Arduino not detected on USB port

[Victor Engmark]

My original Arduino Uno R3 is detected by the kernel when connected to a USB port:

$ tail -2 /var/log/kern.log
kernel: [ 611.954962] usb 8-1: new full-speed USB device number 5 using uhci_hcd
kernel: [ 612.158006] cdc_acm 8-1:1.0: ttyACM0: USB ACM device

The device is created:

$ ls -la /dev/ttyACM0
crw-rw---- 1 root dialout 166, 0 Sep 23 14:08 /dev/ttyACM0

I have read/write access to the device (I just rebooted, so the groups are current):

$ groups | grep -o '\bdialout\b'
dialout

I can talk to the device - The following command results in reboot-like activity on the Arduino built-in LEDs:

$ echo ciao > /dev/ttyACM0

At this point, however, I'm not able to use this device with the Arduino IDE:

1. Tools -> Serial Port is grayed out

2. When starting arduino from the command line, there's a RXTX version mismatch:
$ arduino
Stable Library
=========================================
Native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2
Java lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
WARNING: RXTX Version mismatch
 Jar version = RXTX-2.1-7
 native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2

3. Trying to upload a program results in the following error message:
processing.app.SerialNotFoundException: Serial port 'COM1' not found. Did you select the right one from the Tools > Serial Port menu?
 at processing.app.Serial.<init>(Serial.java:153)
 at processing.app.Serial.<init>(Serial.java:76)
 at processing.app.debug.Uploader.flushSerialBuffer(Uploader.java:75)
 at processing.app.debug.AvrdudeUploader.uploadViaBootloader(AvrdudeUploader.java:88)
 at processing.app.debug.AvrdudeUploader.uploadUsingPreferences(AvrdudeUploader.java:66)
 at processing.app.Sketch.upload(Sketch.java:1664)
 at processing.app.Sketch.exportApplet(Sketch.java:1624)
 at processing.app.Sketch.exportApplet(Sketch.java:1578)
 at processing.app.Editor$DefaultExportHandler.run(Editor.java:2314)
 at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:679)

The first symbolic link workaround proposed at http://andypiper.co.uk/2010/12/21/prototyping-arduino-and-ubuntu/ works:
$ sudo ln -s /dev/ttyACM0 /dev/ttyUSB0

Now I can see /dev/ttyUSB0 in Arduino IDE, and I'm able to upload programs despite the RXTX version mismatch.

The second workaround proposed at the same place did *not* work. After applying it and rebooting:

$ cat /etc/udev/rules.d/80-arduino-uno.rule
KERNEL=="ttyACM*", ATTRS{product}=="Arduino*", SYMLINK+="ttyUSB%n"

$ ls -l /dev/ttyACM0 /dev/ttyUSB0
ls: cannot access /dev/ttyUSB0: No such file or directory
crw-rw---- 1 root dialout 166, 0 Sep 23 14:22 /dev/ttyACM0

Could it be that it's not recognized as an Arduino device?

$ lsusb | grep --ignore-case arduino || echo none
none

However:
$ sudo lsusb -v | grep --ignore-case arduino || echo none
  iManufacturer 1 Arduino (www.arduino.cc)

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: arduino 1:1.0+dfsg-9
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-31.50-generic 3.2.28
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-31-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu13
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Sep 23 14:05:30 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120425)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: arduino
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Victor Engmark (victor-engmark)]

Also, running arduino as root did not help, as suggested elsewhere <http://blog.markloiseau.com/2012/05/install-arduino-ubuntu/>.

[Victor Engmark (victor-engmark)]

Installing the latest official Arduino IDE <http://arduino.googlecode.com/files/arduino-1.0.1-linux64.tgz> did not help either - The Serial Port menu is still grayed out.

[Scott Howard (showard314)]

Thanks for the thorough debugging
It looks like something is screwed up with your RXTX

 Native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2
  Java lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
  WARNING: RXTX Version mismatch
        Jar version = RXTX-2.1-7
        native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2

means that somehow the library is coming from the wrong place (it
looks like it's either from a combination of an official arduino.cc
package and a debian/ubuntu package, or a mismatched debian & ubuntu
package). The RXTX version 2.1-7 is unable to detect /dev/ttyACM*
because support was added in a later patch. Ubuntu has not had version
2.1.7 since lucid (~2 years ago) but arduino.cc still uses a patched
rxtx 2.1.7, so you probably have an extra rxtx java library floating
around your system that is conflicting with your system libraries.

I'd suggest $sudo apt-get remove librxtx-java and look for
RXTXcomm.jar on your system, maybe in /usr/share/java/RXTXcomm.jar or
in some other folder if you downloaded files from arduino.cc? If you
find it, mv it somewhere else or rename it, then try installing
arduino again $sudo apt-get install arduino.

