Bad bootloader in DFRduino Pro Mini [SOLVED]
Account cancelled 2013-03-15 18:31:08 5492 Views1 Replies Has anyone else had problems with the bootloader that comes burned in the DFRduino Pro Mini 5V?
I couldn't upload a sketch using a USB to TTL serial adapter to the DFRduino Pro Mini when I got it. The board reset at the beginning of upload (as shown by one blink of the green LED), but the communication with avrdude always timed out. Since it's supposed to be a clone of the Arduino Pro Mini at 16 MHz, I tried to upload using the arduino protocol at 57600 baud.
After a day of messing with various serial port settting and trying to manually press the reset button at the right moment, I tried an AVR USB in-circuit programmer (AVR ISP) I had lying around. Using "Upload using programmer" in the Arduino environment, the sketch uploaded on the first try.
I was also able to confirm that the USB to TTL serial adapter worked because I uploaded a "serial echo" sketch and I could see the characters well.
I then burned a new version of the bootloader using the AVR ISP programmer (the one that the latest Arduino environment burns when the Arduino Pro Mini 5V 16 MHz w/ ATmega328 is selected).
Since then I haven't had any problems uploading using the USB to TTL adapter to upload sketches (i.e. without using the programmer).
I'm putting this out here in case someone else runs into this issue. I assume that the factory bootloader started the sketch too soon, so avrdude didn't have a chance to start programming before the sketch started and took over the serial port.
I couldn't upload a sketch using a USB to TTL serial adapter to the DFRduino Pro Mini when I got it. The board reset at the beginning of upload (as shown by one blink of the green LED), but the communication with avrdude always timed out. Since it's supposed to be a clone of the Arduino Pro Mini at 16 MHz, I tried to upload using the arduino protocol at 57600 baud.
After a day of messing with various serial port settting and trying to manually press the reset button at the right moment, I tried an AVR USB in-circuit programmer (AVR ISP) I had lying around. Using "Upload using programmer" in the Arduino environment, the sketch uploaded on the first try.
I was also able to confirm that the USB to TTL serial adapter worked because I uploaded a "serial echo" sketch and I could see the characters well.
I then burned a new version of the bootloader using the AVR ISP programmer (the one that the latest Arduino environment burns when the Arduino Pro Mini 5V 16 MHz w/ ATmega328 is selected).
Since then I haven't had any problems uploading using the USB to TTL adapter to upload sketches (i.e. without using the programmer).
I'm putting this out here in case someone else runs into this issue. I assume that the factory bootloader started the sketch too soon, so avrdude didn't have a chance to start programming before the sketch started and took over the serial port.
