Bricked my sparkfun pro micro

Development Tools IDE 1.x
1

I've managed to brick my sparkfun pro micro, probably due to uploading a little too fast while it was booting up. Device Manager recognizes it as a malfunctioned USB, and I am not able to get it to work at all. Trying to bootload it through the double reset doesn't allow device manager to recognize it as an arduino port, instead as a "USB Serial Device". I'm also trying to use RichardDL's pro micro resetter bat file, with no success.

I'm losing my mind, does anyone have options for solutions?

2

Maybe try replacing the bootloader:
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/installing-an-arduino-bootloader/all

Programming Bootloader on Pro Micro - SparkFun Electronics

3

Do you mean that you tried to burn the bootloader or that you tried to invoke the bootloader? It sounds like the latter.

If the latter, do you know what used to happen with a double tap reset? It should indeed change to something for approximately 8 seconds and I think that if you did not install the SparkFun AVR board package it "USB serial device" might be correct.

The following steps should allow you to upload. First select the port, next do the upload.

Port selection

  1. If you can select COM1 in the IDE, select that as the port.
    or
  2. If you have an Uno, Mega, Nano, connect it and select its port in the IDE. Do not select it as the target board. Keep it connected.
    or
  3. If you can't use (1) or (2), double tap the reset button (or wire) and select the port that shows (the USB serial device)..

Upload

  1. Open an empty sketch in the IDE
  2. Select the Pro Micro as the target board (or whatever you used to select in the past, it might have been Leonardo or Micro).
  3. Select the correct speed version (8MHz or 16 MHz; for Leonardo and Micro you don't have that option).
  4. Start an upload; in case you had to use option 3 in port selection above, double tap the reset first if using IDE 2.0.
  5. When the IDE reports the memory usage, double tap the reset on the Pro Micro; you have about 8 seconds to to do the double tap.
  6. Wait till upload completes and check if the board is recognised in device manager.

If you had to choose option 3 under port selection above, timing of the double reset in (5) can be a little tricky. To make it easier to get the timing right, enable verbose output during compilation in file → preferences in the IDE.
You will get a screen full of info; when the IDE states "Linking everything together" (that's shortly before the IDE reports the memory usage), double tap the reset.

Below are screen shots of the official SparkFun Pro Micro (not a clone) under normal use with the SparkFun AVR board package installed. COM ports can obviously differ.

Pro Micro

Pro Micro bootloader

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