I can't upload my sketch to Arduino Uno using avrdude

Question

I have already spent a couple of days by trying to upload a sketch onto my Arduino Uno R3 board and now it's time to give up, so I'm trying to ask some more experienced developers.

My hardware and software configuration is:

• FreeBSD-14.0-RELEASE
• Arduino Uno R3 with Atmega16u2 USB-to-Serial chip
• avrdude 7.2

The sketch is just empty and compiles without any problem:

#include <Arduino.h>
void setup() {}
void loop() {}

My kldstat output is:

aperechnev@home-pc:~/Projects/stepper-test $ kldstat 
Id Refs Address Size Name
 1 45 0xffffffff80200000 1d34598 kernel
 2 1 0xffffffff81f35000 7718 cryptodev.ko
 3 1 0xffffffff81f3d000 4370 uarduno.ko
 4 2 0xffffffff81f42000 a088 ucom.ko
 5 1 0xffffffff81f4e000 5d51c8 zfs.ko
 6 1 0xffffffff82524000 daa430 nvidia.ko
 7 3 0xffffffff832cf000 1e6a8 linux_common.ko
 8 2 0xffffffff832ee000 6a068 linux.ko
 9 1 0xffffffff83c20000 3250 ichsmb.ko
10 1 0xffffffff83c24000 2178 smbus.ko
11 1 0xffffffff83c27000 2a68 mac_ntpd.ko
12 1 0xffffffff83c2a000 12e08 fusefs.ko
13 1 0xffffffff83c3d000 4d64 geom_uzip.ko

The short description of the problem is avrdude: ser_recv(): programmer is not responding.

Now I'm revealing the detailed description.

I'm uploading my sketch with the following command:

avrdude -v -v -v -v -p atmega328p -c arduino -b 115200 -P /dev/cuaU0 -U flash:w:/home/aperechnev/Projects/stepper-test/firmware.hex:i

And I receive the next output:

avrdude: Version 7.2
 Copyright the AVRDUDE authors;
 see https://github.com/avrdudes/avrdude/blob/main/AUTHORS
 System wide configuration file is /usr/local/etc/avrdude.conf
 User configuration file is /home/aperechnev/.avrduderc
 User configuration file does not exist or is not a regular file, skipping
 Using Port : /dev/cuaU0
 Using Programmer : arduino
 Overriding Baud Rate : 115200
avrdude: send: 0 [30] [20] 
avrdude: send: 0 [30] [20] 
avrdude: send: 0 [30] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
 AVR Part : ATmega328P
 Chip Erase delay : 9000 us
 PAGEL : PD7
 BS2 : PC2
 RESET disposition : possible i/o
 RETRY pulse : SCK
 Serial program mode : yes
 Parallel program mode : yes
 Timeout : 200
 StabDelay : 100
 CmdexeDelay : 25
 SyncLoops : 32
 PollIndex : 3
 PollValue : 0x53
 Memory Detail :
 Block Poll Page Polled
 Memory Type Alias Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
 ----------- -------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
 eeprom 65 20 4 0 no 1024 4 0 3600 3600 0x00 0x00
 Block Poll Page Polled
 Memory Type Alias Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
 ----------- -------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
 flash 65 10 128 0 yes 32768 128 256 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
 Block Poll Page Polled
 Memory Type Alias Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
 ----------- -------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
 lfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 1 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
 Block Poll Page Polled
 Memory Type Alias Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
 ----------- -------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
 hfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 1 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
 Block Poll Page Polled
 Memory Type Alias Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
 ----------- -------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
 efuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 1 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
 Block Poll Page Polled
 Memory Type Alias Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
 ----------- -------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
 lock 0 0 0 0 no 1 1 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
 Block Poll Page Polled
 Memory Type Alias Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
 ----------- -------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
 signature 0 0 0 0 no 3 1 0 0 0 0x00 0x00
 Block Poll Page Polled
 Memory Type Alias Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
 ----------- -------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
 calibration 0 0 0 0 no 1 1 0 0 0 0x00 0x00
 Programmer Type : Arduino
 Description : Arduino for bootloader using STK500 v1 protocol
avrdude: send: A [41] . [80] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [03] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: A [41] . [81] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [04] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: A [41] . [82] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [04] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: A [41] . [98] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [03] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
 Hardware Version: 3
 Firmware Version: 4.4
avrdude: send: A [41] . [81] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [04] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: A [41] . [82] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [04] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: B [42] . [86] . [00] . [00] . [01] . [01] . [01] . [01] . [03] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [80] . [04] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [80] . [00] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: E [45] . [05] . [04] . [d7] . [c2] . [01] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: P [50] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: AVR device initialized and ready to accept instructions
Reading | | 0% 0.00 s 
avrdude: send: u [75] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] . [1e] . [95] . [0f] . [10] 
Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.00 s 
avrdude: device signature = 0x1e950f (probably m328p)
avrdude: Note: flash memory has been specified, an erase cycle will be performed.
 To disable this feature, specify the -D option.
avrdude: erasing chip
avrdude: send: V [56] . [ac] . [80] . [00] . [00] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [00] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: A [41] . [81] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [04] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: A [41] . [82] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [04] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: B [42] . [86] . [00] . [00] . [01] . [01] . [01] . [01] . [03] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [80] . [04] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [80] . [00] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: E [45] . [05] . [04] . [d7] . [c2] . [01] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: P [50] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: processing -U flash:w:/home/aperechnev/Projects/stepper-test/firmware.hex:i
avrdude: reading input file /home/aperechnev/Projects/stepper-test/firmware.hex for flash
 with 3472 bytes in 1 section within [0, 0xd8f]
 using 28 pages and 112 pad bytes
avrdude: writing 3472 bytes flash ...
Writing | | 0% 0.00 s 
avrdude: send: U [55] . [c0] . [06] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: recv: . [10] 
avrdude: send: t [74] . [00] . [80] F [46] [20] 
avrdude: recv: . [14] 
avrdude: ser_recv(): programmer is not responding
Writing | -------------------------------------------------- | 0% 5.05 s 
avrdude stk500_recv() [stk500.c:75] error: programmer is not responding

