If you already have a programmer to program the AVR, why on earth would you need another programmer?

I could see this being useful in only a certain few situations, but those are situations in which having a standalone programmer is the proper solution.

That said, this is really just an expensive programmer ($30 + time/cost of making custom daughter board).

In a pinch, having a reference to the “hack” on hack-a-day might come in handy, but otherwise, pointless.

Posted at 10:23 am on Jul 15th, 2009 by ReKlipz

I don’t think this is pointless. I suspect there are a fair few arduino users that would like a go at “raw” avr and don’t know if they will get into it enough to justify a standalone programmer. If you want to branch out from arduino so you can use smaller cheaper chips then a cheap diy programmer utilising parts you already own makes some sense.

This is pretty much the equivalent of a diy parallel port programmer for people that already have an arduino.

Posted at 10:53 am on Jul 15th, 2009 by xyz

Well, if you ran a few of these and sold them, I could see them as being useful to somebody… You could use one arduino to fix another arduino’s bootloader.

Posted at 10:53 am on Jul 15th, 2009 by Brandon Kinman

Awesome, I’ve actually been looking for something exactly like this. I bought a few smaller AVR chips (2313, 13) after having already bought an arduino to mess with. Buying a 30$ programmer for 2 devices that cost a total of $2 seems wasteful to me, especially because I already have an arduino. (Which can be used for other things too in the meantime)

Posted at 11:07 am on Jul 15th, 2009 by CWAL

ReKlipz,

Consider that you may modify the firmware to do batch programming without a PC. Could also add an SD card and LCD screen. Contain hundreds of builds on a single board. This would work well for small distributed hardware that requires updated firmware. Sure there are plenty of other projects that do the same thing and support gang programming.

The Arduino in general opens up the doors for the hobbyist who may otherwise have no place to turn. Some are very likely to broaden their horizons and move on.

The last i checked the MKII was ~$30. About the same price as the Arduino. Get a .1″ protoboard from radio shack (assuming they still carry em) to bring the ISP signals out. Worst case is we have to bit-bang(slow)program the Arduino with the firmware. Then move on to the higher speed serial programming.

Now a few disclaimers. Being old school i understand and agree with most of the complaints about Arduino based projects. When i see a Microcontroller used to blink an LED, i gripe and moan pointing out a thousand other ways it *should* have been done using cheaper, smaller, less power consuming methods. But i digress…

Posted at 11:19 am on Jul 15th, 2009 by Steve Watkins

can we please stop with all the arduino crap? every other day there are a dozen posts about a devboard that’s being used as a universal solution to the simplest of problems.
ithink it would be a lot better to have fewer posts that focus on simple solutions that one can build from rather than encouraging people to use an arduino to blink an led, or spin a fan, or whatever.
i’m sure now at least 30 fanbois will start flaming the old “put up or shut up” mantra…criticism is part of life. if you can’t deal with it maybe you should give up.

Posted at 11:24 am on Jul 15th, 2009 by noobius

Great. I just love AVR microcontrollers!

Posted at 11:45 am on Jul 15th, 2009 by Johan

i just build a super simple “bit banging”
AVR ISP programmer from junk i had lying around. even works with the “crappiest” usb-rs232 adapter i have.

id be much more interested in an arduino based
microchip PIC programming shield

/Kyndal

Posted at 12:32 pm on Jul 15th, 2009 by kyndal

Most of the AVR programmers I’ve seen consist of an ATMEL chip anyway. As well as the arduino and clones I’ve met until now.
Bottomline, you can make anything wiith an AVR programmer, and only AVR programmers if you have an arduino. Which in turn you can use for everything, again. :D

Posted at 12:34 pm on Jul 15th, 2009 by Dennis

You can use the existing ISP Port and F232RL chip on the board to do ISP just by populating the 4 way header and adding a few flying leads… Why all the bother to do this?

Posted at 12:38 pm on Jul 15th, 2009 by Tom

yah this is not a new concept its been arround for atleast a year

djbiozz@gmail.com

Posted at 1:08 pm on Jul 15th, 2009 by BiOzZ

@Tom yes exactly … that what i do to program my ics

djbiozz@gmail.com

Posted at 1:09 pm on Jul 15th, 2009 by BiOzZ

ISP programming using any USB arduino:

http://www.geocities.jp/arduino_diecimila/bootloader/index_en.html

Much better solution IMHO.

Posted at 1:57 pm on Jul 15th, 2009 by robocat

@robocat

so you can make your own isp programmer using just avrdude and a ft232?

Posted at 3:15 pm on Jul 15th, 2009 by razorconcepts

@noobius: maybe a better solution than reducing the number of posts is to offer a tailored feed/section for people that aren’t interested in these things? Or maybe a “best-of” section?

I think hackaday readers are approaching this stuff from a lot of different levels, from complete novice to seasoned expert. I’m glad that it tries to cater to all of us.

