I got a BoArduino (DC Boarduino (Arduino compatible) Kit (w/ATmega328) [v1.0] : ID 72 : $17.50 : Adafruit Industries, Unique & fun DIY electronics and kits) to use in a MIDI project I am doing. I have the project almost working but the BoArduino is acting very strangely.
When the FTDI Friend is plugged in, the code runs flawlessly (with or without the external power supply, but setting the jumper accordingly and all the grounds are tied together). But when I unplug the FTDI the code runs erratically.
Without the FTDI friend, the box starts dropping messages and garbage starts appearing on the LCD. MIDI messages are dropped. For example I start to get a lot of "stuck" notes, notes that don't play at all, and even a random note once in awhile that I didn't play!
I used a 9V power supply and have tried other power supplies. The jumper is set to ext only when the power supply is plugged in. Other test code I run on the BoArduino seems to be OK (blink sketches etc.) without the FTDI, so I think the BoArduino is put together correctly.
The link below is to a picture of the display. The bargraph at the bottom (and the red LED) should only show when a note is on; here I have no hands on the keyboard. MIDI babelfish problems :-( | Even with hands off the keyboa… | Flickr
I'm wondering do I need to wire something up to mimic something the FTDI is providing? Can BoArduino even do serial in/out without it?
The project has MIDI in/out, a 20x4 LCD (ID: 198) and a rotary encoder. The code and schematic is here: https://github.com/mymaestro/Arduino-MIDI-projects/tree/master/midiTranslator
Any ideas what could be going on?
Solved.
A tip from the author of the MIDI schematic I used (at MIDI Shield ) led me to tie a pullup resistor to RX (10k between +5V and pin 0).
Many, many thanks to him!
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