If you purchased an Arduino-compatible microcontroller from BP Learning, you need to install the proper software to get it working on your system. You will need two things: the USB driver and the Arduino Development software.
In order for your computer to interact with the board, you need to install the appropriate driver. This depends on your operating system. On Linux, the driver comes pre-installed.
On Windows, you will need to install this driver:
Arduino-Compatible Development Board Driver (Windows)
On MacOS, you will need to install this driver:
Arduino-Compatible Development Board Driver (MacOS)
To download the development software, click on this link (it asks for a donation, but you may skip the donation – it is not required for the software).
After both the driver and the software are installed, you should be able to load programs onto your Arduino-compatible board. If you click on the “checkmark” button it will tell you if you have any errors in your code that prevent the computer from following your instructions. After your code is checked, you can then push the upload button (with the arrow) to load it onto your board. If there are no errors when you click on the checkmark, but errors when you click on the arrow, then go to “Tools” and then “Ports” and try connecting to a different port. The ports may change also when you unplug and plug back into the USB.
If you have problems with a board, you may ask questions about it on the BP Learning Forum.