can't find USB/Serial driver..

[dacflyer]

i bought a few of these Arduino compatible micro P328P boards, my laptop won't recognize them..it is asking for a
usb serial 2.0 driver.. and windozzzz can't find it..or on the net..
anyone used any of these and know where i can find a download ?
thanks..

[gunter]

Greetings dak,

Not sure of the validity of the file but I have found this one: https://www.obdev.at/products/vusb/index.html

Search string was Atmel ATmega328 driver

[dacflyer]

does the ATmega328 also need a driver ??
i have the driver for the USB/serial device, and my laptop sees this as COM 6 now
but i do not know what Board to use or programmer in the Arduino program...

[gunter]

Think the programmers are on this link: http://www.atmel.com/devices/ATMEGA328.aspx?tab=tools

Hope I am steering you in the right direction, but must admit, I have zero experience with arduino.

[gunter]

Also found this page for the command lines: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Environment

Can probably use the Arduino software (IDE) package to do the programming.

[dacflyer]

i looked thru there..did not find anything useful...

[gunter]

Terribly sorry for that Sir, those links had the drivers and 2 links to program the 328 controller. Sure someone will have an answer soon

[dacflyer]

ya,, i really do not know. i am sure it is something related to compatibility related.
i am sure i would not have a issue if i had the real thing..

i did notice in the error i got it said cannot connect to device COM8
but my device is connecting on COM6 and in the Arduino is shows as connected to COM6.
but in the programming errors it say COM8 issue..

[dacflyer]

forgot to mention the item is a Arduino compatible Nano V3

http://www.banggood.com/ATmega328P-Nano ... 0937.html

as i mentioned earlier, i did get the drivers, so now my laptop can connect to it,, but Arduino won't communicate with it..
has to be something i can do in settings or something..
maybe Arduino is looking for a FTDI device, and maybe i need to find or install something into Arduino so it sees this other USB/Serial interface..

[dyarker]

There is absolutely no reason the COM port numbers at opposing ends of a serial connection need to be the same. There is also no particular reason to be different.

What is important is that the serial cable connects the correct physical port.

On the PC end first. COM1 to COM4 port numbers might be reserved by Windows, even if the phyical UARTs and connectors don't exist! Sounds like Windows wants to call the USB/serial device COM8, or the program is trying COM8 while Windows thinks it COM6 (so Windows says problem with 8, which would be true. The COM number assigned by Windows for THAT USB/Serial must match!

Same on Arduino end. The program on the Arduino and the port driver on the Arduino must have the COM number; but there is no relation to COM number on the PC.

I suspect the serial ports on PC and Arduino are both DTE. That would mean a cross-over cable is needed.

Good luck,

[dacflyer]

it connects via USB...the serial chip is on-board i got the USB/serial drivers installed..

i am thinking that the Arduino. only likes to see the FTDI chips and not the China knock offs..
i am gonna try one more thing, and if it does not work, i am gonna send the items back..

[Clyde Crashkop]

If you buy Cheap Chinese Arduinos that come with CH340G from eBay
You will need CH340G converter Windows 7 driver download
http://www.arduined.eu/tag/windows-7/

How to for 7 & 8 And Windows 8 driver download
http://www.arduined.eu/ch340-windows-8-driver-download/

I couldn't find a driver for Windows XP

[dacflyer]

i replied earlier that i did find the driver and installed it... arduino sees it now, but still won't download to it..
Arduino shows as connected to com 6, but Arduino shows error code that cannot connect via com 8

i am thinking that arduino only sees FTDI deviced, and not the CH340G

[MrAl]

i replied earlier that i did find the driver and installed it... arduino sees it now, but still won't download to it..
Arduino shows as connected to com 6, but Arduino shows error code that cannot connect via com 8

i am thinking that arduino only sees FTDI deviced, and not the CH340G

Hi,

Sorry to hear you have a problem.

Yes, the knock off versions need the CH340/CH341 driver because they use that chip.
If they have the rectangular USB to serial converter chip then they need the CH340/341 driver but if they use the square chip then they need another driver.
You can tell the chip is the CH340/341 by looking on the back of the Nano board. If you see a rectangular chip with 16 pins that's the chip. That one definitely needs the CH340/341 driver, no way around it.

Since i've used these boards for several months now (at least 10 boards in total) i can tell you they work pretty well. I even have another type of board with the CH340/341 chip and that works well too. I run Windows 7, 32 bit on a desktop computer box.
So the Arduino IDE works with three different types of chips, possibly more because it's not part of the IDE:
1. FTDI
2. CH340/341
3. Atmel 8U (programmed as a USB to serial interface)

I think #3 uses a different driver than the other two, but i know the FTDI driver does not work on the CH340/341 chip.

If you are having a problem then it is either:
1. Something about the laptop USB driver (before the CH340 driver is installed) is not right.
2. The boards had their boot loader corrupted or it is an older bootloader code.
3. The boards are defective.

If it is #1 then you should try another computer.
If it is #2 then you should try to program the board with ICS programming.
If it is #3 then you should try another board from somewhere else.

You dont need the USB connection to program the board, but using ICS you need another Arduino like an Uno to act as programmer for the other boards. it's not hard to do and there are countless examples on the web.
This requires four jumpers from one board to the other in order to program, and then you could burn a new bootloader into the bad boards too in order to see if that helps.

Since i got a lot of boards from BG i would say the laptop has some sort of problem, but of course without having a board to test myself i cant tell for sure.

If you want to send me a board i will test it for you with my setup. I can send it back after the test no problem.

I've only seen one truly bad board between me and some others, and it was purchased on, you guessed it, Ebay.

If you want to buy a non CH340/341 board just look for the square USB chip not the rectangular chio.

[dacflyer]

it's been figured out a while ago...it works now.. seems that after i got the drivers in etc.. i had to restart the laptop...
it works now..
thanks anyway..