Upload fails with TinyZero

Hi there,

First time posting, i have been reading around through similar issues on the forum but haven't had any luck with many of the suggestions i have found. (checking board is correct and port is correct)

I am trying to upload a sample code from the Tiny Circuits website that they have for their GPS Tracker and the sketch included on that page to my TinyZero. I have the hardware hooked up, the board selected in the IDE Tools>Board menu and the port is correct with what shows up in device manager on my windows computer. The sketch compiles fine with no errors but then hangs when it appears to be done uploading (green bar is all the way across but it doesn't throw the error for like ten minutes).

Just wondering if there is something simple I am missing or if this error message sheds any light on anything to someone more familiar? I have tried this on two computers and the second one was a fresh install/set up of Arduino IDE.

Arduino: 1.8.18 (Windows 10), Board: "TinyZero, Default"

Sketch uses 18628 bytes (7%) of program storage space. Maximum is 262144 bytes.

Forcing reset using 1200bps open/close on port COM3

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

PORTS {COM3, } / {COM3, } => {}

Uploading using selected port: COM3

C:\Users\Brandt\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\arduino\tools\bossac\1.7.0/bossac.exe -i -d --port=COM3 -U true -i -e -w -v C:\Users\Brandt\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_399951/GPS_Tracker_original.ino.bin -R 

An error occurred while uploading the sketch



This report would have more information with
"Show verbose output during compilation"
option enabled in File -> Preferences.

I figured since it compiled fine, the verbose output on compile wouldn't be useful. I had this trouble with the 1.8.19 version so i just tried a shot in the dark and downgraded in case there was something not vibing with the current version? I have tried different USB cables as well. Any ideas? Probably something simple but i am brand new to this so kind of ran out of ways to troubleshoot with my limited knowledge.

Thanks!
Brandt

Do you have a link tot the TinyZero so we can see what it exactly is.

First question would be what Windows thinks of the board. Does COM3 show under Ports in Windows device manager when the board is connected and does COM3 disappear when the board is disconnected?

Anything with yellow exclamation marks in device manager when you connect the board?

Your output indicates that the board does not react on the software reset.

  1. I know that you mentioned that you used different cables; have you tried one that allows you to communicate with a mobile phone?
  2. If your board does not have a reset button, hook one up. Next double tap the reset button.
    Most boards with native USB have a pulsing L-LED when you reset the board using a double-tap reset; exception that I'm aware of is the SparkFun Pro Micro, maybe that's the case with your's as well. Do you get a pulsing the L LED after a double tap reset? Does Windows show anything in device manager after a double tap reset. If you don't get a pulsing L-LED (if one is on the board), your board does not have a bootloader. If you het a pulsing L-LED but nothing happens in Windows device manager, cable or driver issue.
  3. Did it ever work or did the problem start after you did upload a sketch?

Thank you for your reply,

This is the page for the TinyZero

https://tinycircuits.com/products/tinyzero-processor

I had done the test in windows device manager, and it is showing as USB Serial Device (COM3) and disappears when I unplug it so the port seems to be correct. I do not see anything with exclamation marks in device manager while connected.

To answer your remaining questions

  1. I used one that comes with Pixhawk autopilot systems (this one had worked before to upload a sketch) and then tried another one that I believe was for a phone (it’s a cloth braided one that just came in a replacement pack from amazon). I have USB-C on my phone so I can’t verify.

  2. The board has a little reset button on it, I did try clicking that after I initiated the upload as I had read in several posts about this board. I did try to do a double tap as well, I didn’t notice any lights. There is a green LED that flashes once when I connect the board via USB (I think this is the L-LED, there was a sample sketch to make that blink that I tried when I very first set it up a few months back), it is not flashing when I do the double tap reset. I also don’t see anything happen/change in device manager. Should that make the COM port go away and come back?

  3. It did work a month ago when I was playing around with it and I got this GPS tracker set up to log points at a specified interval. I was trying to get some low power mode stuff to work so the system could be deployed for months on a battery but never had any luck so was just trying to go back to what I had that worked again. I was having trouble with other sketches that I was trying before I went back to this one as well. I thought if there was a way to just “factory reset” the tiny zero that I could start over from square one, and that is where I had ran across some info on the reset button, but that didn’t seem to solve it so I posted this. The sketch I am working with is the manufacturers example code I linked to in the first post so I’m guessing it has nothing to do with the sketch.

I tried to just upload the Blink example again and it’s giving the same error message so with what you’ve taught me so far there is some more fundamental communication issue here? Sounds like with no pulsing L-Led it isn’t as simple as cable or driver? It seems that based on your suggestion in #2 the board doesn’t have a bootloader? Could I do something to accidentally remove or corrupt that? It worked with several sketches a month or so back so it must have had a bootloader then. How do I go about addressing this issue and/or not repeating whatever I may have done to cause this problem?

Thank you very much for your help! For some reason my answers to your questions didn't post the other day, but i just edited that now. sorry for the incomplete response before
Brandt

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