Gemma, Pro Trinket not visible

[flounder]

So, I got my code working on an Arduino Uno. Cool. Now disable all the Serial.print[ln]() calls and install it on the Gemma which is its intended home.

Plug in the Gemma. Go to Tools>Ports. Not visible.
try with a Trinket Pro (5V). Tools>Ports does not see it.
Plug the Uno back in. Tools>Ports sees it immediately.

I am using a Mac AirBook, running Mac OS 10.11.4 (El Capitan).

My USB cable is still warm from its Adafruit packaging (Its label says PID 4867, but I don't believe that...and it is too risky to try to go find the actual Adafruit PID) so I have no reason to suspect the cable. The Trinket has been used for a number of breadboarding setups, but normally I program it with a BlueFruit on the FTDI pins. The Gemma I bought a couple weeks ago.

So why are my two MicroUSB computers "invisible"? (And before somebody suggests it, the power switch on the Gemma V2 is ON, and I have a bright green LED and a much dimmer red LED, It has takeouts on 3Vo to +V on a NeoPixel strip, GND to the GND pin of a NeoPixel strip, I have a 1000uf capacitor at the strip between +V and GND, and a 470ohm resistor between D2 and the DIN pin. The Trinket Pro has no connections on it at all. I get the bright green light on the Trinket,

One of my two USB ports is already in use, so I have used the same USB-A connector for all tests with all cables and all boards.

[Later edit: The Micro-USB cable is Adafruit #592, ordered 22-Jun-16]
[Further update: I carefully manipulated one of the Gemmas in my latest order, so that its USB connector pointed to the opening in its antistatic bag. I then plugged the USB cable into it. Still within its antistatic bag. Went to Arduino>Tools>Port. Not visible. Green power light is on. Repeat the same test I applied for the first board: hit reset button. Red LED comes on. Within 10 seconds, I drop down Tools>Port. No sign of a port other than a Bluetooth input port]

[/dev when examined from Terminal tells me nothing new, but lists a lot of probably unused TTYs

Code: Select all

Josephs-MacBook-Air:~ flounder$ cd /dev
Josephs-MacBook-Air:dev flounder$ ls
afsc_type5			ptyw7
auditpipe			ptyw8
auditsessions			ptyw9
autofs				ptywa
autofs_control			ptywb
autofs_homedirmounter		ptywc
autofs_notrigger		ptywd
autofs_nowait			ptywe
bpf0				ptywf
bpf1				random
bpf2				rdisk0
bpf3				rdisk0s1
console				rdisk0s2
cu.Bluetooth-Incoming-Port	rdisk0s3
disk0				rdisk1
disk0s1				stderr
disk0s2				stdin
disk0s3				stdout
disk1				systrace
dtrace				tty
dtracehelper			tty.Bluetooth-Incoming-Port
fbt				ttyp0
fd				ttyp1
fsevents			ttyp2
io8log				ttyp3
io8logmt			ttyp4
io8logtemp			ttyp5
klog				ttyp6
lockstat			ttyp7
machtrace			ttyp8
null				ttyp9
pf				ttypa
pfm				ttypb
profile				ttypc
ptmx				ttypd
ptyp0				ttype
ptyp1				ttypf
ptyp2				ttyq0
ptyp3				ttyq1
ptyp4				ttyq2
ptyp5				ttyq3
ptyp6				ttyq4
ptyp7				ttyq5
ptyp8				ttyq6
ptyp9				ttyq7
ptypa				ttyq8
ptypb				ttyq9
ptypc				ttyqa
ptypd				ttyqb
ptype				ttyqc
ptypf				ttyqd
ptyq0				ttyqe
ptyq1				ttyqf
ptyq2				ttyr0
ptyq3				ttyr1
ptyq4				ttyr2
ptyq5				ttyr3
ptyq6				ttyr4
ptyq7				ttyr5
ptyq8				ttyr6
ptyq9				ttyr7
ptyqa				ttyr8
ptyqb				ttyr9
ptyqc				ttyra
ptyqd				ttyrb
ptyqe				ttyrc
ptyqf				ttyrd
ptyr0				ttyre
ptyr1				ttyrf
ptyr2				ttys0
ptyr3				ttys000
ptyr4				ttys1
ptyr5				ttys2
ptyr6				ttys3
ptyr7				ttys4
ptyr8				ttys5
ptyr9				ttys6
ptyra				ttys7
ptyrb				ttys8
ptyrc				ttys9
ptyrd				ttysa
ptyre				ttysb
ptyrf				ttysc
ptys0				ttysd
ptys1				ttyse
ptys2				ttysf
ptys3				ttyt0
ptys4				ttyt1
ptys5				ttyt2
ptys6				ttyt3
ptys7				ttyt4
ptys8				ttyt5
ptys9				ttyt6
ptysa				ttyt7
ptysb				ttyt8
ptysc				ttyt9
ptysd				ttyta
ptyse				ttytb
ptysf				ttytc
ptyt0				ttytd
ptyt1				ttyte
ptyt2				ttytf
ptyt3				ttyu0
ptyt4				ttyu1
ptyt5				ttyu2
ptyt6				ttyu3
ptyt7				ttyu4
ptyt8				ttyu5
ptyt9				ttyu6
ptyta				ttyu7
ptytb				ttyu8
ptytc				ttyu9
ptytd				ttyua
ptyte				ttyub
ptytf				ttyuc
ptyu0				ttyud
ptyu1				ttyue
ptyu2				ttyuf
ptyu3				ttyv0
ptyu4				ttyv1
ptyu5				ttyv2
ptyu6				ttyv3
ptyu7				ttyv4
ptyu8				ttyv5
ptyu9				ttyv6
ptyua				ttyv7
ptyub				ttyv8
ptyuc				ttyv9
ptyud				ttyva
ptyue				ttyvb
ptyuf				ttyvc
ptyv0				ttyvd
ptyv1				ttyve
ptyv2				ttyvf
ptyv3				ttyw0
ptyv4				ttyw1
ptyv5				ttyw2
ptyv6				ttyw3
ptyv7				ttyw4
ptyv8				ttyw5
ptyv9				ttyw6
ptyva				ttyw7
ptyvb				ttyw8
ptyvc				ttyw9
ptyvd				ttywa
ptyve				ttywb
ptyvf				ttywc
ptyw0				ttywd
ptyw1				ttywe
ptyw2				ttywf
ptyw3				urandom
ptyw4				xcpm
ptyw5				zero
ptyw6
Josephs-MacBook-Air:dev flounder$ 

