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Home / Problem Uploading to Board Arduino Playground Express

Problem Uploading to Board Arduino Playground Express

A
Troubleshooting

Running into problems and solving them is a defining part of the Maker feel. This appendix will help you resolve many mutual bug you may face when working with Circuit Playground Limited.

Most issues fall into the post-obit categories:

  • Cable bug
  • Connectivity bug
  • Software issues
  • Common library problems
  • Error messages
  • Usage issues
  • Manufacturer back up

USB Cable and Ability Issues

To get an older USB Micro-B cable, you may scrounge in a box of one-time cables to discover something that works. This approach does not always get you the reliable cable you demand. Issues you may encounter include the followinsg:

  • Some USB Micro-B cables have only ability wires and no point wires (they were designed for charging devices only).
  • The cable connections are broken or intermittent, due to flexing (oftentimes at one end or the other). This can happen if the cable was heavily used.
  • The wire gauge of the cablevision is insufficient (an uncommon issue, merely information technology might happen with smaller or more inexpensive cables, often sourced from discount suppliers).
  • A connector is cracked, dirty, or broken within.

With ability, be sure the light-green "On" LED is steadily green at all times. With data, you tin can become into Microsoft MakeCode and create a small-scale examination program and see whether Circuit Playground Limited will load the lawmaking and execute it. Using MakeCode is simplest at this point since information technology requires no external software other than a web browser and the website https://makecode.adafruit.com/. If you do not accept Internet connectivity, y'all tin code unproblematic programs in CircuitPython or Arduino to attain a similar consequence.

You may think, "This cable works for my telephone—information technology should be good." However, the phone may not employ the information wires per standard USB specifications, or information technology may have only power wires. That the cable works for a phone is non a sufficient indication that the cable will work 100 percent in Circuit Playground projects.

Here are some ability troubleshooting steps:

  1. Check your connections and USB port to make certain that everything connects well.
  2. If there is a problem, try swapping the cablevision for a thicker, more than substantial one, or consider purchasing a new ane.
  3. Every bit a final bank check, disconnect the USB cablevision and connect your Excursion Playground Express to external power. Yous take three choices:
    • Connect a charged LiPo battery to the JST battery connector opposite the USB connector.
    • Use a "Phone Rescue" battery, the blazon that uses a rechargeable battery and a USB-to-micro-B cablevision, oftentimes to provide actress power to a mobile phone or tablet.
    • Adafruit sells a battery pack taking 3 AAA cells and provides a battery connector suitable for Circuit Playground Express (Adafruit product # 727). Be certain the on-off switch is in the on position.

Ownership a good, substantial cable (Adafruit #2008 or like) from a local shop or reputable online supplier will remedy many issues.

If at this bespeak you lot take tried to ability the board using multiple methods and the power On LED volition non glow green and the board appears expressionless, see the section "Manufacturer Support," later in this appendix.

If yous plugged the lath in and at that place was a flash and now it appears dead, await about 10 minutes and try again with all external connections removed. There could have been a brusque circuit if metallic touched bridged pads on the bottom of the board.

At this point, if you use proper power and you practice non get a greenish On LED side by side to the USB port, Circuit Playground Express may be "dead." It can happen to electronics, specially if they are treated poorly. If your Excursion Playground Limited is new, contact the manufacturer. If the lath has been working for a while and you know you did something to brand it no longer piece of work, you lot may need to get another Circuit Playground Express. It happens at times—it is office of the experimentation process.

Connectivity Problems

Circuit Playground Express may have problems talking to a larger computer used to program the device. Beginning review the "USB Cable and Ability Bug" section prior to diagnosing connectivity problems to ensure the problem is not power or cable related.

Bug with connectivity include the post-obit:

  • Intermittent communications on USB 3 ports on computers (USB 3 connectors often have bluish plastic inside them)
  • Compatibility issues on USB ports on some versions of the Linux operating system
  • USB ports non recognizing Excursion Playground Limited

Connectivity bug generally do not outcome in fault letters. Look at these possible situations:

General communications: Is your USB cablevision connected to a USB 3 port?

Reconnect your Excursion Playground Express to a USB 2 port if you have 1 available. If you are using a USB 2 hub, try to plug into the main port and not the hub. If you lot use a hub, a powered hub would be ameliorate to ensure the current available is plenty for your project.

I get the green power LED, simply my Circuit Playground Express appears to not communicate in any way; my program is not loaded.