As I can see, avrdude successfully determines my board, reads its configuration and so on. But then it can't read the response from the board right after it starts uploading the sketch.

I looked at the code of the bootloader (Optiboot) and found the lines that are responsible to process the 0x74 request and it seems like the problem is not in the bootloader.

Even more, my Arduino Board is blinking with TX/RX LEDs, as well as with L LED during the start of uploading, at the stage where avrdude reads its configuration.

And one more interesting thing is that some sketches were successfully uploaded when I pressed the RESET button on my Arduino board during the process of uploading. But it happened just for two times. I've read about this trick somewhere on Stackoverflow, but it's really hard to catch the moment when I must press the reset button.

And one more interesting fact is that my sketches upload without any problem from my MacBook Pro driven by MacOS and Arduino IDE 2.x. So I'm sure that the board isn't burned and the bootloader works okay.

And one more important fact is the output of dmesg when I connect my Arduino board to a USB port of my PC:

ugen1.2: <Arduino Uno Arduino Uno> at usbus1
uarduno0 on uhub4
uarduno0: <Arduino Uno> on usbus1

I have no idea what's the problem and I'm kindly asking for any help.

Many thanks, Alexander.

• the busybee: Did you check different bootloader protocols, as there are "flavors" of them? If it works with your MacBook, did you look at that command line? (In the Arduino IDE 1 there is an option to enable the upload log.)
• Alexander Perechnev: Hi @thebusybee! Thank you for being interested in my problem. Yes, I've just tried another programmer and my sketch was successfully uploaded. So I'll post my own answer to this question.
• tepalia: Please see if it helps: forum.arduino.cc/t/cannot-upload-sketch-to-arduino-uno/1220498

Answer 1

Finally I resolved the issue. I used arduino programmer as a parameter to avrdude ... -c arduino, but it can't work with the newer Arduino boards. It was written for the boards that use optiboot as a bootloader, but these days Arduino boards are shipped with urboot bootloader. So to be able to upload sketches onto the newer Arduino boards you should use urclock programmer: avrdude ... -c urclock. And since bootloaders can vary in the size of flash memory they fit in, you also need to pass -xbootsize=<N> parameter to avrdude to avoid bootloader override.

So to upload your sketch you should use something like:

avrdude ... -c urclock ... -xbootsize=1024 ...

I'm going to review existing manuals and suggest some additions, so people will be able to save their time working with Arduino on FreeBSD, Linux and other platforms that aren't Windows or MacOS.

• the busybee: This issue is independent of the OS of the PC. ;-) I'm running Arch-Linux and use the Arduino IDE as well as avrdude directly. One needs to know what options to use, this is the secret. As always. :-D
• timemage: "but these days Arduino boards are shipped with urboot bootloader" To be clear, this is not the case for official AVR based Arduinos or faithful clones of them. The current official 1.8.7 AVR board package doesn't even ship with a new enough version of avrdude to support -c urclock. If someone wants that, it looks like the various MCUdude packages will do -c urclock, MiniCore or MightyCore, etc.