Tried to run a Robotics Merit Badge class with some Boy Scouts. We ran into a problem that I'm now duplicating at home. On Arduino Uno Board #1, I run a modified "Blink" program (just changed the time). Runs well. On Arduino Uno Board #2, I run a modified "Blink" program (just changed the time). Runs well, but it wanted to reinstall the driver even though it's the same make & model.
*Back to Arduino Board #1. Even withOUT the "Arduino" windows app running, upon plugging it in, it starts running the modified blink program, and I cannot see it on the Device Manager list under any COM, nor does an upload of new program work. * I think I'm bright enough to teach a class on making advanced projects with Arduino, but this behavior has completely stumped me.
OOOPS. I still have a problem, but it's slightly different. Looking more carefully at the collection of hardware in front of me, I realize I made a mistake in what I wrote.
I actually went through this routine with a Duemilanove, works ok.
I run through on UNO #1, works okay, but wants a driver reinstall (naturally).
I run through on UNO #2, works okay, but wants a driver reinstall (WTH?, but do it).
Back to UNO#1, all okay.
I go back to the Duemilanove, and now it has the mystery of running the last program upon plugging in the USB, never showing up on my device list, and being unable to receive a new program.
Have I ruined this PC such that it will never work properly with a Duemilanove again?
Any tips?
I had been running the Duemilanove with this computer for a while with no problems. I had purchased for the class some UNO's. There was some creative chaos in the class where one boy generated smoke on a component plugged into another board due to creative wire plugging while I was talking and another (who probably just hadn't gone through the installation instructions about Device Manager, etc.) became worried his board wasn't working.
So I collected the boards and tried the three of them out with i) the default Blink program and ii) a modified Blink program. First, my own Duemilanove worked fine.
I plugged in the first UNO. The Device Manager put it in the unrecognized state, so I Updated Driver. Then I was able to do the two programs. My second UNO was purchased at a different time and has different "Italy" stickers on it. Same exact thing happened with the second UNO-- "it wants a driver install" I don't know how else to describe this. It works well with the two programs.
Now I go back to Duemilanove. Upon plugging it in, it's doing the same old Blink program, UPON PLUGGING IN. But I am never able to get it to show up on the listing under Device Manager. And even after choosing the device, I am unable to see the correct COM port show up in the list in the IDE.
Another thing that confused me was that the Reset button appears to mean "Go back to the beginning of the program you have been storing in your ROM since last night." I stupidly got the impression somewhere that it meant "Stop everything and wait for new instructions." Maybe I hadn't RTFM, but I have at length WATYVICGMEO *. Thanks for all your patience.
Another thing I learned was that I had two radically different UNO boards, purchased months apart from different sources: chip shape is even different! (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) But it did contribute to overall panic and confusion in that the system "wanted a new driver install" for what was in my mind "just another UNO."
Watched All The Youtube Videos I could Get My Eyes On.