midi out troubles

Hi, I'm trying to buil a simple midi controller using todbot tutorial on midioutput with arduino.

I have few question :
when the usb cable from arduino to my computer is plugged the TX led BLINK but I get no midi output on the midi plug.
when the usb cable is unplugged and the arduino runs on battery the TX led DOESN'T blink and I don't get any midi out either.
any hints are welcome