Getting started with Leonardo on Linux, problems uploading?

Development Tools IDE 1.x
1

Hi, I'm pretty new to all this, so apologies if I'm missing something really basic.

I'm using Debian and have installed the arduino software via apt. Running it as root (just to rule out and permissions issues). Selected Arduino Leonardo as the board type, set the serial port as /dev/ttyS0 (this was the only option available in the arduino menu).

When I hook up the Leonardo with a USB cable, the green "on" light comes on on the board (good start), the the orange light next to it (labelled "L") pulses around 14 times then goes off. When I try to upload a sample sketch (eg the blinking LED sketch), there's a pause of around 6 seconds, then it says "Done". During that time I don't see any activity on the RX/TX lights on the board.

After the script has uploaded (or claims to have uploaded), nothing seems to happen on the board - my LED doesn't flash (yes, I've checked the LED and the USB cable). If I press reset, again the orange "L" light pulses around a dozen times, but still no activity on my LED. Makes me think the sketch hasn't uploaded (although I don't see any errors).

Any thoughts please? I'm using v1.0.1 of the arduino software on 64 bit Debian Wheezy

2

To start with Arduino, the most common board is the Arduino Uno.
The Arduino Leonardo is for keyboard and mouse emulation.

I don't run it as root, and I don't have the Arduino software installed with apt.

Can you try to remove the installed Arduino IDE, I don't know what the packages are called, perhaps 'arduino' and 'arduino-core'.
Download the Arduino 1.0.3 and unpack it in a folder. Run it from that folder.

You can set options for the Arduino IDE to show more messages in the bottom status window. Please turn those options on.