💬 Various bootloader files based on Optiboot 6.2

[alexsh1]

Not sure what happened, but the following error returned:

Board atmega328p:avr:atmega328pO5M8c doesn't define a 'build.board' preference. Auto-set to: AVR_ATMEGA328PO5M8C
Board atmega328p:avr:atmega328pO5M16c doesn't define a 'build.board' preference. Auto-set to: AVR_ATMEGA328PO5M16C

I did not change anything so very strange why it comes up.

[Samuel235]

Actually, i have no proof but i've been informed from the arduino standalone microcontroller forums, that using a external 8mhz crystal is good for power consumption. ONLY if its a sleeping module though, it enables it to perform its tasks quicker and then sleep quicker, resulting in more time sleeping.

That error code is something i ran into, i'm guessing you're working inside of arduino IDE, if so its to do with your boards.txt entry. Its missing that entry that it speak about. Check that its there, if not enter it in manually.

[alexsh1]

@samuel235

Thanks - yes you are right it is about boards.txt.
However, the problem is that I did not change anything. Two days ago I uploaded severa sketches and no errors were coming up and now two different boards are showing the same error. This is just odd...

[Samuel235]

@alexsh1, have you performed an Arduino IDE update? I had this exact issue simply because I updated my IDE.

[GertSanders]

This message pops up since IDE 1.6.7
The new IDE expects this entry for all boards, just add it or ignore (it's more a warning then an error).

[Samuel235]

And there you go, the forever informative @GertSanders has andwered your questioning ;)

[alexsh1]

@samuel235 Looks like you are right - without realising I did press update button thinking about a sketch rather than about the update :(

Corrected this issue aleady in the boards.txt

[carlierd]

@GertSanders Hello ! I am trying to upload a sketch without success for the moment.

Burning of the bootloader was done correctly (led on pin 8 lit three times) but impossible to load a sketch.

For easy deployment I choose to create a new folder to include your bootloaders:

But it seems that something is missing as upload is not possible:

Le croquis utilise 1 030 octets (3%) de l'espace de stockage de programmes. Le maximum est de 32 256 octets.
Les variables globales utilisent 9 octets (0%) de mémoire dynamique, ce qui laisse 2 039 octets pour les variables locales. Le maximum est de 2 048 octets.
/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude -C/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf -v -patmega328p -carduino -P/dev/cu.usbmodem1411 -b38400 -D -Uflash:w:/var/folders/2y/_n7gfzjx5_sgmtyh9t_lp0wc0000gn/T/build8919458311701309495.tmp/Blink.cpp.hex:i 

avrdude: Version 6.0.1, compiled on Apr 14 2015 at 16:30:25
         Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
         Copyright (c) 2007-2009 Joerg Wunsch

         System wide configuration file is "/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf"
         User configuration file is "/Users/carlierd/.avrduderc"
         User configuration file does not exist or is not a regular file, skipping

         Using Port                    : /dev/cu.usbmodem1411
         Using Programmer              : arduino
         Overriding Baud Rate          : 38400
avrdude: ser_open(): can't open device "/dev/cu.usbmodem1411": No such file or directory
ioctl("TIOCMGET"): Inappropriate ioctl for device

avrdude done.  Thank you.

Problème de téléversement vers la carte. Voir http://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Troubleshooting#upload pour suggestions.

Any suggestion ?

David.

[GertSanders]

@carlierd
I am almost certain that you are NOT using my boards.txt because you put the bootloaders outside the reach of the IDE (must be in the sketchfolder and within the hardware subfolder of the sketches folder).

[carlierd]

@GertSanders
No doubt that I using your file as I got the same problem as @alexsh1 with the arduino pin file.

Look at my board choice:

I find this method very good for deployment but only when it's working ;)

I check the bootloader with Nick Gammon sketch and it seems good.
David.

[carlierd]

I burn the bootloader one more time and now I can upload without any change on configuration.

Perhaps I made a mistake the first time :)

I will continue my test.

David.

[carlierd]

@GertSanders One more question on the LED connected on B0.

When you wrote that the LED lit on arduino reset, it's when the reset button is pushed ? when the arduino start ? or both ?

David.

[GertSanders]

@carlierd

When the atmega328 is reset, the LED will flash three times if the boot loader is in memory. This also happens when you send a new sketch via the Arduino IDE to the atmega328.

So if you connect pin 1 shortly to GND, the led should flash.

The first time you load a boot loader, the atmega328 will "loop" between the startup procedure of the boot loader (and will flash the led), and then try to load the sketch. If there never is a sketch, it will start the boot loader again and again ...

[carlierd]

@GertSanders

So it confirms that your bootloader was correctly burnt in the atmega as the first time I failed to upload a sketch the LED flash three time again and again !
Thanks !

David.

[carlierd]

Hello,

I tested two bootloaders today:

• optiboot_atmega328_08M_038400_B0.hex
• optiboot_atmega328_01M_009600_B0.hex

But I am pretty sure you already tested them.

I got some issue with 1MHz bootloader but probably because I am using signing feature.
I will check the forum to be sure.

David.

[GertSanders]

@carlierd
Indeed I am using these two boot loaders already. The 1Mhz in my very slim nodes and the 8Mhz in the red board battery based nodes.
I also use the 16Mhz in my AC based board (as a repeater or as SMS gateway).
I will make an AC board with a 20Mhz crystal just to test the faster versions of the bootloader.

[carlierd]

@GertSanders

Hello, as I got some issue with the 1MHz bootloader, I tried without the signing feature and I still got st=fail.

One question for you, perhaps stupid but I need to be sure ;)
Do you need to set the same serial speed on both node and gateway ?

David.

[GertSanders]

@carlierd
No, the serial speed is not something relevant for the radio communication.
When I compile the boot loader, I just need to choose the CPU frequency and make sure I also choose an upload speed which is compatible with that CPU frequency. Some combinations of CPU frequency and upload speed give errors and the error rate of the serial upload communication can not be above 2% or AVRDUDE will fail.
For node to gateway communication (and your ST=FAIL errors) this is not relevant.
ST=FAIL errors can (in my case) be reduced by lowering the power output of the radio on the node (is default set to MAX, I put it mostly to HIGH).
st=fail errors can also be the result of poor power to the radio.

[alexsh1]

@GertSanders said:

ST=FAIL errors can (in my case) be reduced by lowering the power output of the radio on the node (is default set to MAX, I put it mostly to HIGH).
st=fail errors can also be the result of poor power to the radio.

Or just a bad radio. There is a huge thread on the forum about fake radio modules.
I have gone through quite a few - what a waste of time....

[carlierd]

I am using RFM69. No fake as it's working perfectly at other frequency.

@GertSanders
I tried three different configurations:

• 16 MHz with crystal
• 8 MHz internal
• 1 MHz internal (with some st=fail)

I measured power consumption in sleep mode and found that it's very close to 4uA with all configurations. So why using the 1 MHz ? Do you have better consumption when using 1 MHz ?

The best configuration for me will be the 8 MHz internal as it avoid to used the crystal.

David.