Uploading error with a mini

Using Arduino IDE 1.x
1

Hello to you all!
This is my first post and although I'm pretty new to arduino I made my fair share of troubleshooting.

So I got a batch of fleabay "NanHe" Mini Pro clones and an FTDI USB to serial. After fixing the driver that soft-bricked the apparently fake FTDI chip I still couldn't upload. Then I went to a local store and bought an original Mini and USBtoSERIAL adapter. They didn't work either.
I also tried bootloading and uploading with a Micro (those upload just fine) via ISCP with no luck.

Now I'm stuck with a handful of boards I can only use as necklaces. :confused:

Here is the data I can supply right now:
Win7 64 bit, same errors on a fresh install XP SP3
Arduino 1.0.6 IDE
FTDI clone and USBtoSERIAL adapters, also tried ISCP via a Micro
serial loopback works with both adapters
Pro Mini clones and an original Mini
Errors I get are in no particular order
"avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00" (most common)
"avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x30"
"avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x90"

I roamed google and forum posts, tried multiple "solutions" but none worked.
I appreciate any and all help.

2

Just to confirm your fake FTDI now works OK?

You can see it as a com port?

How have you got it wired to the Pro mini?

The programmer I have set is AVRISP II.

3

Both the fake FTDI and the SERIALtoUSB show as COM ports and pass the loopback test.
It is interesting that TX and RX leds on either adapter don't light up when I try to upload in contrast of doing the loopback where they blink as expected.

I hooked up the minis with jumper wires, I also tried connecting directly the male headers on the mini to the USBtoSERIAL female pins. It doesn't make a difference.

Today I tried uploading to my Micro (which uploads fine on direct USB) and got

avrdude: Version 5.11, compiled on Sep 2 2011 at 19:38:36
Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
Copyright (c) 2007-2009 Joerg Wunsch

System wide configuration file is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf"

Using Port : \.\COM24
Using Programmer : avr109
Overriding Baud Rate : 57600
AVR Part : ATmega32U4
Chip Erase delay : 9000 us
PAGEL : PD7
BS2 : PA0
RESET disposition : dedicated
RETRY pulse : SCK
serial program mode : yes
parallel program mode : yes
Timeout : 200
StabDelay : 100
CmdexeDelay : 25
SyncLoops : 32
ByteDelay : 0
PollIndex : 3
PollValue : 0x53
Memory Detail :

Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack

eeprom 65 10 8 0 no 1024 8 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack

flash 65 6 128 0 yes 32768 128 256 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack

lfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack

hfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack

efuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack

lock 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack

calibration 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack

signature 0 0 0 0 no 3 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00

Programmer Type : butterfly
Description : Atmel AppNote AVR109 Boot Loader

Connecting to programmer: .avrdude: Send: . [1b]
avrdude: Send: S [53]
avrdude: Recv:

avrdude: Recv:
avrdude: Send: V [56]
avrdude: Recv:
avrdude: Send: v [76]
avrdude: Recv:
avrdude: Recv:
avrdude: Send: p [70]
avrdude: Recv:
Found programmer: Id = "‚˙("; type = H
Software Version = E.
avrdude: Send: a [61]
avrdude: Recv:
avrdude: Send: b [62]
avrdude: Recv:
avrdude: error: buffered memory access not supported. Maybe it isn't
a butterfly/AVR109 but a AVR910 device?

I'm really stuck now and have no idea where to continue troubleshooting...

4

Did the last sketch you uploaded use the serial heavily?

5

The last sketch I successfully uploaded was to the micro using direct USB connection to the computer.
Then the RX and TX LEDs blinked heavily.

Using micro as ISP for the mini doesn't work either...

6

What was the last sketch you uploaded to the mini?

Could it be hogging the serial port?

If so, then try running the compile and upload, but hold down reset on the mini until just before the upload is about to start.