I have been using the FTDI cable with the RS232 TTL header to load my arduinos. This cable will no longer work on the newer Macintosh operating system ( Mavericks ) because the FTDI drivers and java and arduino software do not conform to industry standards. I can and do use the Tripp Lite Keyspan adaptors with JAVA apps all the time on Mac's. The output of those USB to serial devices is standard rs232 and not t/l level. What I need is a way to program the arduino boards with the 6 pin header t/l level interface that will work under Mac mavericks. The FTDI cable is not an option. Could I use and RS232 to ttl level converter somehow or is there an arduino option of some sort. Money is no option. Anything that will show up under the tools menu as a workable serial port and cannect to the arduino and work is fine. Iwould pay big bucks for that black box right now if one existed. And don't even suggest a Windows computer, they are not allowed in the house. My current work around is I still have one very old Macintosh PPC running 10.6.8 and the old version of arduino that works with the FTDI cable. I am guarding it with my life.
Can you use the Atmel AVR ISP MKii, and do all your programming as File:Upload Using Programmer instead? (no bootloader).
Another option - put your file on SD card and use Arduino to load it:
Thanks for the suggestions. Thoses are way 2 complicated. I need a hardware cable that actually works. No SD cards. No bypassing the boot loader. I can't even understand the concept on the first suggestion and I am not going to do another layer of software. On the second item. Does someone just make the card reader loader that would plug into the t/l port on the arduino ? And is there a simply way to compile the sketch and save it to the sd card ?
The MKii is not complicated. It connects to your computer via USB cable. You plug it onto the ICSP header instead of into the USB connector.
In the IDE, instead of select File:Upload, you select File:Upload Using Programmer.
Here's one plugged onto a card
If you have a USB to RS232 cable, it will have some chip inside doing the USB/Serial conversion, such as PL2303. Will that have the driver problem as the FTDI chip?
And don't even suggest a Windows computer, they are not allowed in the house.
"the house" being work, or home? Little short sighted to disallow the OS that supports something like 90% of the computers out there.
As my original post states, the tripp like Keyspan units work just fine under java 7 and mac mavericks and have there own drivers and do not use FTDI. So if people do things right It can be made to work. As far as work or home and windows, I allow it at neither and after 40 years of electrical engineering experience I have the right and background to hate windows. I did coax a neighbor with a windows laptop to attempt to get the arduino and ftdi cable and download to work. He was not successful. The arduino software just has some major bugs that need addressed by the developer and soon. Right now it is a really bad product.
The programmer looks nice. 1 major problem. None of my arduino boards have the ms pins unused and the 6 pin header does not exist. I need something that works over the existing serial port.
So you just need an RS232 to TTL adapter then, like one of these:
http://www.nkcelectronics.com/rs232-to-ttl-converter-board-33v232335.html
http://www.nkcelectronics.com/RS232-to-TTL-converter-board-DTE-with-Male-DB9-33V-to-5V_p_369.html
Just need to press Reset button on the Arduino when the IDE shows "compiled xxx of 32xxx bytes". Might take a couple of tries to get the timing right.
This cable will no longer work on the newer Macintosh operating system ( Mavericks ) because the FTDI drivers and java and arduino software do not conform to industry standards. I can and do use the Tripp Lite Keyspan adaptors with JAVA apps all the time on Mac's. The output of those USB to serial devices is standard rs232 and not t/l level. What I need is a way to program the arduino boards with the 6 pin header t/l level interface that will work under Mac mavericks. The FTDI cable is not an option
where did you get this?
I have a mac with mavericks and works fine with all my arduinos using the FTDI232 chip.
I have been working on it for 3 days on 3 different macs running mavericks. Won't load a program on any of them. Using an old mac running 10.5.8 on a ppc and Java 5 and arduino 1.0.1 and the FTDI cable works. Nothing else will. All 3 of the above mac workrd fine under 10.8.x with the same cable and the same arduinos and java 6 and 7 and the newer version ov the arduino. What EXACT version on 10.9.x. And version of Java and version of audio and what cable connection and what arduino board board are you using. Would be glad to know that info so I can research further. I am almost positive it is the specific cable and java and arduino combo but I do not know what to attack next.
After a lot more work and a custom built serial to t/l interface I have resolved most problems. One of the main problems was that the software does not do something that I assumed it did. Assumption being the mother of all f#$k ups and my infrequent use of Arduino....... Well I am used to industrial PLC's that when you create a program you also define the type of processor and hardware and that becomes a part of the program so that when you call up the program with the software it also sets the communication parameters automatically. Arduino does not do that. It defaults the board type to UNO with a new software install. So while the serial monitor would show data camping from the board and the green light on the board would blink when uploading, you would get an out of sink message at the end and the program would not load. Setting the correct board type cured the com error and the processor load.
This was on 2 mac's running Mavericks and using Arduino 1.0.5. An old machine running 10.5.8 on a PPC has a mutitude of java comm errors but it is not a machine I need to use so I will jive up on it. I have successfully used the the spark fun usb to 6 pin header FTDI cable with the Mac Mavericks machines. Both Java 7 and Java 6 are loaded on these so I do not know which is actually being used. I also used the Keyspan USB to RS 232 adaptors that I have several of. I constructed a straight through DB9 Female to Female cabe and used a DeccanRobots RS232 to TTL converter. Got these some where off the internet. They have a DB9 Male on one end and a 4 pin header for coms and a 2 pin header for power. Since I have the crimpers and pins and connector bodies I constructed a 6 pin header ( arduion 5 volt 328 pro ) to the RS232 header. Connection are as follows with A for Arduino end and R for RS232 convertor end: R-Tx to A-Rx R-Rx to A-Tx R-RTS to A-reset R+ to A 5 volts R- to A common. This worked great , just like the cable for loading programs and on the serial monitor. The only difference is the arduino board will have to get power from some where else since the USB cable would power up a stand alone board and this will not. So If you have a real 9 pin serial port on your computer and want an alternative to the cable this is viable.
My next test to to load the latest version of the software 1.5.5 and try that. I was going to last night but the site hosting the download ( the actual Arduino site ) was slowed to a crawl.. I downloaded 1.0.5 in 2 minutes ( 75 mb file ) but the 135 mb 1.5.5 files was going to take 23 minutes and was running under 60 mb. Had to be something at there end because I test my end and was getting 40 meg download speeds and 15 mb uploads and all other sites were running fine.