Standalone Arduino - Does not like to take sketch

Hi All,

I've just got my board fabricated, excited as i was to see it i started to solder all the components using a ceramic hotplate and it turned out to be good. All well and looking good.

So once that was done i've installed the Atmega328 board from board manager by MiniCore and then uploaded the Boot loader on the new Atmega328 with that done who knew it would not take sketch's. I uploaded the first sketch and it seems this chip does not like to take any Sketch, error code as follows

avrdude: Version 6.3, compiled on Jan 17 2017 at 12:00:53
Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
Copyright (c) 2007-2014 Joerg Wunsch

System wide configuration file is "C:\Users\georget\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\MiniCore\hardware\avr\1.0.4/avrdude.conf"

Using Port : COM6
Using Programmer : arduino
Overriding Baud Rate : 115200
AVR Part : ATmega328
Chip Erase delay : 9000 us
PAGEL : PD7
BS2 : PC2
RESET disposition : dedicated
RETRY pulse : SCK
serial program mode : yes
parallel program mode : yes
Timeout : 200
StabDelay : 100
CmdexeDelay : 25
SyncLoops : 32
ByteDelay : 0
PollIndex : 3
PollValue : 0x53
Memory Detail :

Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack


eeprom 65 20 4 0 no 1024 4 0 3600 3600 0xff 0xff
flash 65 6 128 0 yes 32768 128 256 4500 4500 0xff 0xff
lfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
hfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
efuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
lock 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
calibration 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00
signature 0 0 0 0 no 3 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00

Programmer Type : Arduino
Description : Arduino
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
Hardware Version: 3
Firmware Version: 0.2

avrdude: stk500_getparm(): (a) protocol error, expect=0x14, resp=0xfc
Vtarget : 420030.5 V
Varef : 0.3 V
Oscillator : 28.800 kHz
SCK period : 3.3 us

avrdude: AVR device initialized and ready to accept instructions

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.00s

avrdude: Device signature = 0x1e9514 (probably m328)
avrdude: reading input file "C:\Users\georget\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_451336/SPWv3_MCU.ino.hex"
avrdude: writing flash (16680 bytes):

Writing | avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding

So what i had done so far ?
I've rechecked all the routes checked for continuity and all were well. checked the voltage at the Atmega328 and it was 4.9v. So what could it be, i checked continuity of the Tx and Rx routes and that turned out to be ok as well. I did not have a 22R resistor for the Tx and Rx so would be the problem ? Well i managed to upload the sketch once or twice and latter it stopped.

Then i replaced the Atmega with another one, hoping this would work but no no it would not either. I going nuts over this project and cannot move froward stuck with this sketch not uploading issue.


I had the similar issue where one pin would not go high when using the PINMode(Buttonpin, INPUT_PULLUP) so that was resolved once i had uploaded the boot loader again.

So what would be this issue ? Are these models of the Atmega328 not meant for use with Arduino ? or would it be a fuse setting that was incorparated by MiniCore ? i am sure i've not played around with them for sure.

Appreciate any help on this.

Was this posted on the wrong topic?

Error code suggests it's having trouble with communication. How are you connecting, serial? I'd recheck that there isn't bad solder on serial pins to your serial device and there isn't any bad wire or something. I'd do the loopback test to be sure the serial device is working right.

Also check for internal pullup on the serial pin, if it's enabled try disabling them.

Thank you wilykat. Appreciate it.

I will get that checked as soon as i get my hands on it. It was something i did not check for continuity earlier. Hopefully it should be it.

wilykat:
Error code suggests it's having trouble with communication. How are you connecting, serial? I'd recheck that there isn't bad solder on serial pins to your serial device and there isn't any bad wire or something. I'd do the loopback test to be sure the serial device is working right.

Also check for internal pullup on the serial pin, if it's enabled try disabling them.

I am using Arduino to upload the sketch by removing the on-board chip and connecting Rx to Tx of the Standalone and similarly Tx to Rx.

The loopback test has passed in fact i am able to upload the sketch to the onboard IC.

and i get this error as well, normally this would be because the Rx and Tx pins connected wrong but i checked that also.

vrdude: Version 6.3, compiled on Jan 17 2017 at 12:00:53
Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
Copyright (c) 2007-2014 Joerg Wunsch

System wide configuration file is "C:\Users\georget\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\MiniCore\hardware\avr\1.0.4/avrdude.conf"

Using Port : COM6
Using Programmer : arduino
Overriding Baud Rate : 115200
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 1 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x3e
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 2 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x3e
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding

anishkgt:
I am using Arduino to upload the sketch by removing the on-board chip and connecting Rx to Tx of the Standalone and similarly Tx to Rx.

I think you forgot to connect the reset line of your dedicated board.

To activate the bootloader in the 328P, you need to pulse the reset line. See the schematic of e.g. the Uno where the DTR output of the 16U2 is used to do this.

Though i forgot to mention it here, i have the reset pin of the standalone board connected to Reset on the Arduino.

(deleted)

Just did that too and no luck. This is my Second chip thinking my first one was bad.

avrdude: Version 6.3, compiled on Jan 17 2017 at 12:00:53
Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
Copyright (c) 2007-2014 Joerg Wunsch

System wide configuration file is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr/etc/avrdude.conf"

Using Port : COM6
Using Programmer : stk500v1
Overriding Baud Rate : 19200
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 1 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x03
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 2 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x03

Are decoupling capacitors present on VCC to GND near the chip's VCC pin? Without those caps, the voltage rail can ripple a bit and cause the chip to become a bit finicky.

I'd recheck for bad solder join on the Rx, Tx, reset, and all VCC and GND pins.

wilykat:
Are decoupling capacitors present on VCC to GND near the chip's VCC pin? Without those caps, the voltage rail can ripple a bit and cause the chip to become a bit finicky.

I'd recheck for bad solder join on the Rx, Tx, reset, and all VCC and GND pins.

Yes they do have decoupling caps 0.1uf to GND on Pin VCC and AVCC

anishkgt:
I am using Arduino to upload the sketch by removing the on-board chip and connecting Rx to Tx of the Standalone and similarly Tx to Rx.

The loopback test has passed in fact i am able to upload the sketch to the onboard IC.

Try Rx to Rx and Tx to Tx when using the Arduino after you are sure you have the chip bootloaded.

Thanks tried that as well. It looks like the MUC does not seem to be responding for some reason.

after a while on this forum, i've figured it was the wrong routing that had gave me so much of trouble.

Earlier i did not bother testing the Serial communication as the On-USB was working now when that failed i had to check it and found that the CP2102N and the Serial interface cannot have the connections in parallel. So removed the CP2102N and all working ok.