The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.x has drivers and configuration software for Windows. The drivers tell Windows how to recognize the programmer and set it up correctly. The drivers are needed for Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. For Windows 10 and later, the drivers are optional but recommended. - USB AVRISP XPII supports all AVR devices with ISP and PDI Interface. Support for new devices will be added with new versions of AVR Studio. Supports all the different voltages and speed grade versions of the devices listed in the table above. The USB AVRISP XPII connects to the target board through 3 optional cables. Method 2: Un-installing and Re-installing USB driver. Open Device Manager by typing “Device Manager” on the search bar. Locate Universal Bus Controller and follow the steps mentioned below: Click on the Start button, and type “Device Manager” on the search bar. Open Device Manager, expand “UniversalBus Controllers”.
≡ PagesFavoritedFavorite9Do you need more control over your AVRs? Whether it's an ATmega328, ATmega32U4, ATtiny85, if it's an AVR there's a good chance the AVR Pocket Programmer can program it.
There are many reasons for programming your AVR via an in-system programmer (ISP). If your AVR doesn't have a bootloader on it, it's probably the only way to load code. Or maybe you want to overwrite the bootloader to squeeze out some extra flash space. Or maybe you want to poke at the fuse bits, to change the brown-out voltage. Or maybe you just want a faster and more reliable code upload.
In this tutorial we will introduce you to all of the important aspects of the AVR Pocket Programmer. It's split into a series of sections, which cover:
Most importantly, to follow along with this tutorial, you will need an AVR Pocket Programmer and an AVR to program. On top of that, a mini-B USB cable is required to connect the Programmer to your computer.
That microcontroller-to-be-programmed can be any AVR with 64K or less of flash. The ATmega328 on an Arduino Uno or RedBoard works perfectly, but the ATmega2560 of an Arduino Mega does not.
Beyond that, you may need something to interface the Programmer to your AVR. Here are some useful accessories, which might make the job easier:
Whether you're a beginner or experienced electronics enthusiast, the Pocket Programmer should be easy to get up-and-running. If you've programmed an Arduino before, you'll be well-prepared for the next step. Here are some tutorials we'd recommend reading before continuing on with this one:
Before we get to using the AVR Pocket Programmer, let's quickly overview what components fill the board out:
Driver installation is required on Windows machines only. If you're using a Mac or Linux machine, you don't need to install drivers. Just plug the board in, and skip to the next section. Otherwise, follow along below as we overview the installation process.
There are two sets of instruction for driver installation on this page. The first is the easiest, quickest method, and should work for most everyone. The second installation process is only required if the first one fails -- it takes a more manual approach to the driver installation.
To begin, plug the AVR Pocket Programmer into your computer. Upon initially connecting the board, Windows will try to automatically install the drivers. Some computers may be lucky, but most will turn up with a message notifying you that the driver install failed.
Click the link below to download the Zadig software and drivers:
Use your favorite unzipper to extract the ZIP file. Don't forget where you put the extracted folder!
After you've plugged the Pocket AVR Programmer into your computer and your machine has run through the process of checking for and failing to install drivers, proceed to the 'zadig_v2.0.1.160' folder you just unzipped. Then Run zadig.exe software.
Zadig is a wonderful tool that can install the drivers on just about any Windows platform out there. Upon opening the program, you should be greeted with a window like this:
There are a few options to verify before installing the driver:
After verifying those two selections, click 'Install Driver'. The installation process can take a few minutes, but after you've watched the scroll bar zoom by countless times, you should be greeted with a 'The driver was installed successfully' message.
If you were successful, close out of the Zadig program and proceed to the next section!
If Zadig didn't work for you, check out the instructions below for help manually installing the drivers.
If, for some reason, Zadig didn't work for you. Read the instructions below to manually install the drivers. Click the link below to download the drivers:
Use your favorite unzipper to extract the ZIP file. Don't forget where you put the extracted folder!
After you've plugged in the Programmer, and Windows has failed to install the driver. Follow these steps to install the driver:
devmgmt.msc
.Congratulations! Proceed over to the next section, and we'll start using the Programmer!
