Version 2.0 of the HV Rescue Shield (I decided to drop the ‘AVR’ from the name) will add support for high voltage serial programming (HVSP) and 8-pin parts like the ATtiny13A.
Boards are due back next week, components are on order, but there is still code to write.
Back to work!
In the past I have had problems getting the Atmel AVRISP mkII to work with Virtualbox. This can be really irritating if, like me, you want to write code in Linux but are forced to run Windows for Skype and various closed-source development tools (ugh).
Today, it seems to be working. I can talk to the AVRISP with avrdude and program devices. Cool!
I’m not sure what I changed. I’m using Virtualbox 3.2.10 r66523, running on a Windows 7 64-bit host. The VM/client OS is Ubuntu 10.10. I created a USB filter for the AVRISP in the Virtual Machine settings; it doesn’t seem to work without it. That might be what I was missing before.
To avoid having to run avrdude with root priveledges, I created the file /etc/udev/rules.d/10-avrisp2.rules with the contents:
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", SYSFS{idVendor}=="03eb", SYSFS{idProduct}=="2104", GROUP="adm", MODE="0666"
Pretty simple.
Oh, I should add that there is no guarantee other combinations of host/client OS will work. If you’re getting different results, leave a comment.
Mitch Altman and I are in the process of writing a book about Making Cool Things with Microcontrollers (for people who know nothing.)
The book features several DIY projects that use AVR microcontrollers. We’re aiming to teach absolute beginners how to solder, basic electronics, and the process of turning a cool idea into reality by using microcontrollers.
I wrote these instructions about setting up a working avr-gcc environment in Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux. Mitch and I felt that they could use some beta testing in the real world before bring included in the book, so we decided to make them available here. We also felt that they might help some people get started with AVRs before the book is available.
We want to make the process of writing and compiling code for the AVR simple and accessible, so we’re not using any fancy IDEs (eg. no AVR Studio). We also wanted to use the same software on all three operating systems, so Windows-only tools were out. Instead, we’re using avr-gcc, the compiler behind WinAVR, CrossPack, and Arduino.
I would appreciate any feedback on these instructions.
Here they are:
Update: I totally rewrote this post after getting feedback that I didn’t properly identify my target audience and explain why I chose avr-gcc. Sorry!
Exhibit A:
Newark has hard to find ATmega32U2’s in stock?! Yippee!
<click!>
Hey, wait a minute…
Bad Newark!
And no, they didn’t “just sell the last one.”
I’m happy to report that the AVR HV Rescue Shield has been tested and works with the new Arduino Uno.
This isn’t too much of a surprise, but it’s always good to check that seemingly innocent changes to a hardware platform don’t cause unexpected problems in existing applications. (That is the voice of experience talking, can you tell?)