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LOG: Made a correction/modification Step 3 and added a picture step 5.
So many Arduino users have RBBBs(Really Bare Bones Board (Arduino)) or Anarduinos or Boarduinos that could use a USB interface to program and power them but don’t want to spend $15-20 for a USB BUB or FTDI cable. This Lazy Old Geek is one of them.
Theory: Most Arduino clones are programmed with a PC using a USB port. Theoretically, they could be programmed with an RS232 port but it is really hard to find a PC with RS232. Some Arduino clones come with a USB converter but most do not. Most require a TTL serial connection. TTL stands for Transistor-transistor-logic which basically means 0-5Vdc logic. So these Arduinos require a USB to TTL converter. One of the more common is the USB-BUB by Modern Devices:
http://shop.moderndevice.com/products/usb-bub
I own one and like it but they’re costly.
So I saw these (see picture) USB to RS232 Serial DB9 Adapter cables on ebay for less than $2 so I bought one. Since I had three weeks to wait for it, I thought about and realized that it probably wouldn’t work as true RS232 has plus and minus 3-15 Vdc signals. The Arduino requires TTL levels which are 0 and 5 Vdc. Nevertheless, I’d already bought it so I took it apart. It apparently had a PL2303 chip in it and I saw no level converters. Anyway, I don’t have any kind of RS232 device to check it with but don’t see how it could ever work with a true RS232. But the other thing is; I couldn’t get it to work with an Arduino. If anyone has gotten one of these to work, please let me know how.
Next I saw this article about converting a camera adapter to work with an Arduino.
http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2009/10/04/diy-usb-to-serial-cable-for-3/
You might be able to get these adapters cheaper than the one I used. Following the guidelines it should work fine.
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Signing UpStep 1My Arduino USB
I bought this PL2303 adapter on ebay.com.
USB2.0 to RS232 TTL Converter Module PL2303 +4pcs cable
But they can also be bought directly from Virtual Village
for $2.99 plus $0.99 postage and handling. I’ve had good luck with Virtual Village.
Likes:
Well made board, works with TTL.
Fused
LEDs for power, TX and Rx
Dislikes:
No schematic, operating instructions
Uses a standard USB connector instead of a mini.
Other parts needed:
2- 6 pin female headers
Wire
Optional parts for auto reset:
1 capacitor 0.1uFd (104)
1 male header pin
Wire wrap wire or magnetic wire.
Total cost should be less than $5.
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Befor i start with my question, A 'MAJOR' Thanks for making and sharing this instructable with us all, its an amazing piece of very-well-laid-out instructions that even an electronics learner like me can follow!!
Have already rated it 5 stars - Many thanks !!!
Ive also acquired the same PL2303HX usb TTL converter from HERE (very very low price so i ordered 3 just in case i mess this up!)
Anyhoo, ive installed the driver for it and my windows 7 pro has accepted it perfectly but my system wont instal the RBBB which i bought 3 kits of direct from Modern Device but cant get it installed on my pc because i have no driver for it.
This is what ive tried so far:
- Driver from the Arduino.cc website (the driver that came with Arduino IDE)
- FTDI Drivers ? (i read somewhere that these were needed but not sure now?)
- Google searched my brains-out for an RBBB Driver but still unable to find one after 2 weeks of searching ?
None of this worked (by manually selecting the driver to be updated by device-manager - update device properties etc)
Please please please could you say where you found the driver for your RBBB Arduino clone recognised ?!!!?
i have 3 of these RBBB's all working and soldered together and the pilot light comes on as it should in the instructions of soldering these boards together but i do not have 'Arduino Uno' in my com ports in device manager, just an 'unknown device' (which is no doubt my 1st RBBB clone!)
I really want to do this instructable as its the most-in-depth article online - EVER !!!!
Many thanks once again for the push in the right direction and once again MAJOR thanks for publishing this truly amazing, well thought-out & extremely inspiring piece of ingenuity !!!
I am assuming you are rather new to the Arduino world.
Most Arduino users communicate with Arduinos and clones like the RBBB using an old PC communications protocol called RS232. Nowadays, most computers don’t have an RS232 port. These have been replaced by USB, which is another serial communications protocol.
The PL2303 device actually converts USB to RS232 (and back).
So the simple answer is that there are no drivers for the RBBB or any other Arduino. The RBBB is an Arduino clone.
But here's some tips for your setup.
Most all Arduino users use the Arduino software downloadable from
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
This software will talk to any Arduino/clone using the RS232 protocol through the PL2303 device. You will want to download and extract this.
A good introduction to Arduino is this Instructable:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Intro-to-Arduino/
Once you download and install the Arduino software and run it, you need to setup a couple of things.
1. Connect an RBBB to your USB adapter and plug it into a USB connector. You should have an LED on your PL2303 device and one on the RBBB.
2. Start Arduino software. This is not very user friendly so you will have to find the Arduino application icon. Mine is under the Arduino-1.0.1 subdirectory. It’s probably a little green icon with a – and a + inside it.
