solarpeter - Avrdude, stk500, Bootloader issues - Arduino Forum])

However it also seems to have swapped some pin configuration around at the same time as these boards no longer work with an LCD shield when programmed as Wavcat Uno.

Either way this board doesn't meet my expectations of a basic UNO, we shouldn't have to load additional drivers to make it work like all its clone cousins, it should be interchangeable with all other UNO clones. Proof that you get what you pay for.

[20180722] [AingeruJM]
Why are there two folders (WAV and WAV8F) in Hardware folder provided by manufacturer
(Pert) (no hardware - #2 by pert - IDE 1.x - Arduino Forum)

The WAVGAT hardware package contains one folder that is for Arduino IDE 1.6.0 and newer. It also contains another folder named WAV8F for Arduino IDE 1.0.0. When you install that WAV8F folder it causes the warning because it's not compatible with the IDE version you're using. You can ignore the warning or you can fix it by deleting the C:\Users\cam\Documents\Arduino\hardware\WAV8F folder.

[20180722] [AingeruJM]
¿Error while uploading? Several times

java.io.IOException: jssc.SerialPortException: Port name - COM3; Method name - setEventsMask(); Exception type - Can't set mask.
 at processing.app.Serial.dispose(Serial.java:166)
 at processing.app.SerialMonitor.close(SerialMonitor.java:116)
 at processing.app.AbstractMonitor.suspend(AbstractMonitor.java:90)
 at processing.app.Editor$DefaultExportHandler.run(Editor.java:2160)
 at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:748)
Caused by: jssc.SerialPortException: Port name - COM3; Method name - setEventsMask(); Exception type - Can't set mask.
 at jssc.SerialPort.setEventsMask(SerialPort.java:279)
 at jssc.SerialPort.removeEventListener(SerialPort.java:1064)
 at jssc.SerialPort.closePort(SerialPort.java:1090)
 at processing.app.Serial.dispose(Serial.java:163)
 ... 4 more

[20180722] [Aingeru]
Seems GPIO work at 3.3V (instead of 5V)
(AingeruJM) Checked Digital outputs provide 3.3V (checked by connecting a digital output to an analog input, value measured is 4064, same as for 3.3V)
(Voltages not checked with multimeter yet!)

[20180725] [AingeruJM]
Would it be possible to load the booloader again into the chip so it performs as an Arduino UNO R3?

[20180802] [pert] ([WAVGAT pseudo-clone] Issues and Troubleshouting - #5 by pert - IDE 1.x - Arduino Forum)
Possibility that chip is in fact a LogicGreen LGT8Fx8 chip instead of an ATMega328P.

3

There are some good quality clone/derivative boards available. It's better to support Arduino but in some cases it's reasonable to buy an alternative product. However, I despise companies like this. If seems like it was completely unnecessary for them to make an "Uno-ish" board that requires a custom hardware package but if you are going to do that there is a well established, well documented system that allows users to very easily install and update 3rd party packages. Instead "WAVGAT" did this idiotic thing. It's very sad when the manufacturer of an Arduino product has such a faulty understanding of the Arduino IDE. I'm sure that's an indication of the quality of their hardware.

AingeruJM:
[20180725] [AingeruJM]
Would it be possible lo load the booloader again into the chip so it performs as an Arduino UNO R3?

Only if:

  • The board runs at 16 MHz (my understanding is it has a 12 MHz crystal)
  • The pinout is the same as the Uno board.
4

pert:
Only if:

  • The board runs at 16 MHz (my understanding is it has a 12 MHz crystal)
  • The pinout is the same as the Uno board.

1- Crystal indicates 16MHz and seems it is running at that freq. Is there any way to check it?
2- No idea, I requested for PinOut to supplier but no reply yet.

5

I'm seeing some indications the microcontroller on the WAVGAT is a LogicGreen LGT8Fx8 chip rather than the standard Uno's ATmega328P chip. What does the marking on the microcontroller on your board say? Of course it is possible WAVGAT could re-mark their LGT8Fx8 chips as ATmega328P.

6

i was successful in following this post and had blink uploaded in the sketch and it work fine but when i uploaded other sketches its not working.the "L" indicator does not light up it means that the sketch was not uploaded am i right.

