Problems uploading with Protoshield attached

[jalexander]

I have an Arduino Diecimila and Prototype Shield v.5, and I am using Windows Vista Home Premium. I can upload sketches to the Arduino and read serial data as long as I do not have the protoshield attached, but once I attach the protoshield my computer does not recognize the device and will not upload sketches or send/read serial data. This is really frustrating as I cannot follow along with the tutorials. I used FTClean and installed the drivers again onto COM4 and it still does not work. Has anyone else had this problem? Any help would be really appreciated.

[schill]

If it works fine without the protoshield, it's unlikely that the problem is on the PC side of things.

It's probably something on the protoshield interfering with the data and/or reset lines that are used to program the chip. Is there any mechanical interference between the shield and the Arduino board? Is anything from the protoshield other than the header pins touching the Arduino anywhere?

I'd expect a mechanical problem or a shorted connection somewhere - either on the protoshield on on the Arduino and caused by plugging in the protoshield.

I'm assuming that the protoshield does not have any additional hardware on it (beside the default) - i.e., you haven't added any circuitry or connections beyond those already on the board.

If you program the Arduino with a simple program like blinking the onboard LED (without the protoshield attached), does it still run after you add the protoshield? If not, it may be that something on your protoshield is shorting the reset line of the processor - keeping it in a state of reset.

Otherwise, I'd expect maybe it's a short somewhere in the TX or RX lines - it sounds from your description of your tests that you've been thinking along these lines. These come from the FTDI chip and go to the processor, the headers on the Arduino, and, correspondingly, to the headers on the protoshield.

Is this the process you've followed (or something similar)? Program the Arduino with a simple program that communicates with a terminal program on the PC. Something, for example, that echoes everything you type to it. Without the protoshield, confirm that it is running. Then add the protoshield. Does it still run? If not, it's possible that something on the shield is interfering with those lines.

[jalexander]

Thanks for the response schill.

I found out that it is a problem with the protoshield, as I tried to do lesson 5 with the button sending serial input, and when I powered the board through the external power supply it did not work properly. When I turned it on the RX and TX lights stayed on the whole time.

There isn't anything interfering between the Arduino and the shield, and the board is set up as instructed in the protoshield assembly tutorial.

The Arduino works fine with protoshield attached for blinking LEDs, the problem occurs when serial data is involved and when uploading sketches.

I ran a sketch that outputs serial data and viewed it with the serial monitor, and it worked fine without the protoshield, then I attached the protoshield and no data showed up.

[schill]

The TX and RX lines go to the headers on the protoboard, but aren't connected to anything on it (as far as I can tell from the schematics). You shouldn't be able to interfere with them on the protoboard - unless you have a solder bridge between them, or something similar.

Are you contacting the USB connector housing with anything from the protoshield? Maybe something is messing up the USB side of things.

[jalexander]

It was an error in assembly, I had a solder bridge that I removed and now it works great. I did not realize that solder bridges could cause errors. Thanks for the help!

[schill]

Good to hear it's working.