It is an annoying place to get stuck, and it is usually a quick fix. A device your computer will not detect is nearly always one of five things.
1. The USB cable
This is the most common cause by a wide margin. Many cables are charge-only and have no data wiring inside, so the device charges but never appears to the computer.
Use the USB data cable that came in your CircuitMess box.
To test any other cable, connect a phone to your computer with it. If no file-transfer option appears, that cable is charge-only.
2. The device is off or asleep
Some of our older kits have no clear ON/OFF marking, and several devices drop their connection to the computer when they go to sleep: Clockstar 2.0, all Bit versions, Codee, all Artemis versions, Rover and Mission Control.
Check that the power switch is on.
If the screen is black, wake the device or press the Reset button, then compile or upload in CircuitBlocks straight away.
3. Low or flat batteries
Kits that run on replaceable batteries rather than a built-in rechargeable one need enough power to hold a stable connection. Some can draw a little from USB, but a tired battery can still drop the link part-way through an upload. Fit fresh cells and try again.
4. Firmware that will not run
If the last code you uploaded had a bug or an endless loop, the port can appear and disappear repeatedly, or vanish a second after power-up. Nothing is permanently damaged. Use the Restore Firmware button in CircuitBlocks to wipe the custom code and return the device to its factory state.
5. Browser, drivers and ports
CircuitBlocks runs at code.circuitmess.com and needs a desktop Chromium browser — Chrome, Edge or Opera — because Safari and Firefox do not support Web Serial and cannot reach your device at all. Plug the cable directly into the computer rather than through a hub or an extension lead.
Your computer also needs a USB-to-serial driver to talk to the chips on our boards. Windows 10 and 11 usually install it on their own, but occasionally it is missing. If everything else here checks out, tell us which operating system you are on and we will point you to the right driver.
If none of that helps, email [email protected] and tell us which device you have, which operating system you are on, and what happens when you plug it in. We will work through it with you.