HOW TO BUILD AN AVR PROGRAMMER tarilayefa edward

Parallel Port AVR Programmer uses computer’s parallel port.. SERIAL PORT AVR PROGRAMMER uses computer’s serial port.. We cannot build a USB AVR programmer without using another existing

HOW TO BUILD AN AVR PROGRAMMER

By Tarilayefa Edward

AVR microcontrollers find many applications as embedded systems; they are also used in the Arduino line of open source hardware board designs

What is AVR Programmer?

An AVR Programmer is computer hardware for downloading firmware to an AVR microcontroller

There are different types of AVR programmers based on type of computer interface

1 Parallel Port AVR Programmer (uses computer’s parallel port)

2 SERIAL PORT AVR PROGRAMMER (uses computer’s serial port)

3 USB AVR PROGRAMMER (uses computer’s USB port)

The parallel port AVR programmer is a kind of old school You hardly find people using it now

Modern Laptop Computers only have USB ports Although, we still find some computers around with both USB and Serial Ports

USB programmers are currently widely used; serial port programmers are also still used

We cannot build a USB AVR programmer without using another existing programmer to download firmware to the host AVR microcontroller used

We are going to build a Serial Port AVR Programmer without any firmware

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This AVR programmer is very cheap and easy to build by any one

If you have a friend who has an AVR Programmer, you can skip building this Serial Port Programmer and proceed to the USB AVR Programmer because you will need an existing programmer when building a USB programmer involving

This software will be used for the serial port AVR programmer

The software below will be used for the USB AVR programmer, especially the Avrdudes and Extreme burner AVR

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1 SERIAL PORT AVR PROGRAMMER (PONYPROG)

Fig 1.0 Serial port AVR Programmer picture

Fig 1.1 Serial port AVR Programmer circuit The circuit shown in fig 1.1 is used for the construction of the serial port AVR programmer

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Fig 1.2 Serial port cable After finishing the construction, test it by connecting the programmer to a computer with real serial port (do not use a USB serial port) using the female to female DB9 serial cable shown in Fig 1.2 and assemble it in a plastic case

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Fig 1.5 Atmega328P on Breadboard connected to serial port AVR programmer

Connect the serial port AVR programmer to the Atmega328 on the breadboard

as shown above

Download and install the PonyProg2000 v208d on your computer

Fig 1.6

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Open the PonyProg2000 software as shown above and click ok

Fig 1.7 Goto to Setup and click on Interface Setup

Fig 1.8 You need to select the COM port number on your computer in which your programmer is connected

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Fig 1.9 Select “SI Prog I/O”

Fig 2.0 Make sure your programmer is connected properlly and powered Click on “Probe” to detect the programmer

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Fig 2.1 You will receive a notice showing “Test Ok”

Click “OK” and close the I/O Setup

Fig 2.2 Click on “Device” ,move down to AVR micro and locate “Atmega328”

10 Fig 2.3

Fig 2.4

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Fig 2.7 The second icon is “Read program Memory (Flash)”

Fig 2.8 The third icon is “Read Data Memory (EEPROM)”

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Fig 2.9 The fourth icon is “Write Device”

Fig 3.0 The fifth icon is “Write Program Memory (FLASH)”

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Fig 3.1 The sixth icon is “Write Data Memory (EEPROM)”

The seventh icon is “Erase Device” followed by “Security and Configuration Bits”

Fig 3.2 Click on “Read Device”

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Fig 3.3

If your programmer is properly constructed and properly connected to the Atmega328 on the breadboard our device will be Read successfully, otherwise, there will be an error

Fig 3.4

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Fig 3.5 Click on “Security and Configuration Bits” icon

Fig 3.6 Check the “BOOTSZ0” and “BODLEVEL0” check boxes while the rest are unchecked This is for Atmega328 only Be careful! Any wrong setting will render your AVR microcontroller unusable Click Write and then OK

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Your Atmega328 is now flashed with the correct fuse setting, and will remain

so permanently until you change it This will enable it work with an external 16MHz crystal with Arduino platform

Fig 3.7

To erase the memory of your Atmega328, click on the “Erase Device” icon

Fig 3.8

18 Fig 3.9 Open your Arduino IDE and select Arduino/Genuino Uno board

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Fig 4.0 Write a simple blink sketch (Arduino Program) save it with name “blink” and compile it You can find the location of the hex file, “Arduino_blink.ino.hex” at the buttom of the Arduino IDE, output window

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Fig 4.1

Go back to your PonyProg2000 and click on the second icon on the first row

Fig 4.2 Select “Files of type: hex”

Browse and locate the “Arduino_blink.ino.with_boothloader.hex” and click open

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Fig 4.3

Fig 4.4 Click on “Write to Device”

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Fig 4.5 Click “Yes”

Fig 4.6

23 Fig 4.7

Fig 4.8

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Fig 4.9

If you have done everything correctly the LED on pin19 (Arduino pin 13) on the Atmega328 will blink at the rate of 1sec Congratulation!

