avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding

Using Arduino Microcontrollers
#1

I recently bought the two following items:
http://www.phenoptix.com/collections/new-products/products/bare-bones-breadboard-arduino-compatible-kit-shrinkify-your-projects
http://www.phenoptix.com/products/usb-cp2102-usb-to-uart-converter-for-programming-shrimps-and-arduinos

I have wired them up like this:

I bridged the VCCs on the ATmega
I bridged the GNDs on the ATmega
I bridged the crystals with a 16MHz oscillator
Each of the legs of the oscillator is connected to a capacitor that is also connected to GND.
I have a wired up a reset circuit exactly like this: http://www.whatsmoke.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ATMega-Standard-Reset-Circuit.gif

I have installed the arduino IDE and the driver for the USB to UART connector (Index of /drivers)

I selected arduino uno (Tools->Board) and /dev/tty.SLAB_USBtoUART (Tools->Serial Port) and verified the example blink script. When I clicked upload, it failed and said: avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding

I have tried /dev/tty.SLAB_USBtoUART and /dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART, I have tried holding the reset with no change. I still cannot load a script onto it. What am I doing wrong? Thanks!

#2

I have also connected the 5v of the UART connector the the VCC, GND to GND, RX to TX and TX to RX.

#3

Reset circuit is wrong.

Should consist of the resistor and pushbutton as shown, but rather than a capacitor to ground, you need a 0.1µF capacitor going from the reset pin to the DTR (or RTS) pin on your CP2102 adaptor - fortunately the adaptor you have is the quality part.

The alternative is to press the reset button briefly when you see the “Binary sketch size: xxxx bytes (of a 30720 byte maximum)” message on the IDE, but having the “auto-reset” circuit working makes it a whole lot easier.

And - if those connections do not work, try swapping TX and RX connections - it is often difficult to figure which goes to which, as “Transmit” and “Receive” depend on from which end of the connection you are looking.

#4

CP2102 modules I have go tx > tx and rx > rx
PL2303 modules I have go tx > rx and rx > tx

As Paul says, fix your reset circuit first and then try swapping rx/tx and then report back.

#5