ultra low-cost AVR programmer

To program some AVR microcontroller unit (MCU) you will need an AVR programmer. The better way to do that, is to buy some development kit like STK-500. This kit have the advandage to give you serial port, LCD connector, SRAM socket, 8 switches, 8 LEDs, connectrors for all of the ports of MCU and more, to one board. I sugest to beginers, to start working with STK 500 or some else developmert system, it will help them very much.

For the people that are want to programm only one piece of AVR, to make some circuit from this site and they don't want to spend money for any development kit, the solution is this ultra low-cost AVR programmer.

The hardware:

The only components to build this programmer are:

3 resistors 220 ohm-1/4W

1 male connector (for printer port) with 25 pins

1 IC base with 8 pins

1 IC base with 20 pins

1 IC base with 40 pins

1 board

If you solder to the board 3 types of IC bases (8, 20 and 40 pins) you can make a programmer for all 90Sxxxx series MCUs.

The schematic is available in PDF format fbprg.pdf

The fbprg.pdf file has an small error. If you want to program the AT90S8535, you have to make some changes to the connections because of different pins order between AT90S8515 and AT90s8535.

Connect the XTAL1 pin from programmer (pin 5 of printer port), to pin 13 of AT90S8535
Connect the VCC pin from programmer (pins 2,3,4 of printer port), to pin10 of AT90S8535
Connect the GND pin from programmer (pins 19,20,21,22,23,24,25 of printer port), to pin 11 of AT90S2835

The software:

- For windows download the ICProg 1.05C and the driver for WinXP icprog.sys

When you run the ICProg press F3 and set the programmer as "Fun-Card programmer".

- For DOS software download the fbprg.zip

- The schematic of programmer, is available in PDF format fbprg.pdf

- Atmel`s AVR assembler v1.30 for windows wavrasm.zip

If you want to work with better software than wavrasm, then download the AVR Studio 3.5 ( its 6 MB ) or AVR Studio 4 ( its 21 MB ) direct from Atmel`s site.

How to program AVR devices with IC-Prog 1.05A

- Connect this ultra low cost AVR programmer (Fun Card programmer) to LPT1 port of your PC and run the IC-Prog.exe.

- Press F3 and select Fun-Card Programmer, and then click OK

- Select the microcontroller type, for example AT90s2313

- Go to File-Open File and select the .hex file of your project, for example SMS2313.HEX

- If you want to program the internal eeprom of the AVR device, go to File-Open Data File ond open the .eep file, for example SMS2313.EEP

- When you do all this steps, press F5 to start the programming the AVR device.

Thats it !!!

updated at 23.01.2004 by Serasidis Vasilis