avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding on Uno

[McBain]

Hello,
I am running Ubuntu 10.10 and Arduino sketchpad 21. I am unable to upload the blink sketch to my Uno, and I receive the following error when I attempt to do so:

avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding

(It appears twice in the comments line.)
Am I missing drivers?

Thanks,
McBain

[adafruit_support_bill]

Have you been through this install procedure? http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Linux/Ubuntu
Does the Uno show up as a serial device when you plug it in?
Have you selected the COM port and board from the tools menu?

[McBain]

Thanks for getting back to me. Yes, I went through the steps at the arduino playground. In the sketchpad, under tools, I select my board (Uno) and under serial port /dev/ttyS0 is checked off.

I also used the following page to verify that I had the necessary supporting programs installed:
I have already uninstalled brltty.

http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Learning/Linux

I know that I have everything listed under the requirements heading in the above link installed, except possibly, avr-libc. That might one place to start. I downloaded the latest version of avr-libc from the site that supports it, however I couldn't figure out how to install it; none of the executable files in the extracted .tgz file wanted to run. I am unsure whether it's already installed on my machine, along with preinstalled things like java runtime. Suggestions?

[adafruit_support_bill]

The 'programmer is not responding' error is a communication problem. It would not be caused by a missing avr-libc (that would cause compile-time problems). If you can sucessfully do a verify/compile (first command in the 'sketch' menu) you have all the files you need.

What do the on-board LEDs do:
1) when you plug in the board?
2) when you attempt a download?

[McBain]

When I plug in the Uno, the on/off LED turns on, and the pin 13 LED begins flashing steadily at about .5Hz. When I attempt to upload a sketch, pin 13 blinks very rapidly at the moment I click upload, then returns to blinking steadily at about .5Hz.

[adafruit_support_bill]

Does it resume blinking immediately? Or is there a delay?
What do you see when you press the reset button?
Try pressing reset at the same time you start the download.

[McBain]

There is no delay when I attempt to download a sketch; it immediately does a quick "burst" then continues its slow blink. Likewise, when I hold the reset button, the LED stays off while it's depressed, then does a quick burst immediately upon release, followed by the slow blink. The same thing happens when I hold reset button while downloading a sketch; light turns off, then bursts once the button is released and resumes its .5Hz blink.

[adafruit_support_bill]

Not sure about the uno. But on the duemilanove there is a few seconds of nothing after a reset while the bootloader waits for a download. The usb/serial is supposed to toggle the rts line on connect to cause the reset.

[edit] I just hooked up an Uno here and it blinks pretty much as you describe - three short blinks on reset, then it resumes the regular blink pattern after about a second

[McBain]

Are you plumb out of suggestions, or is there anything else I can try? I already confirmed with adafruit that my particular unit works. I'll try uploading again from my netbook (also running Ubuntu) and a Macbook to see if I can get sketches on from there, but that won't get at the core problem of why it doesn't work on the computer I'm using now.

[adafruit_support_bill]

I'm don't have an ubunto environment & haven't heard of this particular problem on linux systems. But the Uno is relatively new and I don't have a lot of experience with it yet. There are some Mac users with older versions of OSX that have similar troubles with the Uno. It seems they have to hit the reset button at precisely the right time after the download to make it work.

I already confirmed with adafruit that my particular unit works.

That tends to point to an OS/driver issue of some sort. Have you checked tnhe forums over at Arduino.cc to see if anyone is having similar issues?

[ChuckM]

When I plug in the Uno, the on/off LED turns on, and the pin 13 LED begins flashing steadily at about .5Hz. When I attempt to upload a sketch, pin 13 blinks very rapidly at the moment I click upload, then returns to blinking steadily at about .5Hz.

I realize this is a long shot, but the .5hz blinking of the LED is the demo program "Blink" loaded into the Arduino when it was originally programmed with a boot loader. It provides a quick visual check that the AVR is working.

Sometimes, the first "demo" program people attempt to upload is also "Blink.pde" which is effectively the same program.

If you were trying to upload blink.pde you would get the symptoms you describe, .5 hz blink, rapid blinking, .5hz blink. I suggest to folks who are trying out the Arduino for the first time that they change blink.pde to either blink quickly or very slowly. That way the blink rate changes from the original install

--Chuck

[McBain]

Thanks for the suggestion, Chuck. I was able to get the arduino to take sketches from my netbook, which I was not able to do when I first tried on there, but I'm wiser than I was a few weeks ago, and realised I was missing some important stuff like java runtime and and the compiler.

This still leaves unresolved the question of why it won't work on my desktop, but I will change the blink frequency from the desktop to see if it is actually uploading in spite of the error messages.

To arduwino, I haven't been to the arduino.cc forums in the last couple weeks, but that was the first place I posted when I first received my starter pack and was having problems. No one has yet responded to my post yet. And yes, there must be some as yet undiagnosed OS and/or driver problem on my desktop.

[tomaton]

Hi, McBain, the issue you responded has been discussed on the arduino site. If you like, look it in here arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1168940083