Instructions for obtaining the AVR Pocket Programmer driver are provided later in this article. If Windows is allowed to install the wrong driver, it can be very problematic to correct. Just be sure that it uses the Serial Peripheral Interface as previously described, and be prepared to make the appropriate changes to the information in this article.ĬAUTION! Be sure to download and install the appropriate driver for the AVR Pocket Programmer on your computer before you plug the programmer in for the first time. If you prefer something else, feel free to pick the one that suits your preferences and your pocketbook. For now, there are less expensive options available to the skinflints among you, and the Sparkfun AVR Pocket Programmer is the one used by the skinflint author of this article. Several programmers are available that will handle the ATmega328P and the ATtiny45 the Atmel-ICE is at the top of the list, and is a fine programmer that will be discussed in a future article. Note that resistor R2 and LED1 are not strictly required for programming but are included in the circuit for testing purposes as defined later in this project. The schematic diagrams for the programming circuits are shown below. The clock is generated by the master device and is used to ensure synchronized communication between the master and the slave (or slaves) therefore, SPI is a “synchronous” communication bus. The Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) is used for programming the ATmega328P and the ATtiny45 it is a three-wire (plus ground) bus, consisting of a Master Out, Slave In (MOSI) signal, a Master In, Slave Out (MISO) signal, and a Serial Clock (SCK) signal. It has many of the same features, but of course it does not have nearly as many I/O pins.

The ATtiny45 is an 8-pin μC and might be thought of as the “baby brother” of the ATmega328P. If you want to see some evidence for that statement, have a look at the 660-page datasheet. It is probably best known as the most frequently used μC in the Arduino brand of development platforms, but the AT328P is capable of much more than can be squeezed from it there. The ATmega328P is a 28-pin microcontroller from Atmel and is part of the AVR line. In addition, Atmel Studio 7 IDE (Integrated Development Environment) will also be introduced. The article will provide a complete schematic diagram of the programming circuits as well as detailed photographs of the solderless breadboard assemblies. This project will describe the construction of two very similar circuits: one for programming an ATmega328P and another for programming an ATtiny45. In this project, we'll build circuits for programming two different Atmel microcontrollers and we'll discuss the necessary software setup.

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