3. Select , then
4. There should be a Com# with a check mark in it. Mine is COM3. This is where the PL2303 is connected.
5. Select , then
6. Click on This is what the RBBB emulates.
Now you should be able to load up Examples or other programs to your RBBB.
By the way, the FTDI drivers refer to the more common IC used to convert USB to RS232, the FTDI232 IC. Since you are using the PL2303, you won’t need this driver.
Hope this helps.
LOG
Yup, you guessed it, ive only just started messing around with arduino's and have soldered 2 of them so far, but everytime i try to upload the simple 'Blink' sketch from the arduino IDE i get this message in red:
avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00
also apart from the red LED on the PL2303 being -on- constantly, there is another LED on the PCB, a Yellow LED but this doesn't switch on until i unplug my RBBB and there's no activity or change in the LED's as the IDE software tries to upload ? Would you know whats causing the sketches to fail ?
I have been using instructions from HERE to upload, the manual reset way but after i stumbled upon your instructable i thought i'd rather have the software reset instead as its much less messing about with trying to find out how many seconds to hold down the reset tactile switch on my RBBB !!! plus i dont mind trying to solder a capacitor to the DTR pin on the PL2302 as i have two of these USB PCB's but they are so cheap it wont really matter if i screw it up !
So as soon as i can just figure out why i cant get a simple Blink sketch to upload, then i'll be soldering the PL2303 PCB as per your great instructable !
I really just want to see the sketch upload just for peace of mind that everything works as its supposed to (as standard, lol) and then modify the PL2303 after !
Please would you be able to say if you had the problem above?
ive trawled through the arduino forums and modern-device forums and still dont have an answer for this - its driving me crazy as ive 2 RBBB's fully soldered and awaiting sketches but still having this problem !!!
Please help if you can !
Many thanks in advance again LOG !
First what I would do would try my functional test. I think it’s my step 2, but basically, you take the PL2303 module and connect Tx and Rx and make sure the module by itself is working. This one should work.
Second when you connect the PL2303 to the RBBB, make sure you have Gnd, +5V, Tx and Rx connected.
Third, I’ve tried that manual reset method and it’s pretty tricky. I think I’ve gotten it to work but the timing is really critical. I can’t remember but I think I may have had to wait up to 5-10 seconds.
Fourth, You might try swapping the Tx and Rx connections on one side. It’s somewhat confusing about which goes to which. Tx stands for Transmit and Rx means Receive but it depends on your point of view. Are you talking about the computer or the Arduino. Anyway, it shouldn’t hurt if you have it reversed but it might work.
Fifth, if you haven’t already try all your PL2303 modules and all of your RBBBs in different combinations.
Sixth, do you have an oscilloscope?
Seventh, you might try my reset mod anyway.
Do you have any friends into Arduinos? Maybe you could borrow a USB-BUB or adapter to test your RBBBs.
I am not sure if your PL2303 module will work with the Arduino. I’ve had some that I couldn’t get to work.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.
LOG
Thank you very much for the extra support into the start to my arduino adventures !!
After re-reading your 'ible a few more times i had decided that things would just go much more smoothly if i just sent sketches to the RBBB via the DTR Automatic software reset method....
I also noticed that the PL2303 that i have is slightly different to the one in your 'ible and so hunted for the exact same version you have 'tinkered-with' lol, and have four of them on thier way, alot more expensive than the one i have, (pictures below) but im guessing that the pricipal of what we are trying to do is basically the same, it cost £2.78 & the one i bought cost £1.61 - both from ebay, but a darn sight cheaper than the FTDI or BUB/BUBII PCB's !
i bought 4 of these PL2303 PCB'c for the price of one BUB II !!!
Sorry, back to the matter at hand, i soldered a 0.1uF Cap to Pin 2 of the DTR_N Pin of the chip on the PL2303 and soldered the other leg of the cap straight to a pin header and hot-glue-melted it into place so that was the most fiddly soldering ive ever done - ive usually steered away from any kind of SMD work/rework but this thankfully turned out ok!
Now before i connect it all up, i'm a little fuzzy on 'Step 4' - because i want to try to copy your great work 'to the letter' in the hope of eliminating any possible problems in regards to uploading sketches with the software reset !
Ive included a pic of my PL2303 ( also does the ATMEGA 328 Chip & ATMEGA 168 have any difference to the pinouts ??? because the RBBB instructions are still only showing the ATMEGA168)
1.
I take it that the DTR pin from the PL2303 goes to the reset pin on the RBBB ? am i to assume correct ? Sorry for the silly question but ive read some right-horror stories on the arduino forums about frying the atmega chips and i only have two of these and would just like to be sure ?!!?
2.
The only pin-outs i have on my PL2303 are:
DTR (Newly created thanks to you!!!)
3v3 (3.5v {measured with DMM})
VCC (5v)
TXD
RXD
GND
so do i just connect it up as your instructions say, as: (for software reset?)
Adapter Arduino
DTR DTR (is this the reset pin on the RBBB ???)
NC Rx
Gnd Tx
Rx 5V
Tx NC
5V Gnd
Once again many thanks for the awesome help, i'm truly grateful for the time you have taken already to help me out!!!
