Serial Port Already in Use - MacOSX leopard

Hello,
I cannot get my Arduino_011 software to upload sketches or otherwise access my Arduino Diecimila USB AVR board. When attempting to upload a sketch I receive the following message:

"Serial port '/dev/tty.usbserial-A4001KX4' already in use. Try quiting any programs that may be using it."
and
"Couldn't determine program size: text data bss dec hex filename
processing.app.SerialException: Serial port '/dev/tty.usbserial-A4001KX4' already in use. Try quiting any programs that may be using it.
at processing.app.Serial.(Serial.java:140)
at processing.app.Serial.(Serial.java:72)
at processing.app.Uploader.flushSerialBuffer(Uploader.java:66)
at processing.app.AvrdudeUploader.uploadViaBootloader(AvrdudeUploader.java:68)
at processing.app.AvrdudeUploader.uploadUsingPreferences(AvrdudeUploader.java:43)
at processing.app.Sketch.upload(Sketch.java:1632)
at processing.app.Sketch.exportApplet(Sketch.java:1701)
at processing.app.Editor$41.run(Editor.java:2004)
at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(InvocationEvent.java:209)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:461)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOnEventForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:269)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:190)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:184)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:176)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:110)"

I am using OS X 10.5.2 (leopard), on a first gen MacBook Pro 17".
I have tried using other Arduino boards with no luck.
I have installed the software (Arduino 11) on my girl friend's computer (also leopard) and communication is no problem.
So, the problem is on my computer and not with OS X 10.5.
I am pretty sure the problem lays in some conflicting drivers: I had earlier installed AVRdude and some other software (can't remember which exactly) to get my school's AVR board to work with my computer (which I managed). (This board: AVR - CCRMA Wiki)
These other drivers must be trying to grab my present Arduino and prevent the Arduino software from communicating with it. I have tried installing the most recent AVRdude software (5.5) to maybe overwrite the old drivers and get all present in a cooperative mood, and uninstalling it too (using "make clean, make install, make uninstall" etc...), with no luck. Does anyone know how I can get in to my computer's guts and get rid of this software conflict, without reinstalling my system? or perhaps another solution that might work just as well?

thanks,
Michael

Have you tried rebooting? Having avrdude installed shouldn't interfere with Arduino; did you install anything else that might use serial ports? Check the Activity Monitor to see what other programs are running. You might trying uninstalling and reinstalling the FTDI drivers used by the Arduino board (I'm not sure how, though).

Also, do you have rxtx.jar or comm.jar or similar in your Java extensions folder? It might interfere with the one that comes with Arduino.

I have rebooted many times. I am not sure if I have anything else that would be using the serial ports. I am also not sure how to uninstall the FTDI Arduino drivers, though I have re-installed them quite a few times. I spotlighted for rxtx and found one file that was a java library or something in my "Processing" folder so I have uninstalled that (I never used it).

I just found other versions of the java files in the Library/Java/Extensions/ folder and have moved them to a temp folder to see if their move affects things... If the move does not help things, I will not write back until I hear more from the forum, if the move fixes things, I will reply to the thread right away.

Here is what my activity monitor says is going on:
312 Activity Monitor mpberger 4.7 5 14.14 MB 983.33 MB Intel
168 AirPort Base Station Agent mpberger 0.0 3 3.74 MB 915.46 MB Intel
208 Alarm Clock mpberger 0.0 1 7.50 MB 920.54 MB Intel
215 AppleSpell.service mpberger 0.0 1 1.16 MB 596.02 MB Intel
222 Arduino mpberger 0.1 14 37.51 MB 1.16 GB Intel
178 ATSServer mpberger 0.0 2 6.19 MB 650.35 MB Intel
177 Dock mpberger 0.0 3 18.34 MB 936.05 MB Intel
223 DVD Player mpberger 14.4 12 39.61 MB 998.88 MB Intel
183 Finder mpberger 0.6 12 28.79 MB 983.36 MB Intel
294 Firefox mpberger 6.8 8 77.71 MB 1,013.96 MB Intel
164 Folder Actions Dispatcher mpberger 0.0 1 3.23 MB 876.25 MB Intel
211 GrowlHelperApp mpberger 0.0 2 6.62 MB 880.23 MB Intel
214 HotBox mpberger 0.0 2 2.47 MB 870.90 MB Intel
159 launchd mpberger 0.0 3 580.00 KB 585.78 MB Intel
165 Little Snitch Network Monitor mpberger 0.2 3 4.88 MB 902.53 MB Intel
166 Little Snitch UIAgent mpberger 0.0 2 4.38 MB 902.05 MB Intel
34 loginwindow mpberger 0.0 4 8.45 MB 898.14 MB Intel
297 Mail mpberger 0.2 13 38.97 MB 980.90 MB Intel
302 Mail Unread Menu mpberger 0.0 4 11.62 MB 928.33 MB Intel
220 mdworker mpberger 0.1 4 7.44 MB 613.57 MB Intel
167 MOTUFireWireCons mpberger 0.0 1 1.18 MB 586.66 MB Intel
176 pboard mpberger 0.0 1 620.00 KB 586.68 MB Intel
206 Quick Look Server mpberger 0.0 7 24.17 MB 938.97 MB Intel
210 Soundflowerbed mpberger 0.0 4 7.23 MB 923.07 MB Intel
172 Spotlight mpberger 0.0 2 4.99 MB 883.56 MB Intel
212 Stickies mpberger 0.0 1 7.61 MB 920.62 MB Intel
307 SyncServer mpberger 0.0 2 7.27 MB 604.23 MB Intel
303 System Events mpberger 0.0 1 4.91 MB 894.70 MB Intel
182 SystemUIServer mpberger 0.2 6 9.75 MB 927.82 MB Intel
179 TabletDriver mpberger 0.0 2 3.00 MB 850.47 MB Intel
173 UserEventAgent mpberger 0.0 3 4.81 MB 854.95 MB Intel