]

Any ideas about what I'm missing here? Or are both computer boards dead?
joe

[adafruit_support_mike]

The Gemma doesn't have a USB-to-Serial converter, so it doesn't show up as a Serial port.

The tutorial explains how to work with one:

https://learn.adafruit.com/introducing- ... troduction

[flounder]

Well, almost, maybe.

When I click the reset button, the red LED comes on, very dim. It does not flash. Again, I have a brandy-new Adafruit Micro-USB cable, plugged into the USB port of my MacBook Air. The green LED is a bright, solid color. I am obviously getting enough current to run it. So I get the following

Code: Select all

avrdude: Version 6.0.1, compiled on Apr 14 2015 at 16:30:25
         Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
         Copyright (c) 2007-2009 Joerg Wunsch

         System wide configuration file is "/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf"
         User configuration file is "/Users/flounder/.avrduderc"
         User configuration file does not exist or is not a regular file, skipping

         Using Port                    : usb
         Using Programmer              : usbtiny
avrdude: Error: Could not find USBtiny device (0x1781/0xc9f)

avrdude done.  Thank you.

the selected serial port 
 does not exist or your board is not connected
processing.app.SerialException: Error opening serial port '/dev/cu.usbmodem1411'.

Yes, I read the documentation. It suggests the board is not in boot loader mode. Given that I have a solid, very dim, red LED, no sign of blinking, I am willing to believe this. This is not the result of a single attempt to download; I made many attempts, all with the same result. And the light is still on, and dim, 2 minutes after hitting reset. I see this on two different Gemmas. If I unplug and replug, the light comes on as a dim red for about three seconds then turns off. When I click the reset button it comes on solid, and dim, and now, after five minutes, it has not yet turned off. One Gemma I might understand, because it has had things soldered to it and has been plugged and unplugged from the breadboard several times. But seeing identical behavior on a brand-new Gemma, still in its antistatic bag, leaves me confused.

Product idea: for breadboarding with Gemmas: an adapter circle with bolts at the locations of the Gemma solder pads. So I can put the Gemma on it, then nuts, then tighten down the nuts for solid electrical contact with the Gemma pads. Underneath, offset to one side, six pins on 0.1" centers, so I can plug this into the outside row of the inner-five breadboard pins, and plug wires into the breadboard as usual.

I also believe that when I click "download", the program should download. It should not recompile anything that does not require recompilation. I would settle for it should not recompile anything, ever, which is less than ideal. Some of my sketches take considerably longer than 10 seconds to compile, and the hand-eye coordination in these cases is tricky and should not be necessary. A compromise is that if I click download and the source is newer than the object file, it will pop up a warning, of the form

Some file(s) of this sketch have been changed and not compiled
[proceed anyway] [compile them] [cancel download]

Note that "compile them" simply saves having to click the "verify" button; it will not automatically start the download.

Another option for downloading would be to have it pop up a box

About to download
[Cancel] [OK]

so I can hit the reset button, then OK. I am tired to trying to outguess the boot timeout when compiling a large sketch. And by "large" I mean "any sketch that takes 7 seconds or more to compile".

Meanwhile, why am I not getting a blinking boot-mode light? I definitely have a solid USB connection to a reputable USB socket on my laptop.

