Upload Programs to Atmega With Arduino as Isp

Contributors: Yard-Short

Favorited Favorite 25

Introduction

Heads up! This tutorial was written for AVR microcontrollers with an Arduino bootloader using ICSP pins. If you lot are using an ARM microcontroller with SWD pins, you will need a defended programmer (i.east. Atmel JTAG ICE iii or Atmel-Ice) to connect to the SWD port. For more than information, cheque out our ARM programming tutorial.

Do you have a bricked Arduino that won't accept code anymore? Or, maybe you wrote your own firmware and would like to upload information technology to your Arduino? Or, maybe yous just want to larn more about the inner-workings of Arduino, AVR, and microcontrollers in full general. Well, you're in luck! This tutorial will teach you what a bootloader is, why you would need to install/reinstall it, and go over the process of doing so.

Suggested Reading

You may want to bank check out these tutorials earlier continuing down the bootloader path.

PCB Basics

What exactly IS a PCB? This tutorial will breakdown what makes upwards a PCB and some of the mutual terms used in the PCB earth.

What is an Arduino?

What is this 'Arduino' thing anyway? This tutorials dives into what an Arduino is and along with Arduino projects and widgets.

Installing Arduino IDE

A step-by-footstep guide to installing and testing the Arduino software on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Integrated Circuits

An introduction to integrated circuits (ICs). Electronics' ubiquitous black fries. Includes a focus on the variety of IC packages.

What is a Bootloader?

Atmel AVRs are great footling ICs, only they can exist a bit tricky to program. You need a special programmer and some fancy .hex files, and its not very beginner friendly. The Arduino has largely washed away with these issues. They've put a .hex file on their AVR fries that allows yous to program the board over the series port, pregnant all you need to programme your Arduino is a USB cable.

The bootloader is basically a .hex file that runs when yous plough on the board. Information technology is very similar to the BIOS that runs on your PC. It does two things. First, it looks around to encounter if the reckoner is trying to program it. If it is, it grabs the plan from the figurer and uploads it into the ICs memory (in a specific location so as not to overwrite the bootloader). That is why when y'all try to upload code, the Arduino IDE resets the chip. This basically turns the IC off and back on again so the bootloader can start running again. If the computer isn't trying to upload lawmaking, it tells the fleck to run the lawmaking that's already stored in retention. Once it locates and runs your programme, the Arduino continuously loops through the programme and does and then as long every bit the board has power.

Why Install a Bootloader?

If you are building your own Arduino, or need to supersede the IC, you will need to install the bootloader. You lot may likewise accept a bad bootloader (although this is very rare) and need to reinstall the bootloader. There are also cases where you've put your board in a weird setting and reinstalling the bootloader and getting it back to factory settings is the easiest fashion to prepare it. We've seen boards where people have turned off the serial port meaning that there is no style to upload code to the lath, while in that location may exist other means to gear up this, reinstalling the bootloader is probably the quickest and easiest. Like I said, having a bad bootloader is actually very very rare. If you have a new lath that isn't accepting lawmaking, 99.9% of the time its not the bootloader. For the other one% of the time it is, this guide will aid y'all fix that trouble.

Selecting a Programmer

We are going to talk about 2 unlike types of programmers yous can use to install or reinstall bootloaders.

Choice 1: Dedicated Programmers

For a quick easy developer we recommend looking into the AVR Pocket Programmer (Windows only).

Pocket AVR Programmer

In stock PGM-09825

This new version uses an SMD 5x2 header. This is a elementary to employ USB AVR programmer. Information technology is low price, like shooting fish in a barrel to utilise, works bully…

53

Or, you lot tin use the official Atmel-Ice programmer for ARM, SAM, and AVR.

Note: The following programmers that take been retired also can be used.

The AVR Pocket Programmer or well-nigh cheaper options will piece of work just fine for most applications, merely they may have problems with some boards, specifically ones with lots of memory like the ATMega2560 based boards.

Option 2: Using the Arduino as a Programmer

The other option is grabbing an Arduino Uno (or Duemilanove). If you become into the Arduino IDE y'all will meet an example sketch called 'Arduino as ISP.' If you upload this lawmaking to your Arduino, it will basically act as an AVR programmer. This isn't actually recommended for product of boards, or boards with lots of retention, but, in a compression, it works pretty well. Also as of this writing the code only works on ATmega328 boards. Perchance one day it will piece of work on the Leonardo or Due, but not yet.

