My Uno was working normally with a windows 11 pc until suddenly I could not upload sketches, getting the avrdude skt500_getsync() error message. I assumed I had run a sketch with an endless loop in the setup section, I tried following advice to press the reset button at the right time during upload without success. I then bought a new Nano and connected it up to re-program the Uno, but on attempting to upload the ISP sketch I got the same error messages. I now cannot upload anything to the Nano either. I tried using a MS Surface, but it could not find any port to connect to, then I tried a Windows 10 machine, which connected but returned the same avrdude errors. What should I try to do next? Any help very much appreciated by a newbie who is stuck with two dead processors.
Unlikely they are dead. Have you closed ALL IDE windows, AND ALL Serial monitor windows. Next open up the devive manager window, NO IDE open and plug in the NANO. Did you see a change in the Device Tree?
THanks for looking: When I plug in the Nano the Ports expand to show USB Serial Port Com4, which the IDE reports as its active port.
GREAT, glad to hear it's working!
The Com port is definitely working but the IDE is unable to send data to either board.
Show us the VERBOSE error log of the attempted upload enclosed in code tags.
Here goes - there's an awful lot of it
FQBN: arduino:avr:nano
Using board 'nano' from platform in folder: C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\hardware\avr\1.8.6
Using core 'arduino' from platform in folder: C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\hardware\avr\1.8.6
Detecting libraries used...
C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\tools\avr-gcc\7.3.0-atmel3.6.1-arduino7/bin/avr-g++ -c -g -Os -w -std=gnu++11 -fpermissive -fno-exceptions -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections -fno-threadsafe-statics -Wno-error=narrowing -flto -w -x c++ -E -CC -mmcu=atmega328p -DF_CPU=16000000L -DARDUINO=10607 -DARDUINO_AVR_NANO -DARDUINO_ARCH_AVR -IC:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\hardware\avr\1.8.6\cores\arduino -IC:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\hardware\avr\1.8.6\variants\eightanaloginputs C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\arduino\sketches\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21\sketch\BareMinimum.ino.cpp -o nul
Generating function prototypes...
C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\tools\avr-gcc\7.3.0-atmel3.6.1-arduino7/bin/avr-g++ -c -g -Os -w -std=gnu++11 -fpermissive -fno-exceptions -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections -fno-threadsafe-statics -Wno-error=narrowing -flto -w -x c++ -E -CC -mmcu=atmega328p -DF_CPU=16000000L -DARDUINO=10607 -DARDUINO_AVR_NANO -DARDUINO_ARCH_AVR -IC:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\hardware\avr\1.8.6\cores\arduino -IC:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\hardware\avr\1.8.6\variants\eightanaloginputs C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\arduino\sketches\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21\sketch\BareMinimum.ino.cpp -o C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Temp\619517203\sketch_merged.cpp
C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\builtin\tools\ctags\5.8-arduino11/ctags -u --language-force=c++ -f - --c++-kinds=svpf --fields=KSTtzns --line-directives C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Temp\619517203\sketch_merged.cpp
Compiling sketch...
"C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\Arduino15\\packages\\arduino\\tools\\avr-gcc\\7.3.0-atmel3.6.1-arduino7/bin/avr-g++" -c -g -Os -w -std=gnu++11 -fpermissive -fno-exceptions -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections -fno-threadsafe-statics -Wno-error=narrowing -MMD -flto -mmcu=atmega328p -DF_CPU=16000000L -DARDUINO=10607 -DARDUINO_AVR_NANO -DARDUINO_ARCH_AVR "-IC:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\Arduino15\\packages\\arduino\\hardware\\avr\\1.8.6\\cores\\arduino" "-IC:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\Arduino15\\packages\\arduino\\hardware\\avr\\1.8.6\\variants\\eightanaloginputs" "C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21\\sketch\\BareMinimum.ino.cpp" -o "C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21\\sketch\\BareMinimum.ino.cpp.o"
Compiling libraries...
Compiling core...
Using precompiled core: C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\arduino\cores\arduino_avr_nano_cpu_atmega328_878644b951ae49ec9ca42b57f4c6dd64\core.a
Linking everything together...
