USB AVR Programmer

New USB AVR programmer packed with features.

This programmer from Pololu is for AVR-based controllers, such as the Orangutan familly of robot controllers and the 3pi robot. The programmer is compatible with standard AVR programming software, emulating an AVRISP v2 on a virtual serial port. A TTL-level serial port for general-purpose communication and a SLO-scope (Siverely Limited Oscilloscope) for monitoring signals and voltage levels help with building and debugging projects. A USB cable and ISP cable are included.

The Pololu USB AVR Programmer is an extremely compact, low-cost in-system programmer (ISP) for Atmel’s AVR mirocontrollers, which makes this device an attractive programming solution for AVR-based controllers. An included USB A to mini-B cable connects the USB AVR programmer to your computer’s USB port to communicate with your programming software, such as AVR Studio or AVRDUDE, through a virtual COM port using the AVRISPV2/STK500 protocol. Your target device is connected to the programmer via a 6-pin ISP programming cable which is also included (the older, 10-pin ISP connections are not directly supported, but it’s easy to create or purchase a 6-pin-to-10-pin ISP adapter).

The programmer has not been tested on all devices (it has been tested with all Orangutan robot controllers and the 3pi Robot) but should work with all AVRs that can be programmed by an AVR ISP. A useful feature provided is upgradable firmware, allowing updates for future devices. Please note that it does not currently work with Atmel’s XMega line of microcontrollers. The programmer is intended for programming AVRs that are running at close to 5 V and is powered by the 5V USB power bus (note that the programmer does not deliver power to the target device).

The programmer has been tested under Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Linux. Pololu does provide limited support for using this programmer on Mac OS X; please see the user’s guide for details or visit the forum. This programmer is not compatible with older versions of Windows. Please see the original Orangutan USB programmer for an alternative programmer that will work with the Mac OS or older versions of Windows.

Bonus Feature: TTL-level serial port. (Doubles as a USB to serial port adapter)

The USB AVR programmer doubles as a USB-to-serial adapter, but with a few key improvements. The programmer installs as two virtual COM ports: one for communicating with programming software and one for the general-purpose USB-to-serial adapter. This means that you can seamlessly switch between programming an AVR and debugging it through the TTL serial port without having to open and close your terminal program. In addition to the serial transmit (TX), and receive (RX), lines, the programmer lets you use pins A and B as serial handshaking lines. The programmer’s configuration utility allows you to select which handshaking line is assigned to which pin, and both input and output handshaking lines are supported. The programmer also gives you access to the USB’s regulated 5V power bus through the VBUS pin. The TTL-level serial port is not supported in Mac OS.

Bonus Feature: SLO-scope.

This device can also act as a two-channel, severely limited oscilloscope (SLO-scope) using the A and B pins as analog voltage inputs and the Pololu SLO-scope application for Windows. The SLO-scope can measure voltages between 0 and ~5 V (the maximum is limited by the USB bus voltage), or higher if you use an external voltage divider, and it supports two sampling modes: 10 kHz sampling of two 8-bit analog inputs or 20 kHz sampling of one 7-bit analog input and one digital input. This feature can help you debug your circuits and firmware by seeing what the voltages are doing at various nodes. (Please note that the SLO-scope feedback is quite limited and is not intended as a substitute for a real oscilloscope or a good multimeter, which will have much higher input impedance, better resolution and range, and higher sampling frequency.) The SLO-scope is not supported in Mac OS or Linux.

Included Accessories

The Pololu USB AVR Programmer ships with a 12" (30 cm) 6-pin ISP programming cable and a 6’ (1.8 m) USB A to mini-B cable. It does not ship with software or documentation, but see links below to get software (including drivers) and documentation.

pololu_usb_avr_programmer.pdf

The complete guide to using the Pololu USB AVR programmer. This guide covers programming AVR microcontrollers, communicating via the USB-to-TTL-serial adapter, and measuring voltages using the SLO-scope.

Pololu USB Software Development Kit

The Pololu USB SDK contains the code you need for making your own applications that use native USB to control the Jrk Motor Controller, Maestro Servo Controller, Simple Motor Controller, or USB AVR Programmer.

Software downloads:

USB AVR Programmer Windows Drivers and Software release 091222

This ZIP archive contains the installation files for the Pololu USB AVR Programmer drivers, configuration utility, and SLO-scope application.

Firmware version 1.01 for the Pololu USB AVR Programmer (pmg03a)

Use this file to upgrade your programmer’s firmware. This update contains two bug fixes relating to the TTL serial port. This update is recommended if you use the TTL serial port and have a device with an earlier firmware version number (including all devices shipped before December 17, 2009). If you do not use the TTL serial port (you only program AVRs and run the SLO-scope), then you do not need this upgrade. See the instructions in the “Upgrading Firmware” section of the user’s guide for more information.

Firmware version 1.03 for the Pololu USB AVR Programmer (pmg03a)

Use this file to upgrade your programmer’s firmware. This update inverts the TTL serial port’s control signals so that 0 V corresponds to 1 and 5 V corresponds to 0. This firmware version was released December 22, 2010, so it is relatively new and not as thoroughly tested as version 1.01. See the instructions in the “Upgrading Firmware” section of the user’s guide for more information.

SLO-scope client C# source code

Visual C# 2008 project containing the SLO-scope client software. The SLO-scope is a severely limited oscilloscope feature of the Pololu USB AVR programmer.

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5

The Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.5 is required for many Pololu configuration, control, and utility programs under Windows. Most computers will have this installed already or can automatically install it over the internet, but you can also get .NET 3.5 directly from Microsoft at this link. If you are installing on a computer without internet access, make sure to get the Full Redistributable Package.