Snags with OSX 10.4.11 and Arduino UNO

[flylight]

Hello Group,

I bought an UNO to learn with. After some difficulty, I got it to play with my office machine (Windows XP Pro) and successfully loaded "Blink" and a few modifications of "Blink".

I have not been able to make it work with my MacBook running 10.4.11. The Arduino is recognized and listed in the USB device tree as "Arduino Uno". When I unplug the cable and refresh the USB tree, it is not listed. When pluged back in, it re-appears normally.

The LED is blinking as per the modified sketch I uploaded while connected to my office PC.

The board is selected as "Arduino UNO" in the Arduino window (Is this what people refer to as the IDE?)

The serial port is listed as "/dev/tty.usbmodem0000103DI"

Every time I try to upload a sketch I get the message:

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

I have tried the various combinations of reset buttons, unplugging, etc that I read about while searching within the forum. Can anybody tell me if Arduino will work with OSX 10.4.11?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

[adafruit_support_bill]

Seems to be a common problem with that version of OS X. Here are a couple of workarounds to try:

http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1293487773

1) Unplug the USB cable from the Uno board, hold down the reset button, plug the USB cable back in, release the reset button. Program will now upload.

OR

2) Choose the /dev/cu.usbmodem0621 instead of /dev/tty.usbmodem0621 serial port, AND hold down the shift key while pressing the upload button (turns on verbose logging).

Both these solutions work reliably and repeatably for me under MAC OS X 10.4.11 (and from looking around it appears others have similar good results). Option 1 might work for the many folks on Linux and or Windows who also appear to have this problem.

[Billski]

I'm also snagging with the OS 10.4.11-

Has anyone used the Uno with a slightly older or newer 10.x.xx ?

Or- would getting one of the newest mac computers eliminate this problem?

[flylight]

Hello,

I have tried every "fix" I have found on the various forums. None has worked.

I tested the board with a student's MacBook running Os X 10.5.8 and we had immediate success. It would seem that there are persistent and possibly incurable problems when running with 10.4.11.

[flylight]

Hello Everybody,

I upgraded my computer to OS X 10.5.8 and Arduino now runs snag-free.

Good luck!

[Algolosaur]

For what it's worth, I have been wrestling with OSX 10.4.11 and a recalcitrant UNO.

What works for me is to copy the avrdude command seen in the shift click output into a Terminal window. After quoting the path names (there is a space in there on my install), it "just works".

I have no idea why it works from Terminal and not in whatever shell the Arduino software is using.


Algolosaur

[cstratton]

What works for me is to copy the avrdude command seen in the shift click output into a Terminal window. After quoting the path names (there is a space in there on my install), it "just works".

Most likely it works because you quoted the path name.

I would think most unix-like OS's would have trouble with that though, so it's surprising that this would be unique to one version unless the situation in unique to that version. Who chose the path with the space in it - you, the installer, or the OS?

Can you rename the folder to something without a space? If not and you want to stay on that OSX version, you could try replacing avrdude with a shell script that cleans up its parameters and then runs the real avrdude.

[Algolosaur]

Most likely it works because you quoted the path name.

Nah, it's a UNO thing. Various other non-UNO Aduinii don't have a problem with that space.

Just to be certain, I tried it without the space in the pathname, and the UNO fails to sync.


Algolosaur

[cstratton]

Please post the command that you quoted and pasted - the one that doesn't work when issued by the ide, but does when you quote it.

[Algolosaur]

As you wish. Taken from scrollback history in bash, the command from the IDE as pasted:

Code: Select all

/Users/mikej/Desktop/Arduino NN/Arduino.app/Contents/Resources/Java/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude -C/Users/mikej/Desktop/Arduino NN/Arduino.app/Contents/Resources/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf -v -v -v -v -patmega328p -cstk500v1 -P/dev/tty.usbmodem0B21 -b115200 -D -Uflash:w:/tmp/build2947793127677005697.tmp/ASCIITableUNO.cpp.hex:i

and quoted to please bash:

Code: Select all

"/Users/mikej/Desktop/Arduino NN/Arduino.app/Contents/Resources/Java/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude" -C"/Users/mikej/Desktop/Arduino NN/Arduino.app/Contents/Resources/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf" -v -v -v -v -patmega328p -cstk500v1 -P/dev/tty.usbmodem0B21 -b115200 -D -Uflash:w:/tmp/build2947793127677005697.tmp/PhotoCode.cpp.hex:i


The space is in "Arduino NN". I put it there. I like it.

Just as a bye-the-bye, the program uses the serial port which I monitor from within the IDE. Setting it to ether 9600 or 115200 has no effect on the sync problem.

Algolosaur

[cstratton]

The path with the space is also occurring in the avrdude.conf - perhaps that is failing and the "traditional" boards manage to work without it while the uno cannot?

At any rate, if you chose the path with the space then it's probably not the apparently widespread problem with that OS version.

[Algolosaur]

Sigh.

I did say I had tried it after editing out the space

Just to be certain, I tried it without the space in the pathname, and the UNO fails to sync.

However, I will also note that this UNO is serial #00314528, star of previous hilarity back in February. It is one of two that I received that required re-flashing both firmwares to put in service (I blame that on possible X-ray inspection of the package).

My intent was to make a suggestion flylight might try. I was not putting it forth as a problem I am trying to solve, the solution I have works for me.

Algolsaur

[theyallhateme]

Can anybody tell me if Arduino will work with OSX 10.4.11?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

I have a G5 PPC running 10.4.11 and Arduino 0022. This is how I upload to my Uno:

1. Connect the Uno via usb.
2. Hold down the reset button on the Uno.
3. Click the upload button in Arduino.
4. Wait for the sketch to finish compiling (it will tell you the binary sketch size).
5. Count to three.
6. Release the reset button on the Uno just before the rx light on it begins to flash.

Crazy, I know, but it works for me. Hope this helps.