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Arduino Bit SupportUpdated 10 months ago

Where are the Arduino Sketches / Inventions?

Check out this Unit Plan on littleBits Classroom: https://classroom.littlebits.com/curriculum/arduino

How can I reset my Arduino?

The first step is to 'soft reset' your Arduino by following these instructions:

  1. Disconnect all bits from your w6 arduino. Connect a power bit directly to the w6 arduino. Make sure the power bit is not yet on.
  2. Connect your w6 arduino to your computer with a USB cable.
  3. Open a sketch that you know works (i.e. not the most recent sketch that you uploaded that seems to have broken your w6 arduino). If you don't know of a known working sketch you can use littleBitsDemo.ino.
  4. In Arduino IDE verify and make sure there are no errors in your code.
  5. In Arduino IDE click upload and watch the blue status bar directly below your sketch and above the monitor.
  6. At first the status bar will say "Compiling sketch...". When the status bar changes to "uploading..." turn on the power to your w6 arduino.
  7. You should receive a "Done uploading" status at which point your bit will be operational.

If the Arduino IDE can't find your board, use the steps above to reset.

If you are still having trouble, you might want to try the below 'hard reset':

  1. Short these two pins in the attached picture (i.e. directly connect them to each other with something that conducts electricity, like a paperclip or small jumper wire):
  2. Connect the USB to the Arduino and turn the power on to the Arduino.
  3. Press 'upload' in the Arduino IDE with a code that is known to not cause issues. [This LED fading Effect code works well.](http://littlebits.cc/projects/led-fading-effect)
  4. When the status bar changes from "compiling sketch" to "uploading..." remove whatever you are using to short the two pins.
  5. Your sketch should now successfully upload

NOTES:

  • Even if you cannot see your COM port for the Arduino, it may still work:
  • This 'hard reset' should always cause the Arduino to re-appear as a serial port. If you're a little sluggish in checking the Arduino software, it's possible that you might miss the w6 module re-appearing in the system. 

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