Breathe easy now! Once you've installed the USBtiny drivers on your computer, you shouldn't ever have to do it again. Now it's time to program something!
Arduino has a built-in tool that allows you to upload your sketch via a programmer instead of the serial bootloader. If you're just taking your first steps toward ISP-ing your Arduino-compatible AVR, this is a good place to start.
First, let's connect the programmer to our Arduino. Most Arduinos break out the standardized 2x3 ISP header towards the edge of the board. Plug the 2x5-connector end of included programming cable into your AVR Pocket Programmer, then connect the other, 2x3 end into your Arduino.
When connecting the programming cable to you Arduino, make sure you match up the polarity! The cable has a 'notch' on one side of the plastic housing. This should point towards pin 1 of the Arduino's ISP header. Pin 1 is usually indicated by a stripe next to the hole or pin.
If your Arduino doesn't have the ISP pins populated, check out the bottom section of this page for some tips and tricks we've used through the years.
While connecting your programmer, double-check to make sure the 'Power Target' switch is in the correct position. The programmer can power your Arduino alone! If you want it to handle that task, slide it over to the Power Target position.
Unplug your Arduino from USB if you're going to power it via the Programmer -- you don't want to create any ugly reverse current flows through your power sources.
Now that the programmer is connected to your Arduino, open up the IDE. Then open an example sketch like Blink (File > Examples > 1.Basics > Blink).
Before uploading, we need to tell Arduino which programmer we're using. Go up to Tools >Programmer and select USBtinyISP.
Also make sure you've set the 'Board' option correctly! The serial port selection isn't required for uploading the sketch, but is still necessary if you're doing anything with the serial monitor.
To upload the sketch using the programmer you selected, go to File >Upload Using Programmer. If you'll be doing this a lot, get used to pressing CTRL+SHIFT+U (COMMAND+SHIFT+U on Mac).
The Arduino will run through its normal process of compiling. After the sketch compiles, the Programmer will start lighting up blue everywhere -- the 'D+' and 'D-' LEDs will light up, and so will the 'Stat2' LED. When the 'Stat2' LED turns off, the upload will be finished. Check the status area of your Arduino IDE to verify that the sketch is 'Done uploading.'
If you've uploaded a sketch via the programmer, you've also wiped off the bootloader. If you ever want to put the serial bootloader back on your Arduino, check out the next section.
The Arduino IDE also has a feature built-in to allow you to (re-)upload a bootloader to the AVR. Here's how:
Make sure you've set the Board option correctly -- among other things, that will set which bootloader you'll be uploading. Then, simply navigate up to Tools >Burn Bootloader at the very bottom of the menu.
This process may take a minute-or-so. Not only will the bootloader be written into the flash of your AVR, the fuse bits (setting the clock speed, bootloader space, etc), and lock bits (barring the bootloader from overwriting itself) will also be (re)set.
The bootloader upload process is complete when the 'Burning bootloader to I/O board (this may take a minute)..' message turns to 'Done burning bootloader'. It really does take a while -- it's not lying when it says it 'may take a minute.'
Most Arduino boards should have male pins populated on this 2x3 connector. If your board doesn't have pins shooting out of those holes, there are a few options.
You can solder a couple strips of 3 straight male headers in there, to get the best, most reliable connection. But if you want to avoid soldering, you can use those same headers (long headers work better for this), plugging the long end into the programming cable and pushing the short end into the empty holes, while angling them to make contact on all six pins.
Free node js tutorial. Its package ecosystem – NPM was written by Isaac Schlueter and launched in 2010.However, as the libraries accessible by NPM are constantly increasing thanks to the awesome Node.js community, you can find resources for almost any task imaginable, which makes writing your own project that much more easy and intuitive.
Another solder-less option is to use the ISP Pogo Adapter, which will afford you a more reliable electrical connection.
Both of these methods can be tricky -- you have to hold those pins steady while the code uploads to your Arduino -- but they're a good solderless, temporary option.
If you're looking for more control over your AVR Pocket Programmer -- and the AVR it's connected to -- follow along below. We'll demonstrate how to use AVRDUDE, an open-source command line wonder-utility for reading, writing, and manipulating AVRs.
