{"id":9317,"date":"2020-10-30T20:03:54","date_gmt":"2020-10-30T20:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wolles-elektronikkiste.de\/programmer-for-atmel-studio"},"modified":"2020-11-29T12:15:48","modified_gmt":"2020-11-29T12:15:48","slug":"programmer-for-atmel-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wolles-elektronikkiste.de\/en\/programmer-for-atmel-studio","title":{"rendered":"Programmer for Atmel (Microchip) Studio"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

About the post<\/h2>\n

If you want to work with Atmel Studio (renamed to Microchip Studio in 2020), you first need a suitable programmer to upload your programs from the PC to the microcontroller (MCU). The good news is that there are quite a few of them, the bad news is that the programmers are quite expensive, especially if you want to use features like debugging or HVSP (High Voltage Serial Programming).  <\/p>\r\n

I will only describe programmers that I own and have tried myself. These are the representatives shown in the picture above: AVR Dragon, Atmel-ICE and the USB ISP programmer from Tremex \/ Diamex. <\/p>\r\n

In separate posts, I’ll give an introduction to Atmel Studio 7 and show how to integrate and debug Arduino sketches including libraries in Atmel Studio.<\/p>\r\n\n

Which programmer should I buy?<\/h2>\n

As is so often the case, good questions and answers depend on the budget, personal taste and the individual functionality required. I hope that my post will help you answer this question. First of all, however, a few definitions.<\/p>\r\n

ISP<\/strong>: I<\/strong>n-S<\/strong>ystem-P<\/strong>rogramming. This is the standard method for programming microcontrollers. The name is due to the fact that the programming takes place in the installed state. The ISP connectors are usually identical to the SPI connectors. More about ISP here<\/a> on Wikipedia.<\/p>\r\n

JTAG<\/strong>: A standard of J<\/strong>oint T<\/strong>est A<\/strong>ction G<\/strong>roup for programming MCUs. Not every MCU is capable of JTAG.  <\/p>\r\n

debugWire<\/strong>: as the term suggests, debugging is possible with this method. You can run programs step by step, set breakpoints and track variables. Debugging is basically possible via both ISP and JTAG, but the programmer has to support this. <\/p>\r\n

HVSP<\/strong>: H<\/strong>igh V<\/strong>oltage S<\/strong>erial P<\/strong>rogramming. The term “high voltage” is perhaps a bit misleading, it’s about 12 volts. With this method, MCUs with messed fuses can also be restored. “Messed up fuses” means that you have chosen fuse bit settings that no longer allow programming. You have, so to speak, locked out yourself and this is the saving locksmith. <\/p>\r\n\n

The AVR Dragon<\/h2>\n\n
\"Dragon,<\/a>
Dragon, front and back<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The AVR Dragon is my personal favorite as it masters ISP, JTAG, debugWire and HVSP, and thus it uses the possibilities of Atmel Studio to the highest degree. For the Dragon you have to pay about 50-80 Euros. And then you might be surprised you don’t even get a case for your money and that the part is also “unfinished” in a way. But the two are interrelated.<\/p>\r\n

The Dragon offers the possibility to program MCUs directly in its on-board prototyping area. This has the advantage that you don’t have to build a circuit on an external board, if you just want to change a few settings, for example.<\/p>\r\n\n

On-board programming with the Dragon <\/h3>\n

In order to be able to do the on-board programming, you have to solder a socket for the MCUs and a pin header (2 x 20) for access to the socket next to it. It is best to take a ZIF socket. With the pin header you have the choice between “male” and “female”, most of which probably take “male”. If you want to use HVSP, you also have to solder a 2 x 10 pin header.  <\/p>\r\n\n

\"The<\/a>
The Dragon “raw” and with pin headers and ZIF socket<\/figcaption><\/figure>

So it’s above all the accessibility and flexibility in the selection of extensions that make a case for the Dragon not really useful. As you can see in the pictures, I had screwed on a few polyamide spacers in the raw state, so that the board would not rest directly with its solder joints. Unfortunately, the ZIF socket covers the holes so that the nuts no longer fit. However, I have noticed that the spacers are stuck even without nuts (see next photo). <\/p>\r\n

Like the other programmers, the Dragon is connected to the PC via USB. On my Windows 10 system, the Dragon was easily detected and could be selected directly in Atmel Studio 7. No further driver installation was necessary. <\/p>\r\n\n

Wiring for on-board programming<\/h4>\n

For on-board programming, the M<\/strong>C<\/strong>U<\/strong> is fixed in the ZIF socket. The MCUs is aligned according to the numbering printed at the pin header on the Dragon. Now, depending on the method and MCU type, you have to connect the JTAG, ISP or HVSP pins to the pins of the pin header connected to the ZIF socket. This is shown very clearly in the user guide<\/a> to the AVR Dragon schematically. <\/p>\r\n\n

\"On-board<\/a>
On-board programming – Example: ATtiny85 via ISP<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

In practice, it looks like this: <\/p>\r\n\n

\"On-board<\/a>
On-board programming of an ATtiny85 via ISP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

External programming with the Dragon <\/h3>\n

For external programming, e.g. on a breadboard, you can easily make mistakes with the wiring. The ISP port has the following pinout:<\/p>\r\n\n

\"ISP<\/a>
ISP connection scheme<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

Pin 1 is usually indicated by a dot or a 1. Nevertheless, it is easy to make a mistake. I therefore recommend investing in a breadboard adapter, which is available here<\/a> or here<\/a> as a variant with 2×3 pin header. <\/p>\r\n\n

\"Useful<\/a>
Useful purchase: a breadboard adapter<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

 It should also be noted that the Dragon cannot power the MCU. Nevertheless, VCC and GND must be connected as Atmel Studio checks whether the voltage meets the specification limits of the MCUs. <\/p>\r\n

As a power supply I like to use such a practical power supply module, which is available for a few euros e.g. at Amazon:<\/a><\/p>\r\n\n

\"\"
Power supply module for breadboards <\/figcaption><\/figure>

Alternatively, I use a 9 volt battery in combination with an LM7805:<\/p>\r\n\n

\"5V<\/a>
5V power supply with an LM7805<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The Atmel-ICE<\/h2>\n\n
\"The<\/a>
The Atmel-ICE programmer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

The Atmel-ICE is available in three different kits: <\/p>\r\n