I recently purchased an STK500 Compatible USB Programmer from Sparkfun:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc … ts_id=8702
I was able to get it to download a .hex file to an Arduino once. A week or so after the successful first use, however, all subsequent attempts to use the programmer fail to connect.
I can’t see that the driver is suspect: I’ve double-checked the device driver properties. I’ve even uninstalled the driver and reinstalled it with careful attention to the manual instructions. The COM port is 3, no driver problems are indicated, and all properties (baud rate, etc.) are as in the manual.
When plugged into the USB port, the device green light comes on, yet no software program seems able to use it. I tried updating the Firmware from SparkFun’s page above, but the serial communication times out. AVR Studio 4 fails to connect “STK500 or AVRISP” under “Auto” or direct “COM3” selection. I should also mention that Arduino 0011 Alpha has always hung when trying to burn a bootloader with COM3 port and “w/ AVR ISP” settings.
Any ideas? Is the unit possibly defective, or is there some troubleshooting you would suggest?
Todd