If you have Arduino, then you already have AVRDUDE installed -- it's the tool Arduino uses under the hood to upload sketches. If you need to install AVRDUDE separately, check out the documentation under AVRDUDE's downloads. The avrdude-doc-X.XX.pdf's (i.e. avrdude-doc-6.3.pdf) files are particularly useful when installing AVRDUDE for your operating system if you have issues using AVRDUDE commands in any directory via command line.
AVRDUDE is a command-line tool, so, in order to use it, you'll need to open up the 'Command Prompt' (Windows) or 'Terminal' (Mac/Linux). To make sure AVRDUDE is working it's good to do a little sanity check first. Open up the command line and type the following command.
You should see an output similar to the image below.
To make sure AVRDUDE is working, and your AVR Pocket Programmer is connected correctly, it's good to do another little sanity check. Type this into your command prompt:
If everything is connected correctly, you should get a response like this:
This basic command defines the programmer type you're using and the AVR it's talking to. AVRDUDE will attempt to read the Device Signature from your AVR, which is different for each AVR type out there. Every ATmega328P should have a device signature of 0x1E950F
.
Now that you've verified that everything is in working order, you can do all sorts of memory reading and writing with AVRDUDE. The main piece of memory you probably want to write is flash -- the non-volatile memory where the programs are stored.
This example will be using the blink.hex file as an example. Download the following files below. If you are using the blink.hex file, make sure that you unzip the folder and place it in the working directory.
This command will perform a basic write to flash using the HEX file.
Writing to flash will take a little longer than reading the signature bits. You'll see a text status bar scroll by as the device is read, written to, and verified.
The -U
option command handles all of the memory reads and writes. We tell it we want to work with flash
memory, do a write with w
, and then tell it the location of the hex file we want to write.
Invalid File Format
:i
to indicate that it is an Intel hex format:avrdude -c usbtiny -p atmega328p -U flash:w:blink.hex:i
:a
to auto detect the format:avrdude -c usbtiny -p atmega328p -U flash:w:blink.hex:a
-U memtype:op:filename[:format]
'.The -U
command can also be used to read the memory contents of an AVR. A command like below, for example, will read the contents of your AVR and store them into a file called 'mystery.hex'.
This is incredibly useful if you want to copy the contents of one Arduino to another. Or maybe you're a masochist, and you want to try reverse-engineering the mystery code in an AVR.
Now that you have a hang of flashing hex files to your RedBoard, try reinstalling the bootloader with the following file. Download the file.
Navigate to the path where you downloaded the bootloader and enter the following command.
If all goes well, you should get a message indicating that it was written, verified, and finished uploading. You should get an output similar to the output below. In this case, the configuration file (i.e. avrdude.conf) and the bootloader (*.hex) were not located in the same working directory. Two additional commands were needed to specify where to look for the files. Additionally, the *.hex format needed to be autodetected when flashing the file by adding the :a
.
Head back to the Arduino IDE, disconnect the USB cable from your programmer, and connect to the RedBoard's USB port to see if you can upload a simple blink.ino sketch back to the board via serial. Make sure to select the appropriate board definition and COM port before uploading. You should see a familiar message indicating that the Arduino IDE is 'Done Uploading' when complete and the on-board LED begin to blink on pin 13.
Note: Looking for more information about Installing an Arduino Bootloader? Check out our tutorial below about the different methods of flashing an Arduino bootloader to an AVR chip!Here are just a few last AVRDUDE tips and tricks before we turn you loose on the AVR world.
Two options required for using AVRDUDE are the programmer type and AVR device specification:
The programmer definition, assuming you're using the AVR Pocket Programmer, will be -c usbtiny
. If you need to use a different programmer check out this page and CTRL+F to '-c programmer-id'.
The AVR device type is defined with the -p
option. We've shown a few examples with the ATmega328P, but what if you're using an ATtiny85? In that case, you'll want to put -p t85
instead. Check out the top of this page for an exhaustive list of compatible AVR device types.
Adding one, or more -v
's to your AVRDUDE command will enable various levels of verbosity to the action. This is handy if you need a summary of your configuration options, or an in-depth view into what data is being sent to your AVR.
