r/arduino • u/whois-Ezno • 8d ago

Hardware Help R4 Wifi clone : Upload problem

Hi, so I have an R4 WiFi clone that worked flawlessly for a few months, but suddenly, it’s now impossible to upload to.

I’ve checked the IDE version, data transfer speed, USB cable, double-pressed the reset button, tried 3 different computers, etc., etc., but nothing helped. So if you guys have any idea of what may have happened, I’m willing to hear it!

Thanks in advance!

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

5

u/Shoddy-Return-680 8d ago

Some chipsets would get bricked by contact with certain operating systems because the parent company owned the chips and the os separately and didn't want bootleg tech of their property, just a shot in the dark 

3

u/Rayzwave 8d ago edited 8d ago

It’s sounds like it’s suddenly gone faulty and there might be a good reason. Unfortunately you haven’t given us much to go on, maybe tell us what is working and what you have been doing with it recently just before it stopped working. This kind of question is like an investigation where you have to ask the right questions to be able to give an answer.

Does it look as if it’s powered up okay, does it still run the last code you uploaded?

Are you able to check power is getting to the board, verifying with a DMM? etc

Maybe post a nice photo of both sides of the board.

Check there’s no dirt and dust on the board, it might be conductive, you never know. Is the Reset button jammed up or causing a permanent reset on the uC?

1

u/whois-Ezno 7d ago

Yes, sorry, I forgot some important details.

So, the board itself seems visually fine—no dirt or burnt parts. It lights up as it should when plugged in, and the reset button, when double-pressed, puts it into boot mode with the orange light slowly blinking.

When I plug it into the computer, it’s detected just like my normal UNO board. But when I try to upload something to it, it seems to disconnect (even if it successfully enters boot mode by itself).

Something strange is that it doesn’t seem to exit boot mode by itself after the failed upload.

Before it "broke down," if I can say that, I was trying some code with an LD2410C mmWave sensor, but it didn’t work, so I can’t say if the board is still functioning properly.

I’ll try to upload a video tomorrow if I can.

1

u/Rayzwave 7d ago

I have an Arduino Pro Mini and I cannot upload to that unless I press reset just as the IDE enters upload mode. Your hardware has been functioning so I don’t suppose that would help, but by no harm in trying.

1

u/whois-Ezno 7d ago

Okay, worth a try, I guess... Is there any reliable R4 WiFi clone that I can get my hands on and that won’t have the same issues as the black/yellow ones from AliExpress?

1

u/Rayzwave 7d ago

Have you tried the double reset trick?

1

u/Rayzwave 7d ago

If I wanted to buy one of these boards I would probably get it from PiHut, https://thepihut.com/products/arduino-uno-r4-wifi

1

u/Rayzwave 7d ago

What board type do you have selected in the IDE?

1

u/whois-Ezno 7d ago

Arduino UNO R4 WIFI