/dev/tty.usbserial Not an option OS 10.6

Sorry if this has already been answered, but I cannot find it anywhere.

I just got my Arduino Duemilanove in the mail and have spent the last 1.5 hours trying to figure out why /dev/tty.usbserial or any other USB Serial connection is an option under the serial port menu in the Arduino IDE. The only items that are there are the Bluetooth PDA syn and modem options. I am having this problem on my MacBook Pro running 10.6.1 and on my iMac running 10.6.

I have downloaded the latest drivers from FTDI and have gone through the steps to remove and reinstall the drivers on both machines.

I hope this is some stupid beginner issue and not a serious problem.

Thanks in advance for your help!

I have been trying for AGES to get this working as well. I have installed/uninstalled the FTDI drivers more times than I can count. I had the exact same problems as the person above. Nothing shows up in the System Profiler in the USB section.

I know this sounds basic, but a device only shows up in the list of available serial ports when the USB cable is actually plugged in on the Mac and there is an Arduino on the other end of it.

Did you try quitting the IDE, reseating the cable on the Mac and the Arduino, then launching the IDE, and re-selecting the board and serial port?

When I do this (Arduino 0017, MacOS X 10.6.2), there is a serial port named '/dev/tty.usbserial-A9007KAL' and also one named '/dev/cu.usbserial-A9007KAL'. Selecting either one of those works for me.

The part after '.usbserial-' will depend on which USB port and can change if you are going through a USB hub. If you move the board to a different USB port, you need to go through the re-selection again.

First thing would be to figure out if it's an Arduino ide problem, or a driver problem.

in the terminal type:

ls /dev/tty.*

You should, if it working get something like this:

Mac-Pro:~ ice$ ls /dev/tty.*
/dev/tty.Bluetooth-Modem      /dev/tty.usbserial-A5002skY
/dev/tty.Bluetooth-PDA-Sync

In my case tty.usbserial-A5002skY is an Arduino.

If you don't see the Arduino, you could try downloading the latest FTDI drivers http://www.ftdichip.com/FTDrivers.htm, I'm not 100% sure if you'll want VCP or D2XX, but since VCP is virtual com port, that seems most likely :slight_smile:

Ya, the problem is it doesn't show up in the device listing at all. I have installed the newest drivers with no luck. Then uninstalled (deleted ktext, restarted) and tried installing again with no luck. I tried fixing the permission on the disk, with yet again no luck.

It's driving me nuts. I have no idea why.

Go to your network preferences and delete any mention of that device and click apply. Alternatively define a new location, that wipes the slate clean.

Then plug it in and you should get a box asking you how you want to configure the device. Do you get this?

I added a new location, selected it and clicked apply. No box popping up. :frowning:

Maybe it's the board?

It's powered on and plugged in at the time?
(just to check the obvious and make sure)

Sorry it took me so long to reply. My problem was something that I always tell my wife: Things tend to work better if you plug them in properly.

I was being too gentle and didn't plug the USB cable in all the way. Boy did I have egg on my face when I figured it out.

On a side note: Thanks to all who posted helpful responses. The people on this board make it really easy and enjoyable to get started in the world of physical computing!

:slight_smile:

Hahaha...Great news!! Pretty sure I have narrowed down my problem to the board. Maybe the USB chip is toast.

Anyways, thanks everyone for your help.

Okay, I'm having the exact same problem, and my USB IS plugged in properly.

My options for serial ports the Bluetooth -PDA - sync, Bluetooth - Modem, and a couple for a bluetooth phonebook synch for a phone I used to have.

I tried checking what ports were available in Terminal, and only the PDA, Modem, and phonebook options show.

Soooooo, what now?

Thanks all, I'm brand spanking new to Arduino.

Woops. Guess I didn't have the latest FTDI drivers....

freaking n00bs, when will they ever learn? :smiley:

Just started with Arduino. Duamilanove clone, Macbook with OSX 10.6.5, and had the same problem.

Solution: Switch USB cable. Reinstall. Bliss. :smiley: