Still learning the arduino and need help

[aztraph]

I have a lamp post that I'm getting ready to install shitbrite LEDs into in order to get rid of the CFLs that i use at the moment. I change them to match the season and though that an arduino with a shiftbrite shield would work nicely and it will, I've written a few sketches for it and they work well. I received a digispark and found that it should be able to control the shiftbrites as well but when I start to load a sketch I can't get it to sink with my pc.

I've tried ver, 1.0.5 and the 1.5.5 beta. neither of which have the digispark or the digistump as a board choice, I updated with digix addons and the little wire package and there is still no joy.

Has anyone else com across this problem? What am I doing wrong

[MichaelMeissner]

I don't think the released DigiX additions to 1.5.x contain the Digispark support.  I recall that Eric said it was on the forthcoming release that is "nearly done".  In the last DigiX update, they said they were going to tackle the documentation and software once most of the boards have shipped.

The installation instructions for digispark are at: http://digistump.com/wiki/digispark.  FWIW, it uses arduino 1.0.4 on my Linux system.  Here is a thread from August where they say they haven't done a 1.0.5 release yet: http://digistump.com/board/index.php/topic,1047.html

BTW, you might want to do a modify on your original question.  You probably did not mean to leave out the "f" in the first "shiftbrite".

[aztraph]

Nice catch on the mispelling, I've never been a world class in the spelling department. I'm hoping it's not a Freudian slip. I appreciate the intel on the 1.5.x updates. what I want to know is how has everyone else who has bought the digisparks loaded sketches onto them?

[MichaelMeissner]

Nice catch on the mispelling, I've never been a world class in the spelling department. I'm hoping it's not a Freudian slip. I appreciate the intel on the 1.5.x updates. what I want to know is how has everyone else who has bought the digisparks loaded sketches onto them?

When the kickstarter campaign ended, the linux stuff was still in flux and it did not work, and I gave up on the digispark.  Some time later, I came back, and followed the directions, and this time it now works.  Because I am a microprocessor diletant, I actually have separate installation directories for each of the microprocessors that I'm messing with.  Though with the Uno, I can use any of the IDE installations, since all of the releases build on top of standard Arduino IDE releases.

I just go into the directory that contains the machine I want to work on, and run the arduino command that is in that directory.  I have to remember to reset the processor type, download type, etc.

With the spark, you do NOT plug in the spark until you are ready to program it.  You hit the download button in the IDE (second button on the top, left corner), and it compiles the sources.  If everything compiled ok, it will say plug in the device at this point.  There is a timeout, so if does time out, try it again.

Note, on Linux you need to pay attention to the udev devices that are mentioned in the startup instructions, or else it might time out, while it tries to see if it is a modem.  I've seen complaints about the Adafruit ATtiny85 devices, that they might not work too well if plugged into USB 3 sockets and some Macs, so it is possible the spark has similar problems with some hardware.  The advice is to get a powered USB 2.0 hub (it must be a 2.0 hub and not a 3.0 hub), and plug the spark into that.  If you are having troubles, try a powered USB 2.0 hub.

One other thing, with the form factor of the Spark, it is easy to plug it into the USB socket upside down (particularly if your USB connection is a via a cable).  I've done this several times.  Make sure the power LED is on and the program LED is blinking.