Cheque the "USB Cablevision and Power Issues" section.

I cannot find Circuit Playground Express in the list of devices in Windows.

In Windows, Circuit Playground Express shows up nether the "Unspecified" category of devices (Figure A-1). In Device Director, it is nether Ports (COM & LPT) as a USB Serial Device, with the Windows communications port listed in parentheses (Figure A-two).

Figure A-1: . Circuit Playground Express listed in Windows 10 Devices and Printers department of Control Panel

Figure A-two: . Windows Command Console Device Managing director listing Circuit Playground Limited every bit a USB Serial Device (COM10 here)

The COM port may exist numbered differently depending on the port your Excursion Playground Express is plugged into.

I'grand using VMware [or another virtual machine programme] and I'grand having issues.

Some VM programs have problems connecting to "real" computer USB ports. This is not a problem limited to Circuit Playground Express simply applies to whatever USB device. See the VMware or other software forums for USB-specific advice.

Both Microsoft MakeCode and CircuitPython will not work with my Circuit Playground.

Check that you have Circuit Playground Express. The divergence between the Express and the Circuit Playground Archetype is discussed in Affiliate 1. Circuit Playground Classic does not run MakeCode or CircuitPython.

My Circuit Playground Express worked when I kickoff got it, but it is acting upward now. What could be the trouble?

First, cheque your power connections; if they are not expert, correct them. Next, if y'all have continued external components, your circuit could exist electrically problematic or miswired. Remove whatever connections and endeavour to load a basic Blink sketch in one of the programming languages to exam information technology out. If it works outside your project, check your projection connections. If the power On light does not come on, check the "USB Cable and Power Issues" section.

Tin can I charge a LiPo rechargeable battery to power my Excursion Playground Express?

You can employ a LiPo battery for Excursion Playground Express, but note the board cannot recharge the LiPo if it's plugged into a USB port. Unplug the battery from your Circuit Playground Express and charge the battery with a circuit lath specifically designed to recharge the bombardment safely. Adafruit sells several types of LiPo recharging boards; product #s 1304 and 1904 piece of work well at a low toll. The size of the LiPo bombardment will make up one's mind how long the bombardment volition last—the larger the battery, the longer information technology will power the board. Y'all tin can relieve power in a projection past using NeoPixels sparingly. Consider using the slide switch to programmatically "turn off" the NeoPixels.

CircuitPython Issues

I edit my plan and copy it to the CIRCUITPY bulldoze just Excursion Playground Limited doesn't behave as if it recognizes the lawmaking.

The CircuitPython file you lot copy over to run on Circuit Playground Limited should ever exist chosen lawmaking.py. This is and then that the Python interpreter knows the name of the code you want to run.

If you employ a name like mycoolprog.py, the board will not know that file is the code you wish to run. Experience free to use a more descriptive name on your backup storage device copies—for example, music-on-tilt.py.

In that location are iv options for filenames for the code the board will run: code.txt, code.py, main.txt, and principal.py. CircuitPython looks for those files, in that order, and then runs the first ane it finds.

Adafruit highly suggests that you use the filename code.py.

If your program doesn't seem to exist updating every bit you work, make certain y'all haven't created another code file that'south existence read instead of the ane you're working on.

My CircuitPython program cannot find the libraries/modules it needs to work.

CircuitPython looks for library code in the subdirectory /lib on the onboard flash drive. Go to Chapter half dozen to review the procedure to copy all of the Adafruit CircuitPython libraries into /lib. The libraries employ approximately 400KB of space. Even with all Adafruit libraries loaded into /lib, there should exist plenty of room for other code on the CIRCUITPY drive. See Chapter 6 for more details on installing the Adafruit CircuitPython libraries.

I plug in the Circuit Playground Express and I get a CIRCUITPY bulldoze. Only I cannot get the CircuitPython code.py to re-create over or run when it should.

Double-check if yous are using the modified boot.py for writing files listed in Chapter vii. If that code is running, first movement the slide switch back to file style. You tin then rename boot.py to boot-py.onetime on the CIRCUITPY bulldoze and press Reset to become the wink drive back to standard functioning.

If y'all accept a file on your Circuit Playground Limited named code.txt, run it instead of code.py. Rename or delete code.txt and ensure your code is named code.py .

