Rainbowduino 'borked'?

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) Software Interfacing
1

New to the Arduino and think it is a great platform for not only playing around with, but also doing some serious work, so far very impressed after working with PICs.

I recently purchased an Arduino Mega from Cool Components (great service) and I am able to upload sketches to it and they run fine (once I get rid of the self inflicted errors!!).

I have also purchased a Rainbowduino V2.0 and 8 x 8 Matrix from them. Got the board, plugged the matrix in and powered it up. I didn't get the pattern expected, rather some seemingly random (but consistent) pattern on the matrix. I guessed that maybe I needed to reload the firmware and as I have been rather busy I didn't have time to investigate the connection of the Rainbowduino through the Mega to the Computer/Arduino IDE. However, over this weekend I have had time to play and I appear to be able to talk to the Rainbowduino through the Mega loaded with the BareMinimum script. Resets definitely affect both boards (lights go out and come back on again).

Eventually found out how to upload firmware (.pde file) and tried to upload it to the Rainbowduino and depending upon how I connect TX/RX lines I get this...

TX - RX
Matrix lights clear and come on again (same pattern - suggesting a reset of some sort?)

avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00

TX - TX
Matrix lights clear and come on again (same pattern - suggesting a reset of some sort?)

avrdude: Expected signature for ATMEGA328P is 1E 95 0F
Double check chip, or use -F to override this check.

Tools|Board selected is Duemilanove or Nano w/ ATmega 328.

Now my question is...

Is the Rainbowduino ATmega working?

I believe that there is communication to the Rainbowduino, but there seems to be no-one in!! Being very new to the Arduino, I would appreciate some input as to how to progress from here to prove the status of the Rainbowduino.

Thanks in anticipation,

2

Hey ceejay.

I was in the same boat but I figured out how to make it work.

Refer: http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1283764316

3

Thanks eikcam.

Tried and resolved the uploading problem.

I have gone down the open RESET-EN link and soldered a couple of pins so that I can put a shorting link on when the Mega is used by itself. I thought that the safer option than the possibility of loading the chip pins with the wrong resistor. (Luckily I have a decent soldering station.)

The set pattern on the display is because I didn't read the data sheet, the 8 x 8 array is common cathode instead of common anode! Basically, some of the diodes were hard wired on.

Somehow 'missed' your thread - more honestly read it and didn't think it applied to me after reading a load of other stuff around the web. (There is a lesson in itself! ;))

Thanks again for the help.