[flounder]

Footnote on documentation:

While the documentation says that the Gemma does not have a serial port and cannot read or write data on a serial line, this is somewhat different from saying "The Gemma, when connected, will not be seen as a serial device by your host computer. It requires the USBTinyISP programmer be selected, so it knows to check all the USB ports for a Gemma device". The implications are not obvious.

And what happens if I have four USB ports and there is a Gemma plugged into each of them? The documentation does not seem to address this.

And, since Gemma REQUIRES the USBTinyISP programmer mode, why is this not automatically selected?
joe

[adafruit_support_mike]

The solid/dim LED is a common symptom of the bootloader having trouble communicating with a USB-3 hub.

The easiest way to resolve the problem is to put an old/cheap USB hub between the computer and the Gemma. Those contain USB-2 hubs, and will act as a protocol translator.

And what happens if I have four USB ports and there is a Gemma plugged into each of them? The documentation does not seem to address this.

A Gemma only appears in the USB device tree while its bootloader is running. If the bootloaders aren't running, there's no way for a collision or enumeration problem to occur.

If more than one bootloader is running at the same time, they'll enumerate in the order that the USB host recognized them. The Arduino IDE will probably program the first one in the list and ignore any others. Any problems that might occur in that context would be painstakingly self-inflicted, and the correct resolution of the issue is "don't do that".

Offhand, I can't think of any usage scenario where it would be useful or necessary to have multiple Gemma bootloaders running on the same bus at the same time.

And, since Gemma REQUIRES the USBTinyISP programmer mode, why is this not automatically selected?

The Arduino IDE doesn't provide any way to automatically select a programmer. Doing so would be a recipe for disaster.

The programmer is simply a middle-man between avrdude and the microcontroller. All the programmers in the list can program all raw chips the compiler can select as build targets. The communication interface changes from one programmer to another, but there's no reason to create a software default for any specific combination of programmer and target microcontroller.

The Gemma bootloader is based on the USBtinyISP firmware, so the IDE and avrdude think they're programming a blank chip. The bootloader just happens to redirect that firmware to its own Flash array instead of controlling another chip's SPI programming interface.

I also believe that when I click "download", the program should download. It should not recompile anything that does not require recompilation.

You'll have to talk to the folks in the Ardino forums about that. They're the ones who control that code:

http://forum.arduino.cc/

[flounder]

Thanks. I did not know I had a USB-3 root hub. I have a USB-2 hub I can plug in, and would have done it if I had realized the symptoms were caused by a USB-3 hub. The statement

•Some computers' USB v3 ports don't recognize the Gemma's bootloader. Simply use a USB v2 port or a USB hub in between

does not provide sufficient information for a diagnostic. A statement of the form

•Some computers' USB v3 ports don't recognize the Gemma's bootloader. Simply use a USB v2 port or a USB hub in between. The usual manifestation of this problem is to see the red light enter a continuously-on dim state when the Reset button is hit.

[flounder]

Sadly, the solution of "downcasting" to a hub of lower speed did not work. I groveled around on my "old equipment" shelves, and found an IOGear GUH174 hub (https://www.iogear.com/product/GUH174). I checked their Web site, and this is considered obsolete, and only supports USB 1.1. So I plugged it in, plugged the Gemma cable into it, and hit the Reset button. The only difference now is that the light is sold and dim for about two seconds, then it goes out.

So what's the next suggestion? This problem is escalating from "inconvenient" to "total flaming disaster" at the rate of one day per day. I need a fully-functioning program in the Gemma by the end of July.
joe

[adafruit_support_mike]

USB-3 has been standard on Macs for a couple of years.

We don't have any specific information on USB-1.1 hubs, but if the red LED doesn't pulse when you press the reset button, the bootloader still isn't running.

I know a USB-2 hub works because I have one that I use to connnect Trinkets, Pro Trinkets, and Gemmas to a 2015 MacBook Pro running OS X 10.11.5

See if you can find one of those.

[flounder]

I don't have a V2 hub. I will try to find one as soon as I can. I will report if this helps.
joe

[flounder]

I bought a 4-port USB 2.0 hub (Targus ACH114US) and can report that plugging into this hub has done absolutely nothing to change the behavior of the Gemma.

So what's the next step?
joe

[adafruit_support_mike]

At this point, all I can suggest is to try a new board.

Send a note containing a link to this thread and your order number to [email protected]. The folks there will get you a new Gemma.

[flounder]

I have tried this for two different Gemma boards, and tonight, I realized I'd left the Gemma at home and opened up a brand-new one, and had this same problem. I suspect that it is not a bad board, unless over two orders you managed to send me three bad boards, which I strongly suspect could not have happened.

[adafruit_support_mike]

In that case, all we can do is issue a refund. For whatever reason, your system doesn't work in a hardware/software configuration that's worked with most other Macs.

[flounder]

Unfortunately, a refund, when jammed into the form factor of our prototype, does not compute. As in, literally, does not compute. I will try alternate development platforms first.