I have a HW COM 1 on my laptop-cannot program Pro Mini clone

Using Arduino IDE 1.x
1

Hello all,

I'm totally new to Arduino.

Got some Pro Mini clone and I cannot upload any sketch on them. They blink once feeded 5V.

  1. I have a hardware COM on my laptop(a real one, with a DB9), from which I wired
    pin 2 (RXD) -> TX on PRo Mini
    pin 3 (TXD) -> RX on PRo Mini

Q: is this enough?

  1. What kind of programmer do I choose? I kinda tried them all - default was AVRISP mkII, but I only get

Binary sketch size: 1,076 bytes (of a 30,720 byte maximum)
avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x30

and no change in the blinking - as my sketch is supposed to do.

Q: what is the problem here?

  1. The Serial monitor echoes anything I type, as long as I have the board hooked to the PC.
    (Echoes me whether I hook RES to GND and short TX to RX - or none of these)
    Echo does not appear if I disconnect the serial cable.

Q: is this OK?

  1. The TOOLS menu opens very very slow, maybe even 10 seconds from clicking it, any other menu is OK. I use Arduino 1.0.5-r2
    I can open the serial monitor using keyboard, but even that takes 3-4 seconds.

Q: is this OK?

Maybe I asked too many question in one post, but I do not realizing what I'm doing wrong.
thank you in advance

2
  1. No
  2. I use cheap USBasp from Ebay, but they are not always reliable, or use an "Arduino as ISP".
  3. Don't know. You have to fix the rest first.
  4. No

The Arduino IDE should run without delays. Do you have (parts of) old Java or old Arduino IDE on the computer ?
Keep your folder with your projects, and remove everything else. Remove the Arduino IDE and everything of Java.
Download the Arduino IDE zip file and unpack it in a folder. It that running okay ? If still not okay, try the new Arduino IDE 1.5.7 BETA, it has many of these problems fixed.

The 'real' RS-232 port on a computer can have voltage levels up to -15...+15V. That will damage the Arduino Pro Mini, because it needs TTL-level RX and TX signals. On most laptops, the voltages are much lower, so I don't know how much your Arduino Pro Mini is damaged. However, you should buy another one.

You need to translate the RS-232 high voltages to TTL level. For example with a MAX232 or MAX2323. Search Ebay for modules with that. Or search Ebay for : rs232 ttl
Or buy a usb-to-serial-ttl converter, so you can use a usb port. You need a converter compatible with 5V and with DTR signal.

To upload a sketch, the Arduino board is reset. That reset starts the bootloader which check the serial port for incoming data. The reset is done with the DTR signal. You need to connect the DTR with 100nF to the reset of the Arduino.

3

Thanks!
I ordered an 232 right now.

4
  1. I have a hardware COM on my laptop(a real one, with a DB9), from which I wired
    pin 2 (RXD) -> TX on PRo Mini
    pin 3 (TXD) -> RX on PRo Mini

That probably fried the pro mini. It is expecting 0-5V, you've likely applied +/-12V to the Rx pin. Does the chip feel warm or hot to the touch?

  1. What kind of programmer do I choose?

That only applies if you Have a programmer, and it is connected to Reset-Pwr-Gnd-SCK-MOSI-MISO.

  1. The Serial monitor echoes anything I type, as long as I have the board hooked to the PC.

That doesn't sound good.

You should be using a USB/Serial adapter, such as FTDI Basic. It connects to the 6 pins on the end of the board and adapts the high speed USB into the slower Rx/Tx signals which the chip's UART works with.

5

For Pro Mini clones, I use the Inland brand USB FT232 FTDI module. On my Inland clones it works perfectly.

6

Hello everyone!

Thanks all for your responses!

What I did meantime:

went shopping and got USBASP, 2 pieces.

Then some Nano clones, but they have USB on them, they appear as USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM14) and they work from the first try. (Programmed a 1 digit 7 segment display with 'flowing' numbers, amazed eveyone around, me included) - absolutely no problems here. Maybe I can use one of these ans programmers for the other boards? An then some ATTiny 84?

While it is very easy to use these boards, the USBASP will not work. (I try to program my first boards, the Pro minis, with this USBASP).

In my Arduino IDE, there is always this status line: Arduino Pro or Pro Mini(5V,16 MHz) w/ ATmega328 on COM14. The line is not red, I just try to emphasize it.

I have changed the programmer (in Tools) to USBASP. There is no way to uncheck the COM port, though, and as I had a hunch, I hooked a Nano to the PC while trying to upload my sketch through the USBASP. Anyhow, the status line will not change from the last COM used, which ever it is.

Surprise (or not?): my sketch went to the Nano board instead, which started blinking the SOS (that I have programmed).
If I disconnect this board and try again the upload, I get a dialog "Serial port not found", then the option to choose another COM port?!?!

How can I tell Arduino IDE that I want to upload using strictly the USBASP?

I tried http://zadig.akeo.ie/ program, and it shows that I am using the WinUSB (v6.1.7600.16385) driver, so it looks OK to me.

7

I have also a cheap version with CH340G, after installing the driver, it works flawless.
The Nano have a usb connector and a usb-to-ttl-serial converter on the Nano board.

When you want to use the programmer, you don't use the usb or rx tx.
Plug in the USBasp, connect all the MISO, MOSI and so on signals, and select from the Arduino IDE the option in the menu to upload with a programmer. You can also burn the bootloader that way (that is also in the menu).

8

I've just seen that, thanks though! (I feel a little dumb)

Still, I got several errors, apparently caused by the USBASP driver. Went using this one: http://www.protostack.com/download/USBasp-win-driver-x86-x64-ia64-v1.2.4.zip

Once again, used Zadig's tool, and did the following:

  1. Options-> List all devices (for some reason, I don't get any device until I check this)
  2. picked from list the USBasp
  3. Options->Advanced mode
  4. meantime, downloaded the http://www.protostack.com/download/USBasp-win-driver-x86-x64-ia64-v1.2.4.zip and unzipped
  5. in this Advanced Mode, you have an Open button right next to the Install button, from where I selected the last driver I downloaded.
  6. Installed the driver.

I used Zadig's tool as myself couldn't install this driver manually, my Win 7 x64 kept telling me that I am up to date.

UP next:

  1. avrdude: warning: cannot set sck period. please check for usbasp firmware update. - looks like I need to upgrade the USBASP, as everyone says all over the internet. Self programming jumpers soldered already, I might use the Nano as the programmer of the programmers! :stuck_out_tongue:

  2. the ATTiny 2313A! Or 84, whichever comes first.

Edit: the USBASP works perfectly.
I just programmed the SOS in two of the older Pro minis, the very first has no pins soldered and I am out of pins, so no way to program it, I'll check some other time that that Pro mini is still OK.

Thanks everybody for your support!