Avrdude fails at specific baudrates

Question

I'm seeing something very strange. If I run:

ard-reset-arduino /dev/ttyACM0;
/usr/share/arduino/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude -C/usr/share/arduino/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf -v -patmega328p -carduino -P/dev/ttyACM0 -b115200 -D -Uflash:w:`pwd`/.build/main.ino.hex:i;

Avrdude uploads my sketch to an Arduino Uno just fine. However, if I change the buadrate to 57600, it fails with the error:

avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 1 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x00

I've tried manually pressing the Arduino's reset button just before I upload, but there's no change.

Why is this happening? If I change it back to 115200 baud, it uploads fine...even though the sketch itself initializes the serial port to 57600.

Answer 1

Arduino bootloaders doesn't have any baud rate detection and baud rate is fixed (for the different boards there might be different baud rates)

Only Leonardo (and others with native USB) are almost idependent on baud rate except for 1200bauds used as "reset". (However it runs at maximum speed that the MCU can handle)

Answer 2

If I change it back to 115200 baud, it uploads fine...even though the sketch itself initializes the serial port to 57600.

The bootloader is a piece of code designed to work at a specific baud rate. As KIIV said in his answer only the USB-based Arduinos would be relatively immune to changing the rate.

What your own code does, after being uploaded, is completely irrelevant.

Avrdude fails at specific baudrates

Your title really should be: "Avrdude only works at one baudrate (the one it was designed to use for a specific board)"