Broken M4 Airlift Lite?

Please tell us which board you are using.
For CircuitPython issues, ask in the Adafruit CircuitPython forum.

Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
Locked
User avatar
MonsignorBart
 
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2019 4:33 pm

Broken M4 Airlift Lite?

Post by MonsignorBart »

Hi, I have a Metro Express M4 Airlift Lite and been using it for around 2-3 years. I made a slight modification to my code and tried to upload it (nothing that would "freeze" or cause an endless loop) and the board TX/RX stayed on and it froze uploading. I rebooted it, and the matrix LED stays solid green and the "L" blinks red. Rebooted my computer, it froze trying to shut down until I unplugged the metro. I've unplugged and replugged in the Metro to no avail. Typically, the matrix LED stays green and the "L" blinks red. Oh, I have an M0 Express as well, attaching it I was able to upload my code and it ran fine so it's not the code.

I double-reset it so I can get to the bootloader drive. It comes up, but anytime I try to read the text file on it, or open the INDEX.HTM or upload a file it hangs. Any ideas what I can do? Thanks

User avatar
adafruit_support_carter
 
Posts: 29167
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 2:45 pm

Re: Broken M4 Airlift Lite?

Post by adafruit_support_carter »

I double-reset it so I can get to the bootloader drive. It comes up, but anytime I try to read the text file on it, or open the INDEX.HTM or upload a file it hangs.
Try a different PC and see if this behavior repeats there.

User avatar
MonsignorBart
 
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2019 4:33 pm

Re: Broken M4 Airlift Lite?

Post by MonsignorBart »

Thank you, using another computer did work. On that other computer, if I double-clicked reset it let me read/write to the drive (unlike my dev computer) so I was able to copy a new bootloader to it, which got it working and I was able to start uploading sketches again. Good idea!

User avatar
MonsignorBart
 
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2019 4:33 pm

Re: Broken M4 Airlift Lite?

Post by MonsignorBart »

I want to update this post if someone else comes across this in the future. After about 4 weeks trying to figure out why I can't upload a sketch on my dev computer. I formatted my dev computer and reinstalled everything, same issue. Basically, after uploading a sketch my arduino locks and I can't do anything (not even put a new .UF2 file on it). Double-reset brings up the drive but would not let me do anything with it. I had to keep bringing it to another computer where I could put a new UF2 file on it, which would reset it back to circuit python and then I could bring it back to my dev computer to try to upload the sketch where it would inevitably freeze again.

What I realized today, was that I set the RTC clock to ___DATE___ and ___TIME___ which is supposed to set it to the date/time of the compiled program but printing it out it was the wrong date & time. What I realized was, any changes I was making to my sketch were saving and compiling and supposedly uploading but apparently not being uploaded to my arduino as it was stuck always running the version that was freezing it. So it was stuck on the bad sketch.

I ended up taking that "other" computer and putting the arduino IDE on it and my sketch and tried to compile it and was getting lots of errors in my sketch that needed fixing. This was very strange, I have the same Arduino IDE on my dev computer with the same sketch showing no errors, and the other with the exact same setup/sketch showing many errors on the same sketch. This implies to me that my dev computer seems to have gotten stuck on the broken version of my sketch (which had no errors) and any updates I made it was still compiling that original broken version not noticing the new errors I had put into the newer sketch.

After fixing them on that other computer, it too froze the arduino. But since I was able to upload a new sketch, I put lots of logging in. What I found was, writing to the LCD froze the arduino. So, I commented it out. Then found out trying to read an external SHT31 temperature sensor froze it. I then realized that in setup it's supposed to call the routine that initializes all my sensors & screen but I must've accidentally deleted that call. So, I was trying to use the LCD, and read from the sensors when they hadn't been initialized/begin. Looking at the TX which stayed lit 100% this must've caused the arduino to overload the serial port and why I couldn't upload a new sketch or do anything.

So, try on another computer. Next, make sure all your sensors/screens have .begin before you try to use them as in my case caused it caused my arduino to lock up real bad and appears to overload the serial port so you can't get/send messages and I suspect my dev laptop didn't handle it as well as the other computer. But, it is no longer locking up after each upload of a sketch and is working on my dev laptop again after a month. Phew...

Locked
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.

Return to “Metro, Metro Express, and Grand Central Boards”