{"id":9308,"date":"2020-10-29T22:04:48","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T22:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wolles-elektronikkiste.de\/digispark-the-convenient-attiny85-alternative"},"modified":"2024-07-07T12:02:29","modified_gmt":"2024-07-07T12:02:29","slug":"digispark-the-convenient-attiny85-alternative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wolles-elektronikkiste.de\/en\/digispark-the-convenient-attiny85-alternative","title":{"rendered":"Digispark – the convenient ATtiny85 alternative"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In my last post<\/a> I described how to upload your sketches to an ATtiny85 (or 84, 45, 44, 25, 24). To do this, you have to set up your Arduino as a programmer or buy another programmer, such as the USBtinyISP. A more convenient alternative in some respects, which I would like to introduce here, is the Digispark, which originates from the company Digistump. <\/p>\r\n

This is a module that is based on an ATtiny85 and that can be programmed directly via the USB port. So neither SPI wiring is necessary for uploading nor a programmer. Since the power supply can also be provided via the USB port, the circuits become very clear.<\/p>\r\n

Another advantage of the Digispark over the ATtiny85 is that it masters I2C with the Wire library. Then it should be mentioned that the (original!) Digispark offers six I\/O pins. The ATtiny85 has only five. More on that below. <\/p>\r\n

In terms of price, there is no big difference to the ATtiny85. Depending on the source and the quantity of purchase, you have to pay between two and four, sometimes five euros.<\/p>\r\n

Disadvantages of the Digispark are the larger space requirement and a slightly smaller storage for sketches. Of the 8k flash memory, about 2k are used for the bootloader. In addition, it requires a very long boot time of several seconds, which is ages in the world of microcontrollers.<\/p>\r\n

The Digispark is very well described here<\/a> on the Digistump pages. So what is the point of this post? On the one hand it shall serve as a step-by-step introduction and overview, on the other hand I would like to share my very positive experience with this mini-board. In addition, there is some more specific information on the various clones, which by its very nature is not documented by the manufacturer.<\/p>\r\n\n

Update 2024: This article is outdated in that the Digispark pages are no longer accessible. The board package is still available, so in principle you can still work according to the instructions in this article. However, I recommend using the ATTinyCore<\/a> package from Spence Konde instead, which also covers the Digispark. I have described the package here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\n

Pinout of the Digispark <\/h2>\n\n
The Digispark has six programmable pins, named as P0 to P5. In addition to their role as digital inputs and outputs, the pins have the following additional functions:<\/div>\r\n
 <\/div>\r\n