Adafruit Grand Central M4 Express not listed in Board Menu, can't upload to board

Hi all,
I recently purchased an Adafruit Grand Central M4 Express for development on a project, only to find I can't upload even a Blink program to it :frowning:. I consistently get the following verbose output from the uploader:

avrdude: Version 6.3-20190619
         Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
         Copyright (c) 2007-2014 Joerg Wunsch

         System wide configuration file is "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\ArduinoLLC.ArduinoIDE_1.8.57.0_x86__mdqgnx93n4wtt\hardware\tools\avr/etc/avrdude.conf"

         Using Port                    : COM8
         Using Programmer              : wiring
         Overriding Baud Rate          : 115200
avrdude: stk500v2_ReceiveMessage(): timeout
avrdude: stk500v2_ReceiveMessage(): timeout
avrdude: stk500v2_ReceiveMessage(): timeout
avrdude: stk500v2_ReceiveMessage(): timeout
avrdude: stk500v2_ReceiveMessage(): timeout
avrdude: stk500v2_ReceiveMessage(): timeout
avrdude: stk500v2_getsync(): timeout communicating with programmer

avrdude done.  Thank you.

An error occurred while uploading the sketch

I should mention that while it does all of this,
I am positive that COM8 is the correct port. However, it does not list the board in the Port menu, it merely says the name of the port.

I have tried different USB cables and two computers, but this is the only Arduino I have.

However, all of this occurs when using Arduino Mega 2560, ATmega 2560 as the selected board and processor because it is the most similar in the list to my board. I followed this Adafruit guide for setting up the IDE to work with this board with no luck. After installing the correct board libraries and everything, Adafruit Grand Central M4 Express does not show up in the board menu. Windows does correctly identify the device when I plug in, and notifies me that the board is ready to use, with it's name and everything.

I really hope this board isn't broke or damaged, so any help is greatly appreciated!

Edit: I should mention that while uploading, the TX light stays solid for a while, then RX turns on, then periodically but slowly turns on and off then finally both of the lights turn off. RX is solid when it is on, too.

It may look similar to a Mega, it has a totally different MCU, so selecting Mega is not going to work.

I presume that you did install the second package, i.e the one for Adafruit SAMD called 'Adafruit SAMD Boards'?

It does sound more like an IDE issue rather than a board issue, but I have no experience with these boards.

Yep, Adafruit SAMD boards are installed. See below.

The weird thing is that the guide says this package is supposed to include the one for the Grand Central but the description there doesn't.

What does Windows device manager think of your board?

Hi @larryr1

The platform shown in the screenshot is "Arduino SAMD Boards", not the "Adafruit SAMD Boards" platform that adds support for the "Adafruit Grand Central M4 Express" board.

Please follow these instructions to install the "Adafruit SAMD Boards" platform:

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Hi @larryr1

In the Arduino IDE you'll need to go to File->Preferences then in the section titled Additional Board Manager URLs" add: https://adafruit.github.io/arduino-board-index/package_adafruit_index.json.

Just remember to separate each path with a comma.

Thereafter you should be able add Adafruit boards with the Boards Manager.

Yep, I got it. I reread the guide and discovered my mistake. Thank you for your help!

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