There's plenty more where that came from. Check out the AVRDUDE Online Documentation under Option Descriptions for the entire list of commands.
Below are a few troubleshooting tips for resolving some of the AVRDUDE errors that you may run into.
If you are having issues getting a response from AVRDUDE, you may receive the following error. It's probably due to certain environmental variables or your computer settings preventing you from properly using AVRDUDE.
The error output in the command line may look similar to the screenshot below.
One solution may be to try following the instructions provided by AVRDUDE to install it for your OS. For Windows, you could automatically install WinAVR 20100110 as explained briefly on page 35 of the AVRDUDE documents v6.3.
Otherwise, you can move to the Arduino IDE program folder where avrdude.exe is located. Try doing a search within the Arduino program folder to determine the path. Then navigate to the location where it is located using the cd. and cd commands. In this case, Arduino IDE v1.8.5 was installed and located in the Program Files folder of my C: drive under ..program filesarduino-1.8.5hardwaretoolsavrbin. Type in the change directory commands to navigate to the proper location in the command line. From the screenshot of the error, I needed to move up the directory by using the following command.
Then I needed to move into the Arduino's program folder that is located in the C: drive.
Your command line should look similar to the image below.
Once you are in the proper working directory, type in avrdude
again. You should see an output similar to the image below.
If you are having trouble reading the AVR device signature to verify the device using the command avrdude -c usbtiny -p atmega328P
; and you receive this error:
It's probably due to the way AVRDUDE was installed on a computer. In this case, AVRDUDE could not find the location of the avrdude.conf file. This is probably due to environmental variables or your computer settings preventing you from properly using AVRDUDE. If you remember from the earlier troubleshooting tip, AVRDUDE was located in the Arduino IDE program folder. While the working directory was correct, the avrdude.conf file was in a different folder as you can see from the image below on a Windows OS.
The easiest solution would be to adjust the environmental settings by automatically installing it for your OS as explained in the avrdude-docs (v6.3). For Windows, you could install WinAVR 20100110 as explained briefly on page 35 of the AVRDUDE documents v6.3.
Otherwise, you could use the -C
command and provide the path in quotes ('..avrdude.conf'
) where the avrdude.conf file is located. For the Arduino IDE v1.8.5, it was located in ..arduino-1.8.5hardwaretoolsavretc directory. Assuming that you have AVRDUDE in the working directory, the command should like similar to command below to read an ATmega328P.
A successful device signature read with the configuration file should look similar to the output below.
If you run AVRDUDE commands and receive this error below, the issue may be related to the drivers for the AVR Programmer whose device ID is 0x1781/0xc9f
. Either the drivers are not installed or there is a driver conflict.
One solution is to ensure that the drivers are installed as explained earlier. You may also want to try another USB cable or unplugging/replugging the AVR programmer back into your COM port. The error output in the command line may look similar to the screenshot below.
If you have installed the correct drivers as explained earlier, it's possible that there is a driver conflict. You'll receive the same error but the solution may not be as intuitive as you may think. The output in the screenshot below occurred when using the Tiny AVR Programmer to verify an ATtiny85's device signature. The drivers were installed correctly and had been working with the Pocket AVR Programmer. However, the Tiny AVR Programmer was still not recognized.
Opening up the device manager, the Tiny AVR Programmer showed up as a different driver (i.e. FabISP) and name as shown below.
The solution was to right click and delete the driver. Simply right click the COM port that it enumerated on and select 'Uninstall device'.
You may see a window pop up similar to the image below. Click on the button labeled Uninstall. In some cases, Windows may provide an option to 'Delete the driver software for this device.' if the option is provided, simply mark the checkbox before clicking on the button to uninstall.
After uninstalling, power cycle the programmer by unplugging/replugging the Tiny AVR Programmer from the USB port. Head back to the Installing Drivers section and follow the instructions to Automatically Install the Drivers using Zadig.
If you receive an error similar to the output below, it is probably due to the connection to the AVR programmer.
One solution is to try to unplug and replug the AVR programmer back to your COM port. You may also want to check the USB cable or ensure that the drivers are installed correctly. The output in the command line may look similar to the screenshot below.