Hardware Hookup

In-Circuit Serial Programming (ICSP)

It's very uncommon to program ICs before they are soldered onto a PCB. Instead, most microcontrollers have what's chosen an in-organisation programming (Internet access provider) header. Particularly, some IC manufacturers, such every bit Atmel and Microchip, accept a specialized Internet access provider method for programming their ICs. This is referred to every bit in-excursion series programming (ICSP). About Arduino and Arduino uniform boards volition have a 2x3 pin ICSP header on them. Some may fifty-fifty have more than one depending on how many ICs alive on the PCB. Information technology breaks out three of the SPI pins (MISO, MOSI, SCK), ability, ground, and reset. These are the pins you'll demand to connect your programmer to in club to reflash the firmware on your board.

Here we have the Arduino Uno R3. Information technology has 2 ICSP headers: one for the ATmega16U2 and one for the ATmega328. To reflash the bootloader on this board, yous would use but the ICSP header for the ATmega328.

On some smaller boards you may non meet this connector, simply the pins should be broken out elsewhere. Whether you're using an SMD IC or a DIP IC, the Internet service provider pins should be accessible in one form or another. Some boards might merely have exam points for the Internet service provider header. If this is the case, you may want to consider getting an ISP Pogo Adapter. This kit allows you to temporarily make a skillful connection with test test points in order to reprogram your IC.

Once you have located the half-dozen ICSP pins on your lath, it's time to hook up your developer to the board. Y'all can use a programming cable to connect the 2, or, if you don't accept a cablevision, yous tin can just use some male person-to-female person jumper wires.

AVR Programming Cable

In stock CAB-09215

This is a handy AVR programming cable that incorporates both the 10-pin and 6-pin ISP programming interfaces. Cable is a…

3

Connecting the Pocket AVR Programmer to Target

If you lot are using a programmer such as the pocket AVR developer, your setup should look something like the connection beneath with the AVR programming cable'south arrow (◄) connected to MISO. If you expect actually closely at the molding of the 2x3 connector, you should be able to notice the arrow (◄) pointing to pivot ane relative to the position of a standard ICSP header.

Click for larger image.

Connecting the Arduino every bit ISP to Target

Or, if you're using the Arduino equally your developer, information technology should look the epitome below. Make certain to power the Arduino equally ISP past connecting information technology to your reckoner.

Click for larger image.

Hookup Table

Here'south a tabular array to assistance clarify which connections get where. Depending on the Arduino, yous may have admission to the ICSP pins only on the 2x3 ICSP header. Make certain to refer to the board layout for more information on the Arduino's SPI connections.

AVR Programmer	Arduino as Isp	2x3 ICSP Header	ATmega328	ATmega2560	ATmega32U4
5V	Vcc/5V	Pivot two	Vcc	Vcc	Vcc
GND	GND	Pin 6	GND	GND	GND
MOSI	MOSI/D11	Pin 4	D11	D51	D16
MISO	MISO/D12	Pin 1	D12	D50	D14
SCK	SCK/D13	Pin 3	D13	D52	D15
Reset	D10	Pivot 5	Reset	Reset	Reset

Uploading Code - Easy Way

Note: This example assumes you are using the latest version of the Arduino IDE on your desktop. If this is your first time using Arduino, delight review our tutorial on installing the Arduino IDE.

The easy way to upload the bootloader involves using the Arduino IDE.

Upload Arduino as ISP

Grab a known good RedBoard or Arduino Uno. Open your Arduino IDE. In your menu, select File > Examples > 11.ArduinoISP > ArduinoISP to open up the Arduino as ISP sketch

Select the COM port for your Arduino as ISP. The COM port may be different depending on how it enumerated on your computer.

Upload the code to your Arduino to plow it into a AVRISP.

Called-for a Bootloader to Your Target

Go out the Arduino as ISP (i.e. your programmer) connected to your computer. If yous have not already, connect your target Arduino. And so select the lath definition for your target Arduino under Tools > Board.

Select the programmer that you lot are using under Tools > Programmer. In this case, our programmer is an Arduino as ISP and then select Arduino as ISP. You will also demand to select the COM port that the Arduino as ISP is continued to if yous have non selected the COM port already.

Finally, select Burn Bootloader. This volition take the board you selected in the Arduino IDE and look up the associated bootloader in the lath.txt file. Then, it will find the bootloader in the Arduino IDE's program binder (specifically "...\Arduino\hardware\arduino\avr\bootloaders") and install it. This only works if the lath is installed correctly in the IDE and you lot have the correct bootloader.

If for some reason you desire to employ a bootloader that isn't installed in the Arduino IDE, visit the next department. Still, it's probably easier to only install the bootloader from the Arduino IDE. For those who are curious about settings such as fuse bits, have no fearfulness. Arduino takes intendance of all the messy details for you when you lot burn bootloaders through information technology.

