Programming using the arduino ide – Pololu A-Star 32U4 User Manual
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Programming the A-Star 32U4 from the
Arduino IDE.
you connect an A-Star to your computer, Windows will take several seconds to recognize the device and configure
itself properly. The first time you program the A-Star, Windows will again take several seconds to recognize the A-
Star’s USB bootloader, and this could cause the programming operation to fail the first time. Also, Windows will
need to re-recognize the A-Star and the bootloader if you connect the board to another USB port that it has not been
connected to before.
Windows XP users: After installing the drivers, you will need to follow steps 5–9 for each new A-Star you connect
to your computer. You will also need to follow these steps the first time you attempt to program the A-Star in order
to make Windows recognize the bootloader, and when you connect the A-Star to a different USB port that it has not
been connected to before.
5. Connect the A-Star to your computer’s USB port.
6. When the “Found New Hardware Wizard” is displayed, select “No, not this time” and click “Next”.
7. On the second screen of the “Found New Hardware Wizard”, select “Install the software automatically” and
click “Next”.
8. Windows XP will warn you again that the driver has not been tested by Microsoft and recommend that you
stop the installation. Click “Continue Anyway”.
9. When you have finished the “Found New Hardware Wizard”, click “Finish”.
5.2. Programming using the Arduino IDE
The Pololu A-Star 32U4 boards can be programmed from the
popular Arduino integrated development environment (IDE). The
Arduino IDE is a cross-platform, open source application that
integrates a C++ code editor, the GNU C++ compiler, and a
program upload utility. To get started programming your A-Star
with the Arduino IDE, follow these steps:
1. Download the Arduino IDE from the
and install it. You can
download either the 1.0.x version or the 1.5.x version; the A-Stars
support both.
2. If you have not done so already, download the
(98k zip). These files are also available
from the
Copy the “pololu” folder from the downloaded “add-on”
folder into the [sketchbook location]/hardware folder. You can
see the sketchbook location in the Arduino IDE Preferences
dialog, which is available from the File menu. For a typical user,
the sketchbook location will be a folder named Arduino inside the
Documents folder. For a typical user running a recent version of
Windows, the “pololu” folder should be installed in this location:
C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Arduino\hardware\pololu
If the “Arduino” or “hardware” directories do not exist yet, you will need to create them.
3. Close the Arduino IDE if it is open, and then restart it.
Pololu A-Star 32U4 User’s Guide
© 2001–2014 Pololu Corporation
5. Getting started
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