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AVR Target Board

AVR Target Board

I recently outgrew my still-loved Arduino, and desired to learn how to use AVR Microcontrollers in their intended way. So, I started assembling tools and software. I built a AVR programmer from Limor’s USBtinyISP kit, and it was easily the best choice for me. Then, I installed a bit of software, but then the big problem arose: How to interface the unique microcontrollers to this specific programmer. I found very little direction on how to complete this simple task, and I hope to fill in the blanks for you. I am assuming you know how to solder, and have some basic electronics know-how, ’cause you are playing with microcontrollers..

Parts! You need a 2 row, 6 pin connector. (Mouser Part #M22-2580305), a suitable piece of plain old protoboard, some thin gauge wire, and a IC header to fit the microcontroller you wish to use. And for God’s sake, use a marker to indicate which way is up for your chip!

So, for this simple process, you need to link six pins from your IC header to your 6 pin connector. But what goes where?! Good question! Lucky for us, there are standards. The programmer I am using is an ISP programmer, which means that each of the six pins goes to a unique pin on each microcontroller. To find out which pin does what on your microcontroller, simply obtain the white sheets on the chip. They’re on Atmel’s website. For our purposes, we’ll be using the popular ATtiny2313 microcontroller. To cut things short, have a look at the clip from the white pages for this chip.

ATtiny2313 layout

ATtiny2313 layout

See those six items in red? They’re highlighted for a purpose. It’s because they correspond to the six pins in your 6-pin connector!  Now,  it’s  just  a matter of soldering your wire up to make a connection between the proper pins on both the header and connector. Here’s a little cheat sheet for what goes where on the connector:

6 Pin ISP connector

6 Pin ISP connector

So, just clip some wire, and make your connections. Use a marker to remember which pin is #1! This will save you a lot of headache later.

Finally! One more step. Take a little more wire, and connect it in series with the Ground and VCC pins on your header. You need to feed your chip a little power. Personally, I leave these wires sticking up and out of the board, so I can take a 2xAA battery pack I’ve attached clips to for easy moving between target boards. And for crying out loud, use different colored wires, so you don’t mix things up.

From here, you’re all ready to go. I don’t want to rewire the same thing all the time, so I used some plastic standoffs, and glued the thing into a mint case, for safekeeping. You can even get extra fancy and use a ZIF socket. Whatever makes you happy, as long as you make those six little connections right and power your chip while programming it.

Have fun!

Posted: 05 May, 2009 | [12] Comments
Categories: Do it Yourself , Technology | Tags: , , , | By: Christopher.