7

joemon:
the "L" indicator does not light up it means that the sketch was not uploaded am i right.

No you're not right. The "L" LED is connected to pin 13 on your Arduino. If your code doesn't turn the LED on then the LED won't turn on. So you could have a successful upload with a perfectly working code and the "L" LED could be off, or you could have code that controls pin 13 to turn the LED on or off or blinking or fading or whatever you want.

8

pert:
I'm seeing some indications the microcontroller on the WAVGAT is a LogicGreen LGT8Fx8 chip rather than the standard Uno's ATmega328P chip. What does the marking on the microcontroller on your board say? Of course the Chinese would mark an LGT8Fx8 as ATmega328P if they thought it would make them even a tiny bit of extra profit.

My WAVGAT pseudoUNO shows

ATMEL
MEGA328P
AU 1741

(not sure, maybe 1740 or 1743?)

I just got a clone-UNO... would it be worth to try to reload bootloader in pseudoUNO and see if this way it is recognized and works as a clone-UNO?

9

AingeruJM:
(not sure, maybe 1740 or 1743?)

That's the manufacture date code: The 40th (or 43rd) week of 2017.

AingeruJM:
I just got a clone-UNO... would it be worth to try to reload bootloader in pseudoUNO and see if this way it is recognized and works as a clne-UNO?

I really don't have enough information to say whether that could cause problems. I'd think if that was possible then WAVGAT wouldn't have gone to the trouble of making their own custom hardware package but people do strange things. If it was my board I'd give it a try but only if I was willing to take the risk of bricking the board for the sake of the experiment. Luckily these Chinese clones are usually very cheap and this allows me to not be so hesitant to take risks as I would be with expensive hardware I can't afford to ruin.

10

Este Arduino Lleva Un Microcontrolador Clon del Atmega328, Asi Que Necesita Sus Propias Librerias y Demas.

El Fabricante es la Compañia Logic Green el Microcontrolador en si es el LGT8F328P, Basicamente es Compatible con Atmega328, Salvo por el Modulo ADC, Este Lleva Un ADC de Resolucion de 12 Bits y el Atmega328 Solo Lleva un ADC de 10Bits.

La Pagina Del Fabricante es:

http://www.lgtic.com

Las Librerias y demas Para el IDE de Arduino Las Encuentras en el Siguiente Link:

El IDE de Arduino Funcional para Mi es 1.8.4:

https://www.arduino.cc/download_handler.php?f=/arduino-1.8.4-windows.exe

Para Usarlo en el IDE de Arduino Deben Elegir Como Board : LGT8F328P-LQFP32 MiniEVB, Las IDEs Anteriores a 1.8.4 y Posteriores Me Dieron Varios Errores al Momento de Compilar, Asi que es Altamente Recomendado esa Version.

Como Mencioné Anteriormente Tiene Un ADC de 12Bits Asi que la Lectura de Bits Les Saldra en el Rango de 0-4095 y no de 0-1023 como Estamos Habituados.

Espero Les Sirva Esta Informacion.

11

Custom hardware package for an Uno clone? Bizarre - I cannot fathom why they wouldn't just use the standard arduino uno bootloader like all the million other nameless CH340G clones. If it doesn't work by calling it an Uno with the normal hardware package, re-bootload it and it will.

The difference in serial interface chip isn't all bad - the CH340G is much harder to trash than the 16u2 on official boards. I have seen like 2-3 posts here where someone trashed a ch340g. And 2-3 per week from people who trashed a 16u2, often by doing things that look 100% correct.

12

My understanding is there are some WAVGAT boards that use ATmega328P, which you should be able to use as an Uno with no 3rd party package needed, but there are also some that use a LGT8F chip, which do require a custom package. To make things more confusing, I remember one thread about WAVGAT boards with a 12 MHz crystal.

The LGT8F328P is intended to be somewhat a clone of the ATmega328P, but with additional features. Apparently the LGT8F328P is not enough of an ATmega328P clone that you can just use the Uno board definition. Anyway, you would miss out on the additional features if you did that.

The 3rd party hardware package at the link above seems, at a glance, to be an improvement over the package provided by WAVGAT. I don't think WAVGAT is associated with the author of this package.

13

l'erreur me renvoie vers ceci ....
Est ce qu'il faut installer visual studio?

