Forum

Welcome Guest 

Show/Hide Header

Welcome Guest, posting in this forum requires registration.
Pages: [1]
Author Topic: New build - nothing in serial monitor? TOPIC CLOSED
onshi
Newbie
Posts: 8
Permalink
Post New build - nothing in serial monitor?
on: July 20, 2014, 18:22

Finally found time to set up my hardware today - I'm using a big Ikea picture frame hanging on the wall in our bedroom next to a mini Windows 8 PC that's been used mostly for watching Netflix. Note the cat's scratching post in the picture below - clearly I'm tempting fate with the counterweights javascript:void(0);dangling in this location, but hey, sometimes you've got to live on the edge.

Image

The polargraph code seems to compile and upload to my Uno on COM3 without issue (the IDE says "done compiling" and shows "Binary sketch size: 31,760 bytes (of a 32,256 byte maximum)" which seems positive...); however, the serial monitor doesn't show anything at all. Not good! Ideas?

The Arduino's LED behaviour has changed, so I know that the "blink" code I'd previously uploaded has been overwritten.

I'm also having trouble getting the controller to run. At first the issue was not having Java installed properly on this machine... once I fixed that, running the polargraphcontroller application just results in a whole lot of nothing happening.
sandy
Administrator
Posts: 1317
Permalink
sandy
Post Re: New build - nothing in serial monitor?
on: July 20, 2014, 22:55

Odd one. 1) Serial port should be connected at 57600 baud. You've probably tried all this but closing serial monitor, unplugging, re-plugging, reopen monitor heals many sins.

2) Try writing some other sketch to the board, just to make sure it's still alive.

3) Controller sometimes plays dead when I run the 64 bit version. I've got a 64 bit computer, but 32 bit java on it so the version needs to match the java. Also, running from source or from the precompiled binaries?

almost there!
sn
onshi
Newbie
Posts: 8
Permalink
Post Re: New build - nothing in serial monitor?
on: July 20, 2014, 23:31

1) Indeed, 57600. No luck trying this again.

2) Strange - I wrote Blink to the board, hit reset, and the LED stays on solid. I was previously able to write Blink, then Fade, then Blink again from this same machine this morning, So something seems to have gone awry around the time I wrote the polargraph sketch. I took off the motor sheild as well, just to see if that was causing problems but the behaviour was not affected.

3) Running from precompiled. I'll try 32-bit and see if that works.
onshi
Newbie
Posts: 8
Permalink
Post Re: New build - nothing in serial monitor?
on: July 21, 2014, 02:41

Re: 3) the 32-bit controller app does open for me. I'm not sure if it's running properly (can't tell yet) but it reports "No serial connection" as expected though.

onshi
Newbie
Posts: 8
Permalink
Post Re: New build - nothing in serial monitor?
on: July 23, 2014, 04:12

Quite frustrating, but still trying.

Ran through the various suggestions here:
http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/Troubleshooting#toc1

But no dice. My PC seems quite convinced it is writing sketches to this Arduino, to no apparent effect. Even swapped out the USB cable just in case that was the issue. Will try on a different computer, I suppose.

Has anyone had a microcontroller just crap out after relatively little use (all I've done is fiddle with it, trying blink and fade a few times previously) in this way? I guess if it's going to just up and die, perhaps it should be prone to doing so relatively early on...
sandy
Administrator
Posts: 1317
Permalink
sandy
Post Re: New build - nothing in serial monitor?
on: July 24, 2014, 21:31

Yep I'm not sure what to suggest, when I have had arduinos quit on me, the symptom is usually that they can't be burned again - the connection just times out. In the worst cases the device goes missing from the computer and is flagged as a malfunctioning device.

A few times I have been able to rescue the 'bricked' arduino by re-burning the bootloader, but for that you need a second arduino.

I have a strong feeling that the large size of the standard polargraph firmware is more likely to somehow corrupt the bootloader. Its completely anecdotal, and I don't see how it can, and I have no idea what to do about it either.

Sn
onshi
Newbie
Posts: 8
Permalink
Post Re: New build - nothing in serial monitor?
on: July 26, 2014, 04:21

Thank for the feedback - new board time, methinks 🙂 Another excuse to visit my local Arduinos 'n such emporium, no complaints here.
onshi
Newbie
Posts: 8
Permalink
Post Re: New build - nothing in serial monitor?
on: July 27, 2014, 03:01

New Arduino, problem solved!
Image
Pages: [1]
Mingle Forum by cartpauj
Version: 1.0.34 ; Page loaded in: 0.021 seconds.