Posted at 6:46 pm on Jul 15th, 2009 by Kyle McDonald

amazing, what people willing to do just not to use proper tools

Posted at 8:35 pm on Jul 15th, 2009 by therian

This is old hat. It doesn’t do HVSP, so you can’t program some important fuses. Get an AVR Dragon from Atmel, it’s great and does in-circuit debug too with processors having 32k or less.

I like AVR micro-controllers; the free AVR Studio + WinAVR tool-chain is decent too. But I don’t like the Arduino. The stupid gap between the I/O connectors is not 0.1″ spaced and the whole elitist artsy-fartsy community surrounding the thing is a put off.

Posted at 10:26 pm on Jul 15th, 2009 by Drone

web shops that selling Arduino shold have mandatory psychilogical test to detect and ban “artists”

Posted at 1:06 am on Jul 16th, 2009 by therian

Am I the only one who built a lpt port avr isp programmer? Some designs are as simple as 3 resistors, though the 1 chip 74244 driver can drive longer cables.

I started out years ago on the AVR with the 8535, a crystal and a D25 cable – total investment around $8.

http://www.dontronics.com/dt006_programming.html

http://www.qsl.net/zl1bpu/MICRO/ENV/AVRprog.gif

Posted at 4:54 am on Jul 16th, 2009 by Agent420

in progress !

Posted at 9:03 am on Jul 16th, 2009 by lekernel

“Am I the only one who built a lpt port avr isp programmer?”

nope, mine is a dapa. it’s just wire to wire…no resistors, no chips, nothing. works every time.

Posted at 12:14 pm on Jul 16th, 2009 by noobius

@razorconcepts: Looks like it to me. I haven’t tried to use this method of programming yet though – will soon!

Posted at 10:27 pm on Jul 16th, 2009 by robocat

@therian

“web shops that selling Arduino shold have mandatory psychilogical test to detect and ban “artists””

Funny you should say that, as the stated purpose of the arduino is to be a simplified, easy-to-learn platform for “artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments. ” [arduino.cc], very first paragraph.

If one has real technical skill, it’s perfectly acceptable to use things other than the arduino, especially when they’re more efficient, or more appropriate.

The WHOLE POINT of the arduino, though, is to enable non-technical artists to experiment and create with electronics, and create new things.

I personally threw together an el-cheapo AVR programmer, to reset my own arduino when it got caught in a watchdog timer loop. But, if I wanted to do real _ICSP_, being able to make a more reliable programmer would be especially helpful.

Posted at 1:44 pm on Jul 17th, 2009 by YenTheFirst

The positive side of the Arduino is that it DOES introduce newcomers to microcontrollers and it doesn’t manage to mess them up too bad if they want to migrate to the more advanced AVRGCC/WINAVR to do some “normal” embedded C coding.

Posted at 8:05 pm on Jul 17th, 2009 by Pete

AVR chip + Veroboard would also introduce them to microcontrollers, as well as simple soldering. if they want to learn about electronics, that’s what they need instead of keeping their belief that soldering dip packages is difficult.

imo the only legitimate customer of arduino boards is the electronics guru in such a hurry that (s)he cannot afford to solder an atmega chip to some piece of pcb.

Posted at 9:34 am on Jul 18th, 2009 by lekernel

I was made avr-isp mkI clone that working fine at AVR Studio, AVRdude and CVAVR from did not modifiy any parts of Arduino Decimailla.
Firmaware used ATMEGA168-20AU and 16MHz crystal.

Circuit of AVR-ISP mkI of Arduino.
http://www.avrtools.co.kr/technote7/data/board/download/file_in_body/1/arduinoavrispconnect.JPG

Firmware Hexa File included Arduino_Program for like a Arduino Sketch upload with hexa file.
http://www.avrtools.co.kr/technote7/data/board/download/file_in_body/1/Arduino_Prog.zip

How to make AVR-ISP mkI clone.
1. you need a Arduino Decimilla
2. Download Arduino_Program and decompress
3. Connect Arduino Decimailla to USB port of PC
4. Double click Arduion_Program
(Vista and Win7 users must change to XP-sp2 compatible at file proferty.)
5. Select a firmware of AVR-ISP-V2.hex at decompreed folder When you pressed Brows button.
6. Press Program Button.
7. Done modify Arduino to AVR-ISP compatible for AVR Studio, Now you can connect AVRISP/STK500 in AVR Studio like a AVRISP mkI standard.
8. Don’t worry, You can download any firmware from your Adrduino Sketch (ICE).
9. You need attach some parts for amke the AVRISP, See linked Cirduit diagram.

Ref : http://www.avrtools.co.kr/technote7/board.php?board=download&command=body&no=103

Good Luck
From Leeky at avrtools.co.kr

Posted at 4:43 am on Oct 13th, 2009 by Leeky

Please correction for No.9 in How to make

9. You need attach some parts for make a AVRISP, See linked Cirduit diagram.

Posted at 4:48 am on Oct 13th, 2009 by Leeky