Is this config expected to work?? two (or more) arduinos-one PC

Development Tools IDE 1.x
1

I have a win XP machine, running arduino IDE 22 and want to run two concurrent instances of the IDE, one talking to an arduino uno on one USB2 port, the other IDE instance talking to a Mega-R3 on another USB2 port. I have tried this config with a Mega-R2 version board as well.
The problem is that even though I have installed the correct drivers for each arduino board, when I start an IDE, select the appropriate COM port and attempt to dnld a build, the UI hangs and I see the "Uploading" message in the IDE...forever...
In all cases, after starting the IDE, IF all the existing COM ports are displayed in the arduino IDE, none are ever selected...I have to do it manually. Sometimes after plugging in the second arduino board into the USB port, that port does not show up in the IDE com selection menu - when this happens I have to reboot the machine and in some cases, reinstall the driver.

There are no problems with one IDE to board configuration.

Windoz shows two arduinos in the device list. Sometimes, if one IDE instance is already logically connected to the correct board/USB port and it can interact with the board, when I startup the other IDE instance attempt to connect and upload to the other arduino board, it always gets wedged in the 'Uploading' state....

So: Is it suppose to be the case that one can concurrently develop/interact for two (or more) differnt arduino boards through two instances of the arduino IDE??

Is there a 'recommended installation procedure' to accomplish this?

It seems that no matter how I install the environments/install the drivers and attempt to connect to the two different boards, one (or both) of the IDEs just hang....

I appreciate your consideration and thoughts on this matter...

-John

2

I don't know where the port assignments, preferences etc are stored on win installations but if we assume they're stored as ini-files inside the arduino installation you would have to install the arduino ide twice in different directories because if not one instance would override the configuration(port, type etc) of the other instance.

3

Anaximander:
I don't know where the port assignments, preferences etc are stored on win installations but if we assume they're stored as ini-files inside the arduino installation you would have to install the arduino ide twice in different directories because if not one instance would override the configuration(port, type etc) of the other instance.

That is an interesting thought....I would have thought that the designer(s) would have considered the possibility of running two or more instances concurrently and would make sure they would be self-contained and not have any commonalities...

I'll try installing in two separate directories....
J