Loading to Lilypad arduino problems

Development Boards MicroMod
1

Hi,

I just got a lilypad arduino controller and a FT232R usb-serial breakout board. These boards are the 4-pin header type (3.3V, GND, RX, TX).

After installing the usb drivers and connecting the lilypad to the serial-usb card, and serial-usb card to the computer, the lilypad powers up and runs some kind of ‘bouncing’ blinking sketch (onboard led blinks from slow to fast, stops and restarts the pattern). Hitting the reset button results in the led flashing rapidly 3 times, then returns to the slow-fast blink pattern.

I followed the tutorial for loading the ‘blink’ sketch, and I can never seem to get the program to upload. I get the following message:

avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00

avrdude: stk500_disable(): protocol error, expect=0x14, resp=0x51

Having looked through the forum, I found only two ‘solutions’ to this sort of problem. one solution was to wire the serial connector correctly (viewtopic.php?t=8475) - however, I don’t think this is applicable, as the usb-serial board plugs onto the lilypad, providing power and ground. Another solution was to reload the bootloader - I couldn’t find out any further information about how to determine if this is necessary, nor how to go about doing it (viewtopic.php?t=10403&highlight=lilypad+stk500getsync).

Another possible solution mentioned in the troubleshooting guide was to try switching the RX/TX connections just in case they were ‘wired’ incorrectly (seems dubious, as it’s on a pcb). I did try this using alligator clips, and the behavior was the same.

I’ve confirmed that the usb/serial card is working properly in that if i lookback the rx/tx lines (short them together), i can send data correctly from a terminal.

Any ideas on how to troubleshoot this further? Or is it likely that I have some kind of a dud lilypad?

Thanks,

Will

2

Did you look here?

http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaB … 26980601/0

There is detailed troubleshooting info from leahb on the second page. She designed the lilypad range, so definately consider what’s she’s got to say

3

you are resetting the board right before you upload right?

4

I am resetting before trying to upload. There’s not an awful lot of feedback about timing - i’ve tried pressing and releasing the button and immediately hitting the upload button. As suggested in the previously linked post, I’ve tried pressing and holding reset, hitting upload, and immediately releasing the button. I’ve also tried pressing and releasing the reset button multiple times and trying the upload in the middle. Each time, it seems like I get the three flashes, and then the lilypad returns to running whatever default sketch it had load (‘bounce’ flashes slow to fast).

I see that the usb/serial converter is trying to transmit something (a few flashes of the transmit led), but nothing seems to happen, and I see no flashes on the receive led.

Many thanks for the comments!

5

So my sister helped me with this - turns out it was just a timing problem. At least for this configuration of boards and whatever bootloader happened to ship with the lilypad (we don’t have a programmer), the timing in the instructions doesn’t seem to work (or at least our understanding of the timing).

To get it to work, I had to :

  1. compile sketch

  2. Hold the reset button down.

  3. (while still holding), Upload the compiled sketch

  4. wait for the usb-serial TX led to light

  5. Immediately release the reset button.

My understand from the instructions held that the button should be released before trying to upload, but this always failed.

Anyway - maybe this will help others with this kind of problem to get going with their lilypad immediately

Cheers,

Will