Thanks for your quick reply

Moving the JAVA extensions HAS FIXED IT!

Thank you so much for your help!

Cool.

To explain: the default compilation options for RXTX create a library that uses locks to help ensure that only one program tries to access the serial port at a time. This requires you to setup the lock directory (this was the purpose macosx_setup.command script that used to come with Arduino and Processing). If you don't set up the lock directory, you get an error like the one you saw. Since this is kind of annoying (and doesn't really help), the version of RXTX that comes with Arduino is compiled to not use locks. But if you have a default version of RXTX installed in your Java extensions folder, it will get used instead of the Arduino one.

I'm late in replying, but I did not see this solution elsewhere, and so I think it might be useful for posterity.

Despite the explanations above, I was still not able to connect with the arduino board on OSX, getting the Serial port in use error. I did not have any extra rxtx.jar files anywhere else on my machine. However, this post helped me:

karman.homelinux.net/blog/archives/277

I don't read spanish, but the solution is clear enough: Check that you have a
/var/lock directory, and ensure it is chmod 777. Simple as that, and now I'm staring at a blinking LED!

Anyone has experience of solving this on Vista? I posted in another thread earlier and found that I've to disable the port, reboot, and enable the port again to solve the problem. Once I disconnected the usb cable and reconnect it again, the same "port in use" message appeared again.

Kind of tedious if I need to make changes here and there in codes and have to do the above everytime I need to upload.

Appreciate any help.

hi,

i recenetly just got an arduino, and have been getting the same problem on mac.

dimator, where abouts would the lock folder need to go?

i dont really understand how to lock the file?

any help would be great! its so frustrating not being able to upload

thanks!

dave

I can confirm that for arduinio-0013 after I downloaded & installed an rxtx alternative library I needed to do the following in the terminal to get it to work:

$ sudo mkdir /var/lock
$ sudo chmod 777 /var/lock

I cannot comment on the security implications of doing so.

--Phil.

P.S. This still doesn't explain why the original library seems to work with 0012 but not 0013.

sorry to be a pain, but i still get this working...

tried all on here as best as i can, and it is still in use aparently...

follower, when i type those in terminal, says i need a password...?

any help would be great

thanks

follower, when i type those in terminal, says i need a password...?

Yes, it will ask you for your administrator password. You should only run the commands above with administrator rights if you trust me or independently verify what the commands do to your satisfaction.

--Phil.

I did the trick in the terminal (it did not ask for admin password though) and it still doesn't work. I'm trying to use my Duemilanove with a Blusmirf Gold Bluetooth modem. I can connect to the modem with Zterm and with Processing but under the Arduino IDE it just cannot connect. Any ideas?

Managed to get the thing work! Some point to consider:

-in Zterm, after setting the modem, go to Setting->Connection and set the baud rate to 9600.
-indeed, you can only add commands to goldsmirf for 60 seconds! use the command+K for keyboard buffer
-enter $$$ and then SU,96 to set the baud rate of Goldsmirf, then --- to exit
-set the baud rate of the arduino board. this is what I forgot... I used the Standard Firmata and changed the baud rate from 57600 to 9600
-unplugg the usb from your board and use only the BT. That also helps.
-set the baud-rate in Processing, as well! Example:

void setup(){
size(500,500);
background(0);
arduino = new Arduino(this, Arduino.list()[4], 9600); //BAUD-RATE!!!
println(Arduino.list());
mySensor1=new Sensor(1,64,0,10,150,100,125,5,20);

etc.

Also, I set the Bluesmirf to Slave Mode (SM,0). Everything works fine, apart from Max MSP:D

I am having this issue as well about the port being in use. The fixes suggested haven't worked for me. I can't be certain, but this all started when I installed Processing to so some testing with a drawing program. I was able to upload the StandardFirmata but since then I have not been able to upload anything else to the Arduino. I don't know if these are connected, but it is the last thing I can remember.