Pleas help. During the initialload I I get this error about butter flies. I have tried chaning the com port from 3 to 5 and removing the check from the box for buffers. and I have changed it from 109 to the 910. When changed to the 910 it does not recognize the chip. what am I missing?

F:CodeCodeinitialload>make avrdude -c avr109 -p m168 -b 9600 -P COM3 -U flash:w:initialload.hex:a

Connecting to programmer: . Found programmer: Id = "" ""; type = Software Version = W. ; Hardware Version = . avrdude: error: buffered memory access not supported. Maybe it isn't a butterfly/AVR109 but a AVR910 device? make: *** [initialload-upload] Error 1

F:CodeCodeinitialload>make avrdude -c avr109 -p m168 -b 9600 -P COM5 -U flash:w:initialload.hex:a

Connecting to programmer: . Found programmer: Id = "" ""; type = Software Version = . ; Hardware Version = . avrdude: error: buffered memory access not supported. Maybe it isn't a butterfly/AVR109 but a AVR910 device? make: *** [initialload-upload] Error 1

Thanks. Sam

Leave all settings at the original setting.

Unplug your usb cable and plug back in and try it.

Reboot!

This is a often asked question on the forums.

You should not need to guess at the correct com port it is either com 3 or com 5 (or even 4) you do not/should not need to guess at the com port. It is what your system is reporting. If a com port is not being reported then that is something in your settings or you are looking for the com port with out the usb cable being plugged in, there has to be a device on the port in order to report it.

Ralph

Sam informed us via email that the reboot did the trick. Thanks for the great help Ralph!

Humberto

I have the same problem as above. I tried the very first program (initialload)and get the same error. I have tried to unplug the USB and the battery as the solution in this thread suggests, but it is not making any difference.

Also I dont know if this makes a difference, the manual asks us to disconnect the battery and reconnect it with the switch in the UP position before using the Make command. How do I tell which way is UP or DOWN on the switch ? I gave up figuring it out and tried it both ways but it did not make a difference either. Please help.

LittleJoe

Hi littlejoe,

This particular error message can be caused by a great many things. The most common problem is a loose or missplaced wire.

In the guide, when we say "UP" it means that the switch is flipped towards the chip and away from the voltage regulator. This causes pin 14 of the MCU to be connected to GND via the wire you put on row 25 of the breadboard. When you reboot the chip the bootloader checks to see if this pin is being pulled low by the switch, if it is it boots into programming mode.

Do you have the LCD attached to your kit, and if so do you see two black bars on the LCD when attempting to program? The two black bars on the LCD (instead of the congratulations message that is displayed by default) is the best way to verify you are in programming mode.

If you can, please post a screeshot of the error you get, as well as a picture of your setup so we can see if we can see anything wrong. You can also email us at support <at> nerdkits <dot> com and we will get you up and running in no time.

Humberto

Humberto - thanks for your clear response. The screenshot of my error is identical to the one posted by SamM earlier in this thread. I need to first follow some of the items you mentioned and see the the 2 black bars on the LCD. I still see the 'Congratulations' message when I am running the Make program so clearly I MUST have some connection problems. If I fail to get the black bars then I will post a snapshot of the screen and the breadboard and be back in touch on this thread. Again, many thanks for your prompt response. Cheers !

Hi littlejoe,

If you are not seeing two black bars on the LCD, then the chip is not in programming mode. This most likely means that you did not install the programming switch correctly. If you post a picture of your setup we might be able to spot what is wrong with it. Remember you have to flip the switch to programming mode, then reset power to the chip so that it boots into programming mode.

Humberto

Did not see the "Prolific" notation on any ports on my desktop XP (SP3). Tried guessing in the makefile (file) until it seemed as if COM3 would work ( didn't get the immediate kickout ). Always wound up witht he 'butterfly' message. In a move of desperation, I installed all the nerdkit software on my laptop (XP SP2) - the Prolific USB port showed up as COM5 immediately and I WAS ABLE TO COMPILE AND UPLOAD A PROGRAM TO MY CHIP THE FIRST TIME. What can I do to 'fix' the desktop ? It is more convenoient to use than the laptop ?

Hi Ponderosa_Boy,

If the cable doesn't show up on the device manager it definitely means your computer isn't recognizing it. Are you sure the driver was installed correctly with no errors? Any administrator privileges issues you might be having on that computer? Are you sure the USB port itself is working ok? Usually when you plug in a device windows doesn't recognize you will get a little bubble on the system trey that says something was connected. If you are getting nothing at all it might point to a problem with the port itself.

Humberto

The USB port works fine with other devices. I uninstalled and reinstalled the driver but no change. What next ?

Ponderrosa_Boy, do you now see the "Prolific" notation on any ports on your desktop as you saw on your laptop?

Ralph

The 'Prolific' tag just showed up - it works now. Thanks for staying with it.