Finally, in a rare result, the wink scrap may take an issue. Follow these steps to erase the flash chip and enable normal operation:

  1. Blazon this short programme and save it to the CIRCUITPY drive as code.py: 
                  import storage storage.erase_filesystem()
  2. Click the Reset button on the board to ensure the code is run.
  3. Now see if you can copy a CircuitPython program of your choice to the board and have it run.

If you are nonetheless having issues, follow the instructions in Chapter half-dozen on reinstalling the latest version of CircuitPython.

Arduino IDE Bug

At this point you have gone through the connectivity issues, and everything seems to be working. But you announced to be having errors in the Arduino IDE, either during the compile/verify stage or during upload.

I get several errors when I try to upload a program from the Arduino IDE.

Make sure you've selected Excursion Playground Limited in the Tools → Board menu and take selected the proper series port in Tools → Port. If you switch back to some other Arduino-compatible board, change the settings appropriately.

Mutual Arduino Library Problems

There are many problems you tin have with using libraries. The most common library-related error messages take the course "XXXX does not name a blazon" or "YYYY non alleged in this scope." They mean that the compiler could not find the library. This can exist due to any of the following causes:

The library is not installed.

See the steps in Chapter 6 on how to install a library correctly.

Arduino cannot notice the library folder.

The IDE will detect standard libraries and libraries installed only in the sketch libraries folder.

The specific library folder must be at the top level of the libraries binder. If you put it in a subfolder, the IDE will not find it.

Yous do not take a "Sketchbook" folder.

It is there, but on a Windows or macOS motorcar it is named Arduino (on Linux it is named Sketchbook).

A library is incomplete.

Y'all must download and install the entire library. Practice not omit or alter the names of any files inside the libraries folder.

A folder name is incorrect.

The IDE will not load files with sure characters in the name. Unfortunately, information technology does non like the dashes in the Null filenames generated by GitHub. When you unzip the file, rename the folder so that it does not contain whatsoever illegal characters. Only replacing each dash (-) with an underscore (_) usually works. If the folder has the word master on the terminate (usually preceded by a dash), remove that also. The all-time method to run across what the library name should be is to expect at the sample lawmaking to run across what the sample expects the library proper noun to look like.

The library name is spelled incorrectly.

The name specified in the #include line of your sketch must match exactly (including capitalization!) the name in the library. If it does not match exactly, the IDE volition not exist able to find it. The case sketches included with the library will accept the right spelling. But cutting and paste from at that place to avoid typographical errors.

Yous accept a wrong version of a library or multiple copies of the same library in accessible folders.

If yous have multiple versions of a library, the IDE will try to load all of them. This will outcome in compiler errors. It is not plenty to simply rename the library folder; it must be moved exterior of the sketchbook libraries binder so the IDE will not effort to load it.

I library depends on some other library.

Some libraries are dependent on other libraries. For example, most of the Adafruit graphic display libraries are dependent on the Adafruit-GFX library. Y'all must have the GFX library installed to use the dependent libraries. This is true too for libraries that apply I2C that also expect the Wire library.

The IDE needs to be restarted.

The IDE searches for libraries at startup. You must shut down all running copies of the IDE and restart before it will recognize a newly installed library.

I found a wonderful Arduino library that does what I need, but when I endeavour to use information technology on my Circuit Playground Limited, I go errors. What tin can I do?

The library you found was probably coded for other microcontrollers. Those libraries might utilise big retention spaces or hardware in other microcontrollers, which may not work on Excursion Playground Limited. If y'all understand how the library code works, you may be able to ready some errors yourself. Performing a Google search for the library name may produce pages where others encountered the aforementioned circumstance and recoded the library.

Does a library I institute on the Internet piece of work with Circuit Playground Express?

Because there are hundreds of libraries out in that location written by all sorts of people, information technology may or may not work. Many libraries expect an Arduino Uno and not the larger processor on Circuit Playground Express. But it doesn't hurt to try—meet the previous question to go along.

Error Messages

Mistake messages may fall into the general categories listed here.

Arduino Compilation Issues

Avant-garde: Can I write lawmaking that will compile one style for Circuit Playground and another for Circuit Playground Express in Arduino?

Yes, the Arduino IDE internal preprocessor provides separate definitions for the boards that can be tested. Circuit Playground Classic tin can be tested using AVR; come across the following sample code:

          #ifdef __AVR__    // Excursion Playground 'archetype' #include "utility/CPlay_CapacitiveSensor.h" #else #include "utility/Adafruit_CPlay_FreeTouch.h" #include "utility/IRLibCPE.h"