Upload to Nano - Port not found - RESOLVED

[allardjd]

New Member - first post. Be gentle, please.

When connecting a new Nano (Product Description: AITRIP... for Arduino Mini Nano V3.0 ATmega328P 5V 16M Micro Controller Board Module...) to IDE on a Windows 10 PC, I cannot upload to the board. The upload fails, unable to find a COM port. The "Port" menu pad under "Sketch" is grayed out and won't open.

Board, as received, seems to be running Blinky OK.

Plugging in a UNO (same physical USB port on the same PC) everything works correctly.

• • • • Error Text - - - -

Arduino: 1.8.13 (Windows 10), Board: "Arduino Nano, ATmega328P"

Sketch uses 980 bytes (3%) 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.

An error occurred while uploading the sketch

avrdude: ser_open(): can't open device "\.\COM3": The system cannot find the file specified.

---

Would like to upload sketch to Nano, but can't. Would appreciate any help.

[Ballscrewbob]

Is it a MINI or a NANO ?

You should only really be using the selection for the one you have.
Many clone NANO's may also need additional drivers.
The following links which you BYPASSED on the way in contain help for clones too.

Could you take a few moments to Learn How To Use The Forum

Hello, Welcome to the Arduino Forum. This guide explains how to get the best out of this forum. Please read and follow the instructions below. Being new here you might think this is having rules for the sake of rules, but that is not the case. If you don’t follow the guidelines all that happens is there is a long exchange of posts while we try to get you to tell us what we need in order to help you, which is frustrating for you and frustrating for us. The people who try to help with your pro…

It will help you get the best out of the forum in the future.

• Your OS and version can be valuable information, please include it along with extra security you are using.
• Always list the version of the IDE you are using and the board version if applicable.
• Use quote or add error messages as an attachment NOT a picture.
• How to insert an image into your post. ( Thanks @sterretje )
• Add your sketch where applicable but please use CODE TAGS ( </> )
• Add a SCHEMATIC were needed even if it is hand drawn
• Add working links to any specific hardware as needed (NOT links to similar items)
• Remember that the people trying to help cannot see your problem so give as much information as you can

COMMON ISSUES

• Ensure you have FULLY inserted the USB cables.
• Check you have a COMMON GROUND where required. ( Thanks @Perry)
• Where possible use USB 2.0 ports or a USB 2.0 POWERED HUB to rule out USB 3.0 issues.
• Try other computers where possible.
• Try other USB leads where possible.
• You may not have the correct driver installed. CH340/341 or CP2102 or FT232 VCP Drivers - FTDI
• There may be a problem with the board check or remove your wiring first.
• Remove any items connected to pins 0 and 1.

COMPUTER RELATED

• Close any other serial programs before opening the IDE.
• Ensure you turn off any additional security / antivirus just to test.
• There may be a problem with the PC try RESTARTING it.
• You may be selecting the wrong COM port.
• Avoid cloud/network based installations where possible OR ensure your Network/Cloud software is RUNNING.
• Clear your browsers CACHE.
• Close the IDE before using any other serial programs.
• Preferably install IDE’s as ADMINISTRATOR or your OS equivalent

ARDUINO SPECIFIC BOARDS

• CH340/341 based clones do not report useful information to the “get board info” button.
• NANO (Old Types) some require you to use the OLD BOOTLOADER option.
• NANO (ALL Types) See the specific sections lower in the forum.
• NANO (NEW Types) Install your board CORE’s.
• Unless using EXTERNAL PROGRAMMERS please leave the IDE selection at default “AVRISP mkII”.
• Boards using a MICRO usb connector need a cable that is both DATA and CHARGE. Many are CHARGE ONLY.

CREATE editor install locations.

• On macOs ~/Applications/ArduinoCreateAgent-1.1/ArduinoCreateAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/config.ini
• On Linux ~/ArduinoCreateAgent-1.1/config.ini
• On Windows C:\Users[your user]\AppData\Roaming\ArduinoCreateAgent-1.1

Performing the above actions may help resolve your problem without further help.
Language problem ?
Try a language closer to your native language:

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Thanks to all those who helped and added to this list.

[sterretje]

COM ports can be different for different boards. COM3 was probably the port assigned to the Uno and the Nano can be different.

If no other COM port shows under Tools -> Ports with the board connected, check what Windows device manager has to say about your board when you connect the board; any yellow triangles? You might have a clone that requires a different driver. Very common is the CH340 and the driver can be downloaded from the Chinese website; you can try to decipher the text on the chip at the bottom of the board to figure it out.

[allardjd]

Thank you, gentlemen. Problem is solved and I was able to upload a sketch.

Board is in fact a NANO, not a MINI.

Going back to the vendor's data, it does say the board uses a CH340 chip but did not mention needing a different driver. I was too dumb to know that without being told.

I found, downloaded and installed the CH340 driver after which the Port menu pad became available and worked. The next upload failed with a different error (avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 10 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xe3).

I found help for that problem elsewhere on this site and it turned out I needed to select "ATMega328P (Old Bootloader)" under Tools -> Processor. After that, everything works as it should.

Again, many thanks.