Pro Micro Hookup and Code

[Sparkman]

@den2k All looks correct assuming it's a 3.3V unit and Vcc is at 3.3V. Can you upload the sketch to it without the radio connected to it and does it show a serial output then?

Cheers
Al

[den2k]

While it seems everyone else can get their Pro Micro's to work. I continue to ....

This is what I see.

1. I have the hookup as mentioned above.
2. I uploaded the library/MySensors/SerialGateway.ino sketch to the Pro Micro
3. I see nothing on the COM16 port.

I have several 8Mhz Pro Micro's and have tried different ones. Don't work. I bought these on Ebay. Very cheap. I also installed the SparkFun Pro Micro drivers, etc. as you can see in my Device Manager.

Other Sketches work. I've even had RF24 sketches working using the same nRF24 radios and pro micros. I believe it is not hardware, although can never be sure.

[Sparkman]

@den2k Can you post a link to the exact ones you bought?

Cheers
Al

[den2k]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301613131022?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[MartinP]

@den2k I have mine pro micro connected the same way, but i have a 3.3v regulator to the radio.
I don't know why but i guess i have experimented with both 5v and 3.3v so it came along when shifting the Arduino.

Sorry i cant help more but i honestly have no idea how to go forth.

[NeverDie]

You might either have a short, a bad solder connection, or a bad chip. To test, try manually setting each individual pin you're using high and low and confirm that's the voltage being seen at the pin with your voltmeter.

[Fabien]

I have 2 pro micro (5V) and it doesn't work for me too. I try to change pin but I read somewhere there's a bad interpretation between ATmega pins and arduino pins standard with cheap chinese copy. I didn't investigate more and I switch to nano.

[rvendrame]

How are you powering arduino + radio? Usb into arduino (5V) and step-down or regulator 3.3V to radio?
Cheap mobile chargers don't provide good power conditions and usually radio fails.

[den2k]

I purchased the 3.3v version of the pro micros so I have 3.3v coming out of VCC. I measured with a voltage meter to make sure. So I don't use any voltage regulator coming out of the VCC. I've tried with different pro micros from the same batch. Hmmm.

If you have a Pro Micro that is running at 16mHz the output from the VCC line to power the radio is 5 volts. You need to step down to 3.3v to the radio.

But I'm using batteries so don't want an extra regulatory taking up power in between.

Hmm.

[NeverDie]

@den2k said:

I purchased the 3.3v version of the pro micros so I have 3.3v coming out of VCC. I measured with a voltage meter to make sure. So I don't use any voltage regulator coming out of the VCC. I've tried with different pro micros from the same batch. Hmmm.

If you have a Pro Micro that is running at 16mHz the output from the VCC line to power the radio is 5 volts. You need to step down to 3.3v to the radio.

But I'm using batteries so don't want an extra regulatory taking up power in between.

Hmm.

So, assuming your battery voltage is less than or equal to 3.3v, you would connect it into Vcc, not RAW. Is that what you're doing? Otherwise, you'll be getting an unwanted voltage drop, and that may be the reason your radio isn't working.

Also, supplied battery voltage goes down as current drawn goes up, due to internal resistance of the battery. You could simulate by drawing worst case current from the battery and measure the voltage it supplies at that current.

[den2k]

Thanks NeverDie. I feel like that now as I plug away...

I 've got the serial gateway plugged into the PC for now, so I have a stable 5V supply and a stable 3.3V supply to the nRF24 radio. So my issue shouldn't be the voltage yet.

Unfortunately I'm not ready for battery testing yet, given not even being able to do the very basic uploading of a Serial Gateway sketch.

[den2k]

A little update. I hooked up an official Arduino Uno I had around. This is what I see. It works! I see the gateway startup complete. which is great.

I just wish my Pro Micros...

[den2k]

I spent a bunch of time testing different boards over the last few days. Official Uno. Sparkfun Pro Mini from Sparkfun. They all work.

But not the Pro Micro clones I bought on Ebay. I reinstalled Pro Micro drivers from the Sparkfun Learn site. I've even used the Board Manager function and added URLs to 3rd party URLs under preferences thinking this official way to add boards instead of manually coping the driver into the correct directly would work. Nope!

For now, my conclusion is the MySensors code does not work the Pro Micro clones. it sounds like these boards work for others. If so, please ping me. I've test a number of standard arduino sketches and also RF24 sketches, and they work on these Pro Micro clones, but for some reason the MySensors sketches do not work.

Looks like I'm going to be purchasing some more test boards...

[brolly759]

Why dont you burn the bootloader using an Uno onto the nano? That way you can make sure its not a bootloader issue

[den2k]

Just to give an update. I was never able to get the Pro Micro's that I bought on Ebay to work. I purchase some Pro Mini. Looks like I am able to get the Serial Gateway not only detected by the Pi, but also looks like I am about to received Node data. Not completely done yet but looks promising.

[Tom71]

I got also problems to upload the scetch to an arduino micro. After uploading the micro does not connect on any COM-Port. Only if I reset the bootloader, I can write other sample scetches to the micro. So it seams, that the gateway code does not working well with an arduino micro.