In an earlier post, I wrote about AVR programming using Mac OSX. The last part in that procedure was the compiling of the C code to a HEX file.

Now how do you get the HEX file and upload it to your AVR microprocessor? You will need some sort of a programmer to do that.

Today I’m using one of the top choices for programming AVR chips, and that is the AVR Dragon. Thanks to Element14 for sending an AVR dragon for review.

What I like about the AVR dragon is that you can program your AVR microprocessor using several methods such as JTAG, HVP, PDI, or ICSP. It also allows debugging of all AVRs via JTAG, PDI, or DebugWire. Pretty impressive indeed.

In this article, I would try and discuss more about ICSP programming. ICSP stands for in-circuit serial programming. This means even if your AVR is already soldered on your board, as long as you’ve provided an ICSP connector for programming, you can upload your HEX files to your AVR chip.

How you do “wire” an ICSP connector, here’s a diagram I found from upvector.com

photo credit: upvector.com

Once you get your AVR dragon, there will be provisions for putting in some IC sockets where you can plug-in and program your AVR chips. In my case, I added a ZIF socket so I can put in my AVRs with ease. There are also provisions for male or female headers. I just used male headers instead.

Before actually burning your HEX files, here’s where a lot of newbies like me made a mistake. Unlike PIC where perhaps you use a pickit2 for programming, you need to provide power to your AVR chip in order for you to successfully program your AVR microcontroller. In PIC, you don’t have to. The power is provided by pickit.

Now of to the actual burning of your HEX files. You will need AVRdude to do this. You can invoke AVRdude via the command line and just pass on certain parameters like the hex file you wanted to “burn”.

In my example, here’s what I used.


avrdude -p m328p -c dragon_isp -P usb -e -U flash:w:Blink.cpp.hex


Now let’s discuss a bit about those parameters passed on to avrdude.

-c This parameter is where you specify the programmer you will use. In our case we’ll be using “dragon_isp”.

-p means the part number/code of your AVR processor. In my case I’m using m328p as I’m using Atmega328P.

To list the available part “codes”. You can type this at the command line.

avrdude -c dragon_isp

and it will show a list of AVR chips and the corresponding code for that.

-P usb tells avr dude to look for our AVR programmer in one of the USB ports.

-e is for performing chip erase

-U is for specifying the memory type, and the filename. The syntax is this

-U :r|w|v:[:format]

So here’s the screenshot of me burning the arduino bootloader to my Atmega328P chip using AVR dragon.

Here’s a photo of the setup

I’ve created a rig where I can easily burn bootloaders on Atmega328 chips. There’s an ISP connector and I have a 6pin cable connector to connect my rig to my AVR dragon.

Products Used:

AVR Dragon USA (via newark) – $49

AVR Dragon (Element14 Philippines) – PHP3,350

1. Go to Code Sourcery and download the lite version (FREE)

https://sourcery.mentor.com/sgpp/lite/arm/portal/subscription?@template=lite

2. Select ARM Processor

3. Choose Which Installer you need

I’ll choose the Linux installer

4. Run the installer

You may need to change the permission of the file and make it executable.

In my Ubuntu, my /bin/sh is symbolically linked to dash. Unfortunately, this wasn’t supported by the installer so
I have to do


cd /bin
sudo mv sh shold
sudo ln -s bash sh


5. Click Next

6. Click I access the terms and conditions and hit “Next”

7. Click “Next” again in the important information

8. Choose Typical and click “Next”

9. In this next step it will ask for the installation directory.
Now I would like to install this in /usr/share/CodeSourcery so I need to prepare the directory first and make sure I have permissions to that directory

In the terminal type this


sudo mkdir /usr/share/CodeSourcery
sudo chown . /usr/share/CodeSourcery


In my case, my username in my linux box is “noel” so the exact command I typed is

sudo chown noel.noel /usr/share/CodeSourcery

10. Check the install folder if correct

11. Select Modify Path – click “Next”

12. Choose Link Folder – just click “Next”

13. Pre-Installation Summary – click “Install”

14. Code Sourcery will start installing

15. And when you see this, you’re done.

16. Next is to add it to my path. In my case I’ll edit my .bashrc file

In your home directory type


nano .bashrc


Or you can use ‘gedit .bashrc’ if you want

Add the PATH to the bin directory of the code sourcery. In this case it is

/usr/share/CodeSourcery/Sourcery_CodeBench_Lite_for_ARM_EABI/bin

Save your changes.

17. Open another terminal window

Your new .bashrc file should take effect in this new terminal window.

Type


echo $PATH


and you should see your new PATH environment variable with the added CodeSourcery directory.

now let’s test if you can access the compiler. Type


arm-none-eabi-gcc --version

you should see something like this

Congratulations! Now you have an ARM tool chain installed in your Linux Machine.

I just got a macbook pro and I would want to try and do arduino programming on this machine. For now, I’ll zoom in and discuss more about Gizduino (an arduino clone).

One thing quite different is that this doesn’t use an FTDI chip. It uses another chip called PL2303 (Prolific). So in order for OS X to recognize the device, we need to load a USB driver.

Go to the Prolific Website’s download area (http://www.prolific.com.tw/eng/downloads.asp?id=31)

Then look for the Prolific Driver for Mac OS X.

You can just click on this link if you want http://www.prolific.com.tw/support/files//IO%20Cable/PL-2303/Drivers%20-%20Generic/MacOS/MacOS%2010.x/md_PL2303_MacOSX10.6_dmg_v1.4.0.zip

Unzip the file. Then locate the PL2303 dmg file, and then click to install.

Follow the instruction during installation.

Now let’s install the Arduino IDE.

Go to the arduino site download area (http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software) and download the Arduino for Mac and install.

To test if everything is ok, open up your arduino IDE, plugin your Arduino (Gizduino), and go to “Tools > Serial Port”. You should see the new serial ports being recognized.

Here’s a video of how to select the appropriate serial, the board, and how to compile and upload your program to your arduino/gizduino.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Go to http://www.obdev.at/products/crosspack/download.html
and download CrossPack for AVR development

Install the DMG file

double click the icon to run the installation

Open a Terminal and type “avrdude” in the command line.
You should see something like this.

Congratulations! You’re now ready for AVR programming.

Now let’s try and compile a demo program.

Open a terminal window and type the following


bash$ cd ~/Documents
bash$ mkdir AVR
bash$ cd AVR
bash$ avr-project Demo
bash$ open Demo


This will create a new directory called AVR under the Documents folder, and it will create a project called “Demo”.

After you type “open Demo” it will open up a window like this.

Using Xcode

Double click on the Demo.xcodeproj and it will open the Demo project in Xcode. (note: You must have Xcode installed)

Open the main.c file

Now you can edit the code.

To compile, click the RUN icon.

Let’s verify if it indeed created our HEX file.

Awesome! We now have our HEX file which we can burn to our microcontroller.

A friend of mine (Keith) made a really nice Introduction to the TI MSP430 launchpad. Instead of me making my own, I’ld rather just post his nice Intro. Thanks Keith!

What is TI MSP430?
“The MSP430 is a mixed-signal microcontroller family from Texas Instruments. Built around a 16-bit CPU, the MSP430 is designed for low cost, and specifically, low power consumption embedded applications. The architecture dates from the 1990s and is reminiscent of the DEC PDP-11.”

Basically, it’s a 16-bit Microcontroller famillty by Texas Instruments.

What is a Microcontroller?
A microcontroller is a Integrated Circuit(IC) or Chip that contains a processor core, memory. and programmable input/output(I/O) pins.
It’s like a very small CPU.

What