Arduino Duemilanove w/ATMEGA 328, can't upload sketches, pin LED 13 won't blink

Development Tools IDE 1.x
1

Hey guys,

I have an Arduino Duemilanove w/ATMEGA 328, when I try to upload sketches I get the following error:

avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00
avrdude: stk500_disable(): protocol error, expect=0x14, resp=0x51

I have read other peoples' posts who have gotten the same error and have tried the following things to try and troubleshoot it with no success:

  • Making sure drivers are installed (it shows up as USB Serial Port(COM4) in the device manager so I know the computer is recognizing the hardware)
  • Using a new USB cable, no change
  • Pushing the Reset button before uploading sketches, no success

Nothing connected to the Arduino at the moment aside from the USB cable connecting it to my computer.

This arduino has worked in the past and I have successfully made projects with it. Currently when I connect it to my computer via USB the PWR light comes on, but when I hold down the reset button the built-in LED on pin 13 does not blink at all (as I understand it is supposed to when you push the reset button). When I attempt to upload the sketches the RX will blink a few times, but not nearly as much as it would when I have successfully uploaded sketches to it in the past.

I'm beginning to the think the issue might be the Arduino itself, or that something is wrong with the bootloader (don`t know how these problems would have happened). If you have any ideas as to what the problem might be that would be greatly appreciated.

System details: Running windows Vista 32 bit

2

That error simply means the aurduino upload program can't communicate with the board's bootloader program. You may have a bad processor bootloader, a bad processor chip, or a bad FTDI usb converter chip.

First perform a loop-back test to see if the FTDI functions OK. Wire a jumper from ground to the reset pin, that will keep the processor chip inactive. Then run a jumper from pin0 to pin1. Now plug in the board to the PC, open the arduino IDE, select proper COM port, select serial monitor. Whatever you type in the output window should loop back to the receive window.

If that works OK, then you either have to try and burn a new bootloader into the AVR processor chip which requires a hardware programmer or another functioning arduino board running arduinoISP sketch. Or you can simply buy a replacement 328p processor chip with bootloader already loaded for around $6.

Lefty

3

Since he has a duemilanove, there is also the option to add pins to the X3 connector and jumper them over to the ICSP header pins to load a new bootloader via bit bang:

http://www.geocities.jp/arduino_diecimila/bootloader/index_en.html