---

Uploading Lawmaking - Hard Way

The hard style is for those people who want to use the control line. This method may be more preferable if you are modifying and recompiling and don't want to have to keep updating the IDE, merely otherwise it'due south pretty unnecessary. Again, you will need to become the programmer and hook everything up. In this example, we are using avrdude on Windows.

At that place are three steps to this process:

• Set up Fuse $.25 (i.due east. Depression, High, and Extended)
• Flash .hex File
• Gear up Lock Bits

The outset footstep involves setting the fusebits. Fusebits are the part of the AVR chip that decide things similar whether y'all are using an external crystal or whether you want brown out detection. The commands listed below are specifically for the Arduino Uno using an ATMega328, they will probably work on some other like boards such every bit the Duemilanove, but make sure you know what you are doing earlier playing with fusebits. All the required fuse $.25 are listed in the boards.txt file for different boards. Again, if yous have a boards.txt file installed and so just use the Easy Mode. The 2d step is actually uploading the program. The final step is setting the lock bits.

Pocket AVR Programmer

Fuse Bits

If you are using the AVR Pocket Programmer to plan your target Arduino Uno, blazon the following commands in the command line to set the fuse bits.

            language:bash avrdude -b 19200 -c usbtiny -p m328p -v -e -U efuse:w:0x05:grand -U hfuse:w:0xD6:m -U lfuse:w:0xFF:m                      

Hex File and Lock Bits

Once the fuse bits are set, we can wink a compiled .hex file to the target board and set the lock bits. Enter the following in a control line. Make sure that you lot are in same directory as your .hex file and adjust the ...hexfilename.hex that you are using to flash for your target. To flash the Arduino Uno Bootloader, head over to the Arduino plan binder. On a Windows Bone, information technology will look similar to this path ...\arduino-1.8.5\hardware\arduino\avr\bootloaders\optiboot. At that place area few files in the folder but the one we are interested in is the optiboot_atmega328.hex file.

            linguistic communication:fustigate avrdude -b 19200 -c usbtiny -p m328p -v -e -U wink:w:hexfilename.hex -U lock:w:0x0F:chiliad                      

---

Arduino as ISP

Fuse Bits

If y'all are using the Arduino as ISP to program your target Arduino Uno, type the post-obit commands in the command line to set up the fuse bits.

            language:fustigate avrdude -P conduct -b 19200 -c avrisp -p m328p -v -e -U efuse:w:0x05:one thousand -U hfuse:due west:0xD6:m -U lfuse:w:0xFF:chiliad                      

Hex File and Lock Bits

In one case the fuse bits are fix, we tin can flash a compiled .hex file to the target board and set the lock bits. Enter the following in a command line. Make certain that you are in same directory every bit your .hex file and adjust the ...hexfilename.hex that yous are using to flash for your target. To flash the Arduino Uno Bootloader, head over to the Arduino program folder. On a Windows OS, it will look similar to this path ...\arduino-1.8.5\hardware\arduino\avr\bootloaders\optiboot. There area few files in the folder but the one nosotros are interested in is the optiboot_atmega328.hex file.

            language:bash avrdude -P comport -b 19200 -c avrisp -p m328p -5 -eastward -U flash:w:hexfilename.hex -U lock:westward:0x0F:1000                      

One concluding bit of info. Equally we stated earlier, a bootloader is essintially a .hex file. Thus, yous tin use this method to upload and code you wish to your ICs.

Resources and Going Farther

Looking for the correct Arduino?

Check out our Arduino Comparing Guide! We've compiled every Arduino evolution lath we carry, and then you lot can quickly compare them to find the perfect one for your needs.

Have me there!

For more info on AVRs, bootloaders, and flashing firmware to other boards, bank check out these other corking tutorials.

• Arduino.cc
  • Bootloader Info from Arduino
  • Arduino as Internet access provider
• AVRDUDE
• Pinouts for Various ICs and Development Boards
• SparkFun Graphical Datasheets
• Getting Started with the Pocket Programmer

You tin besides check out these related tutorials to larn more well-nigh uploading code to AVR chips or modifying firmware.

Installing a Bootloader on the MicroView

Fix your bootloader-less MicroView! This tutorial covers how to: disassemble the MicroView, wire it up to an array of programmers, plan the bootloader, and test it out.

Pi AVR Programmer HAT Hookup Guide

In this tutorial, we will utilize a Raspberry Pi three and the Pi AVR Programmer Lid to program an ATMega328P target. Nosotros are going to showtime program the Arduino bootloader over SPI, and so upload an Arduino sketch over a USB serial COM port.

Or check out our ARM programming tutorial for ARM chips.

ARM Programming

How to programme SAMD21 or SAMD51 boards (or other ARM processors).

bencefecouth36.blogspot.com

Source: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/installing-an-arduino-bootloader/all

Share this post