USB programmer

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1

I was wondering if you had any suggestions as to why the USB programmer I have would randomly stop connecting to the Baby O? When connected to the USB port there is a red blinking LED and the green status LED. When I power on the Baby O the red stops and the green stays on. I am using AVR Studio so I click connect and use the STK500 option - “Auto”. When I click connect, it waits for a few seconds and then repops up that screen as if it could not connect to the microcontroller.

I have been using the USB programmer to connect and program the Baby Orangutan. I was using the motor controller in the Baby O to control a single servo. This was the last time that I was able to successfully use the programmer. I have measured the outputs of the motor controller on the Baby O and it seems to be giving the correct readings. So I am assuming that the Baby O is still working fine.

Any advice on what I can do to connect with the USB programmer?

Thanks! - Melissa -

2

Hello.

It sounds like the problem is between your computer and the programmer, not between the programmer and the Baby Orangutan. I have a few questions for you:

  1. Is the programmer’s blue shorting block in the correct position for programming (i.e. is it connecting the two pins marked by a “P” on the bottom of the board)?

  2. Have you tried cycling power on the programmer by unplugging it from your computer and then plugging it back in? It should not be connected to your Baby Orangutan when you do this.

  3. Is the programmer’s green USB status LED on (this is the LED next to the mini-B USB connector)? If it is off, your computer is not recognizing the programmer as a valid USB device; you should unplug the programmer and plug it back in. If this doesn’t cause the light to turn on, you might need to reinstall the programmer’s drivers.

  4. Try using AVR Studio to connect directly to the programmer’s COM port. If you don’t know it already, you can use your computer’s device manager to determine the COM port of your programmer. Instead of clicking the “Auto” button, click the “Con” button next to it and select the port your programmer is on. Occasionally, AVR Studio’s auto-connect can have problems, especially if you have other serial devices connected to your computer.

- Ben