You have successfully built your Serial Port AVR programmer and known how

to flash Atmega328 AVR with it and also how to download Arduino compiled hex file to Atmega328 with it

You can now proceed to build your USB AVR Programmer (USBAsp)

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2 USB AVR PROGRAMMER (USBASP)

Fig 5.0

Fig 5.1

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Fig 5.2 USBAsp USB AVR Programmer using Atmega88P circuit The following components will be used for the construction of the USBAsp USB AVR Programmer:

i Atmega88P AVR *1

ii Crystal 12MHz *1

iii Ceramic capacitors 22p *2, 100n*1

iv Electrolytic Capacitors 1000uF10*1

v 28pin DIL IC Socket

vi Female USB Port Connector

vii Zener Diode 3.6v *2, 5.1v*1

viii Resistors 2.2k*1, 68ohms*2, 1k*3, 10k*1

ix Two pin Jumpers*3

x Vero board

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xi LEDs green, red and orange

xii Construction wires

xiii Wire connectors

After building the usbasp circuit, download the USBAsp firmware for

Atmega88P and program the Atmega88P with it with the correct fuse bit setting using the Serial Port AVR programmer you have constructed

Fig 5.3 Connect the Atmega88 on a breadboard as in Fig 1.5 previously

Open the ponyprog2000 software and select ATmega88

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Fig 5.4 Click on the fuse bit setting and tick only the three check boxes as shown above

Fig 5.5 Click “write” and wait for it to complete

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Fig 5.6 Locate the usbasp firmware for atmega88 that you have downloaded and click open

Fig 5.7

Click “Yes”

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Fig 5.8

Fig 5.9 Remove the atmega88 from the breadboard and mount it on the usbasp programmer you have constructed

33 Fig 6.5 Connect an atmega328 to the usbasp programmer

34 Fig 6.6

Fig 6.7

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Fig 6.8 Disconnect the atmega328 from the usbasp and connect the usbasp programmer

to computer using a usb cable

Fig 6.9 Select “yes, this time only” and click “next”

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Fig 7.0 Select “Install the software automatically” and click next

Fig 7.1

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Fig 7.2

Fig 7.3 Click “Finish”

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Fig 7.4 Reconnect the atmega328 to the usbasp programmer and connect it to your computer

Fig 7.5 Open avrdudes software

39 Fig 7.6 Select your programmer – USBasp

40 Fig 7.7 Click “Detect”

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Fig 7.8

To flash an atmega328, type the values as shown above on the Fuses & lock bits and click “Write”

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Fig 7.9 Open your arduino IDE, select arduino uno board, write a simple led blink sketch and compile it

43 Fig 8.0

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Fig 8.1 Use your usbasp programmer to download the compiled hex file to the atmega328 as shown below

45 Fig 8.2

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Fig 8.3

Fig 8.4 After Selecting the flash file, Click “Program”

47 Fig 8.5

48 Fig 8.6

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Fig 8.7

Fig 8.8 Open your extreme burner AVR software

50 Fig 8.9 Select atmega328P

51 Fig 9.0 Click “Read All”

52 Fig 9.1

53 Fig 9.2

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Fig 9.3 Flashing atmega328p with extreme burner software

Enter the settings shown above on Low Fuse, High Fuse, Extended Fuse and click “Write”

55 Fig 9.4

56 Fig 9.5 Upload the compiled blink sketch with bootloader to atmega328P

57 Fig 9.6 Click “Write All”

58 Fig 9.7

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Fig 9.8

You have successfully known how to build a Serial Port and USB AVR

Programmer and also known how to flash your atmega328P AVR

microcontroller

Congratulations

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Using USBAsp AVR programmer:

Atmega88P fuse setting for usbasp firmware

//Flashing fuse bit setting for Atmega328p: LF: 0XFF // HF: 0XDE //

//Flashing fuse bit setting for Atmega8: LF: 0XDF //

//Flashing fuse bit setting for Atmega32: LF: 0X3F //