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PROGRAMMING.md

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Program the CYCLOPS and the MinimOSD Boards

Both PCBs use the same micro controller type, i.e. Atmel Atmega 328p. This is good since the same programming tools can be used for both boards. To program or "flash" firmware to the boards you must have an ISP programmer for Atmega micro controllers. The original from Atmel is called AVR ISP mkII and is expensive. The design is open source and copies can be had for around 20$. But there are several less expensive alternatives. I recommend getting a USBASP, which is the cheapest and most widely available alternative. Clones are 2-3$ on eBay. Buy more than one USBASP. Frying programmers is not at all uncommon.

You can either power the processors from the programmer or by attaching the battery during programming. You DO NOT want to power the boards from both the programmer and the battery at the same time. I have had problems powering the CYCLOPS board via the programming interface, so I recommend programming both boards with the battery attached. To be able to do this you must buy a USBASP variant where the power output can be disconnected. This is the case with most, but not all USBASPs. The voltage selection/disabling is performed by moving a jumper often labled JP1. If there is no jumper on the USBASP, you should not buy it. USBASP

Connection

Almost all USBASPs come with a 10 wire flat cable with two 10 pin connectors. This is unfortunate since almost all boards use 6 pin connectors for the programmer. This means that you will need an adapter between the 10 pole connector and the 6 pin ISP connector. These adapters are available on e.g. eBay and cost about as much as the USBASP.

Driver Installation

The USBASP driver is known to be notoriously difficult to get to work in Windows. No drivers are needed for Linux or Apple OSX. Thomas Fischler is the original designer of the USBASP and you find the Window driver via his project page: http://www.fischl.de/usbasp/

You might just as well start off by installing a driver installation program called Zadig before you attempt to install the USBASP driver. Be prepared for a bit of a fight and use Google a lot.

Flashing Software

The default programming tool from the processor manufacturer is called AVRDUDE. It is a command line tool that is absolutely horrible to use. There is a GUI version available that is called AVRDUDESS. This program is quite nice, so I recommend it instead of the bare bones original. You find it here: http://blog.zakkemble.co.uk/avrdudess-a-gui-for-avrdude/

Programming

Both boards are programmed in the exact same way:

  • Make sure that the programmer does not supply power (Remove Jumper J1).
  • Attach the battery.
  • Connect the programmer to the ISP contact. The battery should not be connected.
  • Start AVRDUDESS.
  • Select your ISP programmer and port in the Programmer box (USBASP and USB)
  • Select the type of MCU (Atmega 328p). The best way of doing this is to press the "Detect" button. If the detection succeds you know that it is possible to talk to the MCU.
  • Select your firmware file in the Flash box.
  • Select "Intel Hex" as format in the Flash box.
  • Execute a write.

If everything is set up correctly a LED on the PCB will light up for a while. When it goes black again the programming is done and the processor is programmed.