/**

  • Throws error if c++11 is not supported
    */
    #ifndef REQUIRE_CPP11_H
    #define REQUIRE_CPP11_H

#if __cplusplus < 201103L
#error "This library needs at least a C++11 compliant compiler, maybe compiler argument for C++11 support is missing or if you use Arduino IDE upgrade to version >=1.6.6"
#endif

#endif // REQUIRE_CPP11_H

14

Has anyone had any luck getting the WAVGAT files recognized by IDE v1.8.8? I downloaded the drivers and followed the steps to copy/paste them along with the platform.txt mods, but none of the WAVGAT info showed up in Tools->Board.

I did have success with IDE v1.8.6 adding the WAVGAT files to \Arduino as mentioned above and getting the Blink sketch to work (LED 1s on & 1s off versus 4s on & 4s off) .

In my Documents folder, I have \Arduino and \ArduinoData folders. The \ArduinoData folder seems specific to v1.8.8 as any modifications to boards.txt in the Digistump folder shows up when I open v1.8.8 and not in v1.8.6.

The inability to upload sketches to my Digispark is why I have v1.8.6 installed. For now, it appears to me that is also the case with the WAVGAT clones. I'm running Windows10 Home 64-bit in case that matters.

15

I bought a few Pro Mini Wavgat boards (avga328). As always, i check built-in LED just to be sure board respond to IDE. I add board and libraries into IDE. LED is blinking, and that part is ok. What is not ok is that it seems that I2C and Serial doesn't work. Or i am missing something...

For upload i use FTDI adapter.

First, i tried to connect it to OLED and after successfully uploaded sketch i get nothing on screen. Then, i tried with I2C scanner to see does it recognize screen, and get nothing on Serial. Then, i tried just to show a single word in Serial and get nothing. The same with proper settings works with Uno and Pro Mini 328p. But, not with Wavgat Pro Mini.

So, it seems neither I2C nor Serial works on this board. Any other suggestion would be nice. Except to throw it away. Which i will in the end...

16

After a few attempts i found out few things.

First.
When i remove Serial.begin(); from the setup, I2C works just fine. So, it looks like Serial is messing up something. When i use OLED with I2C but only OLED, without Serial, it works.

Second.
When i power it up through RAW pin with 7V or 9V it has on VCC only (!?) 1,7V. When i power it width 5V through VCC it works fine.

Weird ...

17

dekip:
When i power it up through RAW pin with 7V or 9V it has on VCC only (!?) 1,7V. When i power it width 5V through VCC it works fine.

Because PCB have mistake, pin2 (middle) on 5-pin stabilisation chip must be GND. But it is no so, I solded wire and all ok )

IMG_20190203_094445.jpg
IMG_20190203_094445.jpg3328×1872 681 KB

18

surveyranger:
I did have success with IDE v1.8.6 adding the WAVGAT files to \Arduino as mentioned above and getting the Blink sketch to work (LED 1s on & 1s off versus 4s on & 4s off) .

I have the same problem with WAVGAT Aruduino Pro Mini- blink every a couple seconds instead of LED 1s on & 1s off after code uploading using Serial programmer and standard Arduino Pro Mini board in Preferences. I have tried also to upload code using USBasp and another Arduino as ISP but I had connecion issues which come from WAVGAT clone, because another board (not WAVGAT) in the same socket works good and can communicate with USBasp.
Could you confirm that you solved problem by uploading code using special WAVGAT boards in Arduino IDE? Did you upload code by Serial programmer?

It seems that there is some problem with frequency, because Serial port print strange signs (question marks mainly) during normal communication using Serial.print("123").

But I can't read fusebits with USBasp to check coded frequency, even with special WAVGAT boards in Arduino IDE.

Any ideas how to deal with this problem?
A couple of hours lost for looking for solution. It's better to spent half dolar more and save a lof of time.

19

I got duped into buying two of these, gross.

Anyone done the pinout comparison to see if we can just pop atmega328 on the boards and call it a day?

  • I recognize that this does not make sound economic sense under all conditions
20

combs:
I got duped into buying two of these, gross.

Anyone done the pinout comparison to see if we can just pop atmega328 on the boards and call it a day?

  • I recognize that this does not make sound economic sense under all conditions

Tried it. No dice