Unable to upload to RedBoard

Development Boards Arduino
1

Hello,

I want to preface this post by saying that I am not new to Arduino – far from it, in fact. I have other Arduino boards that work with no issues whatsoever.

I have two RedBoards (back of PCB says v21) that I can’t upload code to. Here is the error:

AVRDUDE: STK500_GETSYNC<> ATTEMPT 10 OF 10 NOT IN SYNC :RESP=0X20

I have confirmed that the correct FTDI driver is installed, and I even receive serial echo when using the Arduino IDE serial monitor with a temporary jumper on TX/RX.

I have done/tried the following:

  1. Confirmed that the FTDI driver is correct

  2. Confirmed that I am able to communicate with the RedBoard’s UART

  3. Tried the latest version of the Arduino IDE

  4. Tried Arduino IDE 1.6.9

  5. Tried hitting the reset button before clicking “upload”

  6. Tried hitting the reset button after clicking “upload”

  7. Tried leaving the reset button alone

Is it possible that the 328P is using some old bootloader? There’s something odd going on here. I have searched the Internet high and low for a solution. I have seen a few other people with the same issue, but nobody can seem to figure out how to fix this. I am running Windows 10 Pro. Like I said, my other Arduino boards work with no issue. It’s only the RedBoards that have a problem. Is there some specific baud rate that the virtual COM port needs to use for an upload to take place?

2

Might be missing a bootloader.

When you press reset, does the D13 LED blink 3 times? If you don’t see any activity, there’s no bootloader on the board.

3

There’s no blinking on either board when I press “reset”. Interesting. I could have sworn I’d uploaded successfully to these boards in the past. I’m not sure how these could be missing a bootloader since I don’t even have a programmer.

4

Fortunately all is not lost if you have another working Arduino Uno. The link below shows how to use another Uno as a programmer and how to use that to install a bootloader on your boards that are missing one. :slight_smile:

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/in … are-hookup

5

Thanks for the info, YellowDog! Unfortunately I do not have another Uno :cry:. The boards are effectively bricked. I was able to find video of myself uploading to these boards and using these successfully in the past! So, why do these RedBoards lose the bootloader? Seems like something SparkFun would want to address and fix.

6

They should not lose their bootloader but it can be overwritten wit a programmer. It doesn’t sound like you have one of those though. Not sure what happened to your boards but maybe hang onto them with the hope you might someday be able to recover them.