And yes, you are correct that the PL2303 DTR connects to the RBBB DTR pin which connects to the reset on the Atmega328. Actually, my documentation calls it RTS but for this application, it works. FYI, earlier in Arduino history, This was connected to the RTS to do the reset. I don't know if this still works.
By the way, your smd soldering is great, Much better than mine.
Let me know how it goes. As you get into Arduinos, it's nice to have lots of spare parts. One of my PL2303 modules died and I did lose an Atmega328.
By the way, I've had some problems with the header pins and female headers being intermittent. I buy the cheapest I can find so that's probably a factor. But actually one of my problems was with an 'expensive' USB-BUB.
LOG
Your a GENIUS !!!
Thanks so much, i have a 'Blinking RBBB' !!!!
If it wasn't for your great instructable i would have still been sitting here scratching the hell outta my head going crazy tring to figure out why i couldn't send sketches to my RBBB !!!
Ive got 2 RBBB's soldered together and another 2 needing to be soldered but i'll load 'Blink' onto all of them just to know that my soldering was done a-o-k !
Many thanks for the smd praise, its extremely appreciated, i'd been avoiding learning electronics for the past 15 years but now that we have toys like arduino's around i just had to start learning & ive only started this year so it really does me proud to hear such a comment from a professional electronics expert !
Here's What i Used:
*** THIS awesome instructable !!! ***
* This PL2303 TTL to RS232 USB Converter (Very Cheap!)
* Driver From This instructable !!! (STEP 2)
* Windows 7 64bit
* Arduino IDE (From arduino.cc)
* 1 x 0.1uF Capacitor (100nF, mine was rated @ 50v)
* a little heatshrink (for Capacitor leg)
* Small Glue Gun (Again, nice & cheap {takes 7mm Glue Sticks}!!!)
* NO COFFEE or REDBULL for the day lol (im addicted to Energy Drinks so have REALLY shaky-hands!!!)
Settings Under Device Manager-PORTS-Prolific COMM port Properties:
i read somewhere on one of the arduino.cc forums that it would be a good idea to set the baud-rate (bits per second) to 57600 so this was the only setting here i tampered with, from what i read, it was so that the sketch upload doesnt 'time-out' if/when uploading big sketches, but since i'm still a learner this wouldn't affect me much just yet but i thought it be good practise to knoe where this setting was for when the time came to fully utilise it, lol
Settings Under Arduino IDE:
under tools - board - selected 'Arduino Uno'
under tools - serial port - selected 'COMM 4' (on my PC this was the only COMM Port !)
under tools - programmer - selected AVR ISP II (This was the 'default' setting !)
Physical Connections From USB Adapter to RBBB:
PL2303 Adapter: RBBB:
RX------------------------------RX
TX-------------------------------TX
3v3------------------------------5v
GND----------------------------GND
DTR-----------------------------RST PIN
Followed you 'ible to the letter but when i tried doing the Function Test (STEP 2) and wrote some text in the Top-Box of the window that appeared (Shit+CTRL+M) and hit <Enter> --- the text didnt drop down into the lower text box which got me worried, but i thought 'what the heck, its trial & error time again', lol, so i opened up the Blink sketch, verified it, then hit upload...... ....... ...... took some time and voila !!! Worked like a charm !!!
Once again - A mighty-MAJOR thanks L.O.G - an extremely great 'ible worthy of legendary-status !!!
& also thanks for persevering with my newbie questions and for being so patient - i now stand on a triumphant field of victory thanks to you !!!
"All Hail L.O.G" (lol) !!!
;-)
I find that the Arduino Instructables are more helpful than Arduino.cc. Another good one is Adafruit.com.
By the way, since you have multiple Arduinos, you can hook up several at once. They will just be on different Com#s. On my main PC, I have my Arduino weather station connected all the time.
LOG
LOG - Your a Saviour !!!
Seriously, many thanks once again, ive done the same Cap-soldering hack on my 2nd PL2303 and thats also working like a charm !
i used a 2-part plastic-weld glue to secure the DTR pin (i use this glue alot, lol) but have recently picked up a batch of clear potting resin that im going to encase the whole USB Module into (only because i accidently shorted a USB module in the past as it was lying on a wire-link i had forgot to send to the trash! ), just got to make sure not to fill the holes of the usb port and have it sticking out of the mould a little so it will still connect into a female USB Port!
Yeah i share your advice, instructables arduino guides are much easier to digest than arduino.cc, if only they followed-suit, lol, & ive been studying Adafruit.com for a few weeks now and its full of great stuff too!
Quick silly question though, lol, can i connect multiple RBBB's to a single PL2303, or the more likely story, would every RBBB need its own PL2303 - hence having a different COMM port assignment ??!!!??
Thanks again LOG - Your Legendary !
Good idea to pot your PL2303 modules.
LOG
Once again, many thanks for the truly AWESOME instructable LOG !!!
Keep up the Great-Work !!!
;-)
An extra level of inversion might fix it.
LOG