Now that you've successfully got your Pocket AVR Programmer up and running, it's time to incorporate it into your own project!
Here are some more AVR Pocket Programmer related resources, should you need them:
We've got plenty more tutorials where that came from. If you're looking for more stuff to learn, or are looking for some project inspiration, check out these tutorials!
Are you looking to use a Pi to flash larger file sizes to your AVR microcontrollers? Try checking out the Pi AVR Programmer Hat!
Before you can start using the Tiny AVR Programmer, you may need to set it up on your computer. If you're using a Mac or Linux machine, you don't need to install drivers. Just plug the board in, and skip to the Programming in Arduino page.
If you're using any version of Windows, you've got a few steps to follow before you can join your Mac/Linux comrades. There are two sets of instruction for driver installation on this page. The first is the easiest, quickest method, and should work for most everyone. The second installation process is only required if the first one fails -- it takes a more manual approach to the driver installation.
To begin, plug the Tiny AVR Programmer into your computer. Upon initially connecting the board, Windows will try to automatically install the drivers. Some computers may be lucky, but most will turn up with a message notifying you that the driver install failed.
Click the link below to download the Zadig software and drivers:
Use your favorite unzipper to extract the ZIP file. Don't forget where you put the extracted folder!
After you've plugged the Tiny AVR Programmer into your computer and your machine has run through the process of checking for and failing to install drivers, proceed to the 'zadig_v2.0.1.160' folder you just unzipped. Then Run zadig.exe software.
Zadig is a wonderful tool that can install the drivers on just about any Windows platform out there. Upon opening the program, you should be greeted with a window like this:
There are a few options to verify before installing the driver:
After verifying those two selections, click 'Install Driver'. The installation process can take a few minutes, but after you've watched the scroll bar zoom by countless times, you should be greeted with a 'The driver was installed successfully' message.
If you were successful, close out of the Zadig program and proceed to the next section!
If Zadig didn't work for you, check out the instructions below for help manually installing the drivers.
To begin, locate an empty USB port on your computer, and plug the Tiny AVR Programmer into it. You'll probably want to have the programmer close by. If you're using a PC, or your USB ports aren't close by, a USB Extension Cable might help get the programmer into a more convenient spot on your desk.
After plugging in your Tiny AVR Programmer, Windows will try to look for a driver that matches it. Keep an eye on the notification area in the bottom-right corner. Wait for Windows to try to install the driver on its own. There's a chance that, after searching, Windows will find the driver. If you get a Device driver software installed successfully notification (lucky you!), you can ignore the next few steps. But, if you got something like this:
Continue on to step 3..
If Windows couldn't find the driver for you, you'll need to download it. You can head over to the Tiny AVR Programmer GitHub repository and grab what you need there, or you can click the link below to download the zip file directly.
After downloading your driver, extract it from the zip folder. Don't forget where you put it!
To install the driver, you'll need to first open up the Device Manager. From the Control Panel, go to the System and Security section, click System, and click on Device Manager. (Alternatively you can Rundevmgmt.msc).
In the Device Manager, open up the LibUSB-Win32 Devices tree and you should find a USBTinyProgrammer with a yellow warning triangle hovering over the icon. This also may be located in 'Other devices >Unknown device.
Right-click on the USBTinyProgrammer device, and select Update Driver Software..
On the Update Driver Software window that appears, select Browse my computer for driver software.
On the next window, Browse for driver software on your computer, set the driver search location to the folder you downloaded and unzipped in step 3.
Then click Next, and the driver will begin updating. Shortly after that, though, a Windows Security window should pop up to let you know the driver isn't 'signed'. Click Install this driver software anyway. We promise it won't damage your computer!
Then play the waiting game for a moment, and wait for a happy Windows has successfully updated your driver software window.
After closing that success window, your Device Manager should have an entry for USBtiny under LibUSB-Win32 Devices.
Congratulations! Proceed over to the next section, and we'll start using the Programmer!
Breathe easy now! Once you've installed the USBtiny drivers on your computer, you shouldn't ever have to do it again. Now it's time to program something!