[Victor Engmark (victor-engmark)]

$ sudo apt-get remove librxtx-java
$ sudo updatedb
$ locate RXTXcomm.jar
/home/username/bin/arduino-1.0.1/lib/RXTXcomm.jar
/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext/RXTXcomm.jar

The first one is accounted for - It's the downloaded Arduino IDE. The second is of unknown origin:

dpkg --search /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext/RXTXcomm.jar
dpkg-query: no path found matching pattern /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext/RXTXcomm.jar.

Googling this path finds *no* results. Is there any other way it could be related to an installed package? I usually only install software with apt-get. There's another interesting file in the same directory:

$ cat /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext/javax.comm.rxtx.properties
javax.comm.rxtx.SerialPorts=/dev/ttyS0:/dev/ttyS1:/dev/ttyUSB0:/dev/ttyUSB1

Looks like it accounts for why Arduino IDE doesn't list /dev/ttyACM0. This file is also unknown to dpkg.

Moving these away and reinstalling Arduino strangely does not work:
$ sudo mv /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext/RXTXcomm.jar{,.bak}
$ sudo mv /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext/javax.comm.rxtx.properties{,.bak}
$ sudo apt-get purge arduino
$ sudo apt-get install arduino
$ sudo updatedb
$ locate RXTXcomm.jar
/home/username/bin/arduino-1.0.1/lib/RXTXcomm.jar
/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext/RXTXcomm.jar.bak
/usr/share/arduino/lib/RXTXcomm.jar
/usr/share/java/RXTXcomm.jar
$ arduino
Stable Library
=========================================
Native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2
Java lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
WARNING: RXTX Version mismatch
 Jar version = RXTX-2.1-7
 native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2

[Scott Howard (showard314)]

On Sun, Sep 23, 2012 at 12:46 PM, l0b0 <email address hidden> wrote:log
> Moving these away and reinstalling Arduino strangely does not work:
> $ sudo mv /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext/RXTXcomm.jar{,.bak}
> $ sudo mv /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext/javax.comm.rxtx.properties{,.bak}
> $ sudo apt-get purge arduino
> $ sudo apt-get install arduino
> $ sudo updatedb
> $ locate RXTXcomm.jar
> /home/username/bin/arduino-1.0.1/lib/RXTXcomm.jar
> /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext/RXTXcomm.jar.bak
> /usr/share/arduino/lib/RXTXcomm.jar
> /usr/share/java/RXTXcomm.jar
> $ arduino
> Stable Library
> =========================================
> Native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2
> Java lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
> WARNING: RXTX Version mismatch
> Jar version = RXTX-2.1-7
> native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2
>

I too couldn't find where that is coming from in
/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/ext, it's not listed in
ubuntu nor debian.

here are mine from a precise system:
showard@esc-303123:~$ locate RXTXcomm.jar
/usr/share/arduino/lib/RXTXcomm.jar
/usr/share/java/RXTXcomm.jar

in a clean Ubuntu system it is the same as well

> WARNING: RXTX Version mismatch
> Jar version = RXTX-2.1-7
> native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2

looks like your problem is that it is still using the wrong
RXTXcomm.jar. Maybe /home/username/bin/arduino-1.0.1/lib is in the
java search path somehow? You should be using
/usr/share/java/RXTXcomm.jar then the warning would not show up.

Try renaming /home/username/bin/arduino-1.0.1/lib/RXTXcomm.jar

[Victor Engmark (victor-engmark)]

$ mv ~/bin/arduino-1.0.1/lib/RXTXcomm.jar{,.bak}
$ arduino
Stable Library
=========================================
Native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2
Java lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
WARNING: RXTX Version mismatch
 Jar version = RXTX-2.1-7
 native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2

And no serial device.

[Scott Howard (showard314)]

On Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 12:21 PM, l0b0 <email address hidden> wrote:
> $ mv ~/bin/arduino-1.0.1/lib/RXTXcomm.jar{,.bak}
> $ arduino
> Stable Library
> =========================================
> Native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2
> Java lib Version = RXTX-2.1-7
> WARNING: RXTX Version mismatch
> Jar version = RXTX-2.1-7
> native lib Version = RXTX-2.2pre2
>
> And no serial device.

Thanks again, unfortunately I can't reproduce it - and I expect that
arduino IDE won't see any Arduino Uno or later board as long as you
get that java RXTX warning. The mismatch is worrisome too. It's not a
bug in ubuntu, though, since ubuntu hasn't had that jar version 2.1-7
in over two years, I'm still stumped how that got on your system and
where it is hiding...

[Victor Engmark (victor-engmark)]

It looks like a reboot was necessary after moving the RXTX libraries away - It works fine now. Thank you very much for the help!

[Scott Howard (showard314)]

Awesome! I'm very happy to hear it got worked out, closing the bug.