This Should Be Easy to Answer

Development Boards Arduino
1

Hello all!

I recently started working through the SparkFun Inventor’s Kit, and joined this forum.

I’m very new to electronics, but I do know about voltage vs current, ground, resistance, SI units, etc.

…so I started working through the SIK to learn the Arduino.

Well, I get to the second Example - which I’ve done before working through Electronic Circuits for the Evil Genius - and the directions for how to navigate to the sketch don’t add up with the version of Arduino software I’m running.

It says to go:

File–>Examples–>SIK Guide–>Circuit #2

Well, in the Arduino software that I have, the syntax is File–> Examples → …and then a long list of things. Here are some examples:

  1. Basics →

  2. Digital →

  3. Analog →

So, for the first circuit example, I went File–> Examples -->01. Basics–> Blink, and it worked.

However, that was pretty much just a lucky guess.

With Example #2, using the potentiometer, it blinks, but does not change the speed at which it blinks, regardless of how I shorten or lengthen the resistance.

Since the potentiometer is an introduction to analog electrical operations, I’m guessing the sketch I need is located somewhere under File–>Examples–>03. Analog →

…and then one of these sketches:

AnalogInput

AnaloginoutSerial

AnalogInput

AnalogWriteMega

Calibration

Fading

Smoothing

Those are the options under “Analog” sketches in this particular version of Arduino software.

Well, I think that should be enough information for someone out there to point me in the right direction.

I will be working through the whole book (…which says “RTFM” on the back, which I think is hysterical! Well, I’m reading the F’in manual, but it’s telling me to do something that’s not in the syntax of the software!) and eventually making my own projects.

So, I hope to be a big part of this community someday!

Thank you for your help,

Sisyphus

2

You need to download the example sketches from the product page. Hint, it’s the last link under documentation. Save it somewhere you’ll remember, read the README file for futher instructions on where to install it.

3

Thank you. :slight_smile:

Actually, I did that, and the circuit still won’t work. I get this error message:

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

I was told this means the sketch is correct, and that the circuit is correct, but the COM link is wrong.

I KNOW I’m using COM link 1, and that is the link that is selected.

I have selected the correct board as well (Uno) and I have tried doing to reset immediately before upload, as well as unplugging and re-pluggin in immediately before upload, (…something else I had read about.)

Let me know what other information you might want to know.

I had attempted to start a thread specifically about this issue, once I realized that THIS thread is just me being stupid.

THIS is a real problem though, for a lot of people:

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

Thank you.

Wishing you well,

Sisyphus

4

That error means either you have the wrong board selected in the IDE or the COM port is wrong. I highly don’t that the Arduino took COM1. That means that you have never connected a printer or any other USB to your computer. When you connect the Arduino (or any other USB device for that matter), the computer assigns a COM port to that device in order. For example, when you first turned on the computer or reinstalled Windows, the first USB device will be on COM1, another device, COM2 and so on. Even if you disconnect the printer on COM1, nothing else will take over the COM1 port.

What OS are you running? For Win7, type in “device manager” in the Start menu search bar. Make sure you have the Arduino plugged in and it is on. On my Win7, it says "Ports (COM & LPT) and then list the Arduino and the COM port it’s on.

Other than that, Make sure you have nothing connected to pins 0 and 1. Those the Serial pins in which the Arduino gets programmed.

5

OK excellent!

I’m positive I had the correct board selected, and COM 1 seemed incorrect.

I was unaware that it would list the Arduino so easily. It is in fact located on COM 3… and it is very likely that this is the third device I have plugged into that particular USB port. I guess I’ll do some digging to see who/why COM X’s come about.

I’m going to change the COM port to “3,” and try to run the second circuit.

Why did the first example circuit work if I had the wrong COM port selected?

Thanks again for the help. This will probably solve the problem,

Sisyphus

6

in reality (on a PC) there are only two physical comports com 1 and com 2… everything after these are “virtual” or “shared” comports.

and, about the only other thing you need to know is they extend out with /odd/,/even/ intervals.

com1 is also com3, com5,com7, etc…

com2 is also com4, com6, com8 etc…

So, if you have com1 allocated to arduino rs-232 (or emulation), prolly best to manually move it down the street to com3, com5, or even com7. You wouldnt want to try com 4 or 6 … etc…(those good for something comes in on com2) you get the picture.

anyhoo, something nebulous and otherwise difficult sometimes to define - is the reasoning to this generic explanation of com port numerology, but trust that crushing and painful scenarios that occur without warning that sound much like two cars hitting head on at 90mph, and most definitely will leave you crying or spewing cuss words and breaking small appliances awaits you on that ‘other side’… just try not to try that…to be simple…and safer… :wink:

7

Mods, just wanted to say thank you very much for the help, and that this issue has been resolved. All you need to do, if getting this error message, is this:

…posted by codlink:

"

Re: This Should Be Easy to Answer

Postby codlink » Fri May 31, 2013 12:20 pm

That error means either you have the wrong board selected in the IDE or the COM port is wrong. I highly don’t that the Arduino took COM1. That means that you have never connected a printer or any other USB to your computer. When you connect the Arduino (or any other USB device for that matter), the computer assigns a COM port to that device in order. For example, when you first turned on the computer or reinstalled Windows, the first USB device will be on COM1, another device, COM2 and so on. Even if you disconnect the printer on COM1, nothing else will take over the COM1 port.

What OS are you running? For Win7, type in “device manager” in the Start menu search bar. Make sure you have the Arduino plugged in and it is on. On my Win7, it says "Ports (COM & LPT) and then list the Arduino and the COM port it’s on.

Other than that, Make sure you have nothing connected to pins 0 and 1. Those the Serial pins in which the Arduino gets programmed.

"

8

CircuitBurner:
in reality (on a PC) there are only two physical comports com 1 and com 2… everything after these are “virtual” or “shared” comports.

and, about the only other thing you need to know is they extend out with /odd/,/even/ intervals.

com1 is also com3, com5,com7, etc…

com2 is also com4, com6, com8 etc…

So, if you have com1 allocated to arduino rs-232 (or emulation), prolly best to manually move it down the street to com3, com5, or even com7. You wouldnt want to try com 4 or 6 … etc…(those good for something comes in on com2) you get the picture.

anyhoo, something nebulous and otherwise difficult sometimes to define - is the reasoning to this generic explanation of com port numerology, but trust that crushing and painful scenarios that occur without warning that sound much like two cars hitting head on at 90mph, and most definitely will leave you crying or spewing cuss words and breaking small appliances awaits you on that ‘other side’… just try not to try that…to be simple…and safer… :wink:

HAHAHA!

Thank you very much.

Very helpful information, and that explained all I needed to know about COM1,COM2,COM3, etc.

Thank you both. I got project 2 working, and I’m learning more everyday.

…now I have a completely different issue, so I will be making a new thread.