Hey, I have run into a problem with my mega that seems to defy explanation!
A few day ago, my Mega, which has been running successfully for a year, stopped responding over the serial port on my Win7 x64 machine. The serial port selection on the arduino IDE was grayed out, and it said that no serial ports were available. I checked the arduino on an XP machine and it is working fine. When I checked device manager on the Win7 machine, there were no serial or COM ports listed, though all of my other USB peripherals are working fine. The arduino was not shown anywhere in the device manager.
I went into the ASUS bios and I found no option to enable/disable COM ports. So I went back into device manager and installed a COM port using the Mega INF file in 0022. The arduino now shows up as a device on a COM port, but I get a "code 10, this device cannot start" error message. I've tried drivers from 0021, (not the FTDI driver, I know the Mega doesn't use them), and repeatedly reinstalling the COM port with no luck. The serial port select option in the arduino IDE is still grayed out, and it still says no ports are available. This makes me think that installing the COM port wasn't actually addressing the correct problem. Though note again all of my other USB peripherals do function correctly.
I have a new Mega 2560 connected to my Dell running Windows 7 32-bit. I see a lit green diode and a lit amber diode on the 2560 when
the A to B cable is connected to my laptop. I unzipped the Arduino 0022 into a folder on my laptop. The IDE starts but
"Serial Port" is grayed out. In laptop Device Manager, there is no device "Mega 2560" not even in "show hidden devices" mode. No "Ports (COM LPT)" are listed in Device Manager.
Have deleted 0022 and re-unzipped it. Stopped Win firewall. Allowing sharing to "Everyone" with 0022 directory. Rebooted laptop. Changed usb port for A to B. Used another A to B cable. In Device Manager, scanned for hardware changes. Tested usb ports on laptop with other devices. Read a lot of posts on this forum incl troubleshooting guide.
Are we agreed FTDI drivers are not used for Mega 2560?
Is there anything to installing 0022 other than unzipping the rar?
Does Arduino 2560 work with Win 7 32-bit?
Does anyone have a suggestion on where to go from here?
With my Ports (COM & LPT) option missing fromm Device Manager on my laptop, the Arduino / Windows tutorial is useless. Had the same problem on another laptop with the same Arduino. BTW why is this tutorial about Uno; why no mention of 2560? Confusing.
OK, next question: What are the chances I have a bad board? Has anyone gotten one before? If I order a new one, what are my rights in returning it if the problem persists?
BTW why is this tutorial about Uno; why no mention of 2560? Confusing.
Because the same chip is used on both boards, the same install process is used. Typically, one does not but a Mega as their first Arduino, so the process of getting a 2nd Arduino configured and working is more familiar. Perhaps this is why the instructions aren't clearer.
What are the chances I have a bad board?
Official Arduino? Pretty slim.
Chinese knockoff? Better.
The Arduino does not show up on the Ports (COM & LPT) section until the proper config file is identified for the device. Look for a section called Unknown devices, or something similar. See if the Arduino is listed there.
The Device Manager on my laptop is not populated with anything related to the Arduino (which is plugged in via the A to B cable). There's no Arduino device under "Unknown Devices" or anywhere else, there's no "Ports" listing, no COM1, COM2, COM3. The 2560 is getting power via the USB, the led is lit, which adds confusion. That's what leads me to believe there's an issue with the board. BTW, I don't have an o-scope or advanced troubleshooting tools.
OK, well, at least I've picked your brains on it. Thanks again for your input.