"C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\Arduino15\\packages\\arduino\\tools\\avr-gcc\\7.3.0-atmel3.6.1-arduino7/bin/avr-gcc" -w -Os -g -flto -fuse-linker-plugin -Wl,--gc-sections -mmcu=atmega328p -o "C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21/BareMinimum.ino.elf" "C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21\\sketch\\BareMinimum.ino.cpp.o" "C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21/..\\..\\cores\\arduino_avr_nano_cpu_atmega328_878644b951ae49ec9ca42b57f4c6dd64\\core.a" "-LC:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21" -lm
"C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\Arduino15\\packages\\arduino\\tools\\avr-gcc\\7.3.0-atmel3.6.1-arduino7/bin/avr-objcopy" -O ihex -j .eeprom --set-section-flags=.eeprom=alloc,load --no-change-warnings --change-section-lma .eeprom=0 "C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21/BareMinimum.ino.elf" "C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21/BareMinimum.ino.eep"
"C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\Arduino15\\packages\\arduino\\tools\\avr-gcc\\7.3.0-atmel3.6.1-arduino7/bin/avr-objcopy" -O ihex -R .eeprom "C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21/BareMinimum.ino.elf" "C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21/BareMinimum.ino.hex"
"C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\Arduino15\\packages\\arduino\\tools\\avr-gcc\\7.3.0-atmel3.6.1-arduino7/bin/avr-size" -A "C:\\Users\\Paul\\AppData\\Local\\arduino\\sketches\\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21/BareMinimum.ino.elf"
Sketch uses 444 bytes (1%) of program storage space. Maximum is 30720 bytes.
Global variables use 9 bytes (0%) of dynamic memory, leaving 2039 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 2048 bytes.
"C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\tools\avrdude\6.3.0-arduino17/bin/avrdude" "-CC:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\tools\avrdude\6.3.0-arduino17/etc/avrdude.conf" -v -patmega328p -carduino "-PCOM4" -b115200 -D "-Uflash:w:C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\arduino\sketches\04BE03A6C8EFA3182E6B65E1D5B7DB21/BareMinimum.ino.hex:i"
avrdude: Version 6.3-20190619
Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
Copyright (c) 2007-2014 Joerg Wunsch
System wide configuration file is "C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\tools\avrdude\6.3.0-arduino17/etc/avrdude.conf"
Using Port : COM4
Using Programmer : arduino
Overriding Baud Rate : 115200
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 1 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xa0
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 2 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x78
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 3 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xa0
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 4 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x78
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 5 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xa0
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 6 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x78
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 7 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xa0
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 8 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x78
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 9 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xa0
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 10 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x78
avrdude done. Thank you.
Failed uploading: uploading error: exit status 1
That's not much. Is it a clone NANO, what is the Tools/Processor set to?
It is a clone - "Arduino Nano V3.0 Compatible ATmega328BP+FTDI" from ebay. Tools/Processor says ATmega328P. I did try it having set it to ATmega328 (Old Bootloader) to see if using 57600 baud might help, but it didn't.
Please identify the serial-to-usb converter on your boards; on the Nano it's on the bottom, on the Uno it's close to USB port.
If not sure, post clear photos of those chips; the print on them should be readable.
Also check the VID/PID using Windows device manager.
There should be three choices, check the chip number.
Hi sterretje, when connected to the Nano: FTDIBUS\VID_0403+PID_6001+A5069RR4A\0000
If that photo has uploaded you may be able to recognise the text - I can't. The chip on the Uno is devoid of any text at the same magnification.
Not quite sure if I understand. The IC in the above image is the 16U2 and from an Uno.
My apologies, you are entirely correct: The image is from the Uno - the Nano chip is blank.
Would you have an opinion on whether it would be better now to buy 3 clones for about £10 hoping to find one that worked, or one genuine nano for say £20 (?)
I can tell you this, I have a Uno clone from Sunfounder and one from Hiletgo. Both have been working for around 5 years and I'm not real careful when handling them.
Have you tried different USB cables?
I've tried all that I have, including some quite crummy ones - they all produce the same effect.
Hi @paul9531031. I suggest that we focus on one board at a time. Trying to troubleshoot two different boards simultaneously has already resulted in some confusion and is likely to cause more if the discussion continues this way. Once a resolution has been achieved with one of the boards, we can then switch our attention to the other.
I think there is a better chance of success with the Nano, so let's focus on that one for now.
Please try this experiment and then report back with the results:
This procedure is not intended to solve the problem. The purpose is to gather more information.
- Connect the Arduino board to your computer with a USB cable.
- Press and release the button on the Arduino board that is marked "RESET".
Now please reply here on the forum thread with the answers to the following questions:
- Did you see the LED marked "L" on the board blink immediately after you released the "RESET" button?
- Did the LED blink only once, or did it blink multiple times quickly immediately after releasing the button?
Thanks @ptillisch . When I plug in the Nano board the power LED comes on and the L LED flashes at the steady rate of 1.8 seconds - both lights are red. If I press reset while the L light is on, it immediately goes off and then starts to flash as before. If I press reset while the light is off, there is a noticeably longer delay before it resumes flashing. It does not blink once or multiple times quickly under any circumstance.
That sounds like the pre-loaded blink sketch; it should be 2 seconds 
(one second off, one second on).
It should flash once or a couple of times before going to the normal sequence. It's a very short sequence. If it does not do that your Nano does not have a bootloader or the bootloader is malfunctioning.
Please post a photo.
You can also count the pins; if it has the number of pins as in above, it's not an FTDI chip. There has been one story on the forum where somebody indeed had a chip that was identified as an FTDI chip by Windows but it was not.
