MacOSX 10.13 on a MacPro mid-2010.
Boards used: Mega2560 and Uno R3
With Arduino IDE 1.8.19, I can't see any of my boards.
With arduino-cli, the same.
What I can see are only two ports:
$ arduino-cli board list
Port Protocol Type Board Name FQBN Core
/dev/cu.Bluetooth-Incoming-Port serial Serial Port Unknown
/dev/cu.JBLGO-vCOMM serial Serial Port Unknown
I don't know what those ports are, but they're always listed here.
My bluetooth disabled, it still displays the former port.
The latter seems to be named after a device JBLGO that I haven't connected to my MacPro within the last months (and it's not here in the area currently).
The MEGA seems to work. The orange led is blinking when I plug it.
The UNO seems to work too, the orange led isn't blinking but stays on all the time.
I've tried to flash the firmware (DFU) on the UNO, but... no change...
Rebooting the laptop with the Arduino plugged in will allow you to access it fine. I suspect the issue is still a pulse or power draw that causes OSX to shut down the data connection for some reason. It sounds like using a USB hub may still fix this issue (why the standard USBC to B dongle won't do this is... strange), but I have not yet tried doing so.
I decided to use a Linux (Debian in my case) Vmware.
I installed the arduino-cli on it, the AVR core to support my boards.
Using the exact same cable, I plugged my boards to the MacPro.
The VMware app asked me whether I wanted to have the new connected USB linked to the MacOS or to the Linux. Choosing Linux I could then see my boards with the command:
$ arduino-cli board list
Port Protocol Type Board Name FQBN Core
/dev/ttyACM0 serial Serial Port (USB) Arduino Mega or Mega 2560 arduino:avr:mega arduino:avr
By using that, I can load any program into both of my Mega+Uno boards.
I still don't consider the issue solved, as it proves a few things:
-my cable is a suitable one to handle that connection
-my boards are working great and not defect
-my MacPro is really able to recognize those boards through USB, since it can forward them to the Linux VM
-the issue is then located into the MacOSX part, not able to recognize itself the boards.
For people who can use such a VM, that's great. But it's really a pain that I had to use such a workaround, and for some of users with the similar issue, it might just not be possible or acceptable to use that workaround.
I am really curious about what would solve this issue...
Hi @alexuino88. I think it would be useful to check whether the operating system recognizes the ports or not. This will tell you whether the problem is at the Arduino IDE/Arduino CLI level, or at the operating system level. Even though that knowledge won't solve the problem, it does allow you to focus your investigation in the right place (i.e., if macOS doesn't recognize the port then looking at Arduino CLI is a waste of time).
I'll provide instructions:
Unplug the USB cable of your Arduino board from your computer if it is currently connected.
Click the Apple logo on the left side of the menu bar at the top of the screen ("Apple menu").
Select "System Settings..." from the menu.
A "System Settings" window will open. Click "General" in the menu on the left side of the window. ⓘ You may need to scroll the menu down to see "General".
Click "About" on the panel at the right side of the "System Settings" window.
The "About" panel will open. Click the "System Report..." button at the bottom of the panel.
The "System Information" window will now open. Select Hardware > USB from the tree on the left side of the window.
Take note of the contents of the "USB Device Tree" panel of the "System Information" window.
Plug the USB cable of your Arduino board into your computer.
Select File > Refresh Information from the menu bar.
Do you see any new device appear in the the the "USB Device Tree" panel of the "System Information" window after doing the last step?
I have been facing the same problem with Arduino boards for eons. Sometimes consistently, sometimes erraticaly. My conclusion is that there is something in Arduinos that is fragile enough to create this kind of issues. My solution has been to change to ESP32 boards. Much more pins, much more capacity, much cheaper and to now, no problem at all with the bloody ports and Arduino. Sorry to post this on an Arduino forum, but I am tired of wasting my time.
Strange, I can't recall when I last had a real problem with AVR boards that was not caused by myself. From IDE 1.6.6 via 1.8.5, 1.8.13 and the different 2.0 versions; I however have to admit that I have seen plenty board detection issues by others in 2.0.
When shifting to ESP32, in order to check if there was any issue with the electronics built around my Arduino board, I built an adapter from the Arduino Nano footprint to the ESP32 D1 mini one, so as to test the electronics linked to my Arduino project with the ESP32 development board (instead of the Nano IOT). Everything is running smoothly with the adapter and the ESP32. Should there be any issue with the electronics, this issue affects the Arduino and does not affect the ESP32.