can uno r3 be put into dfu mode with connections to the pins on the board or does the board have to be bare?
I should think it can be... I have never tried before but the pins (other than pins 0 and 1) are in no way connected to the atmega16u2 (the usb-serial chip).
I can't get mine to go into dfu. I have tried connecting the two pins right under the reset button and when it comes back up it is always just in regular mode. It's frustrating because this is the last step before my project is done. Pins 0 and 1 are both not in use.
How can I tell exactly what firmware board I have? I've read some people update their firmware but How do I know if I need to do this?
I don't think there is a way to directly tell what firmware is in use on your board. You mentioned connection the pins directly "below" the reset button are you referring to the pins highlighted in the following picture?
Thanks for all the help I figured it out.
Basically for anyone using windows 8.1 it's never going to say dfu mode.
That doesn't mean it isn't in DFU mode, look for it to move off serial on device manager and onto usb as the usb controller chip (atmegaxx)
If you're trying to do UNOjoy prepare to have to manually load the proper hex, if you want to know which hex just run the batch (which will always fail) and then in flip select the hex it is attempting to load and load it yourself in flip. Doing this will fulfill the same purpose and then it will work.
Basically all of this was written I think before windows 8.1 which does things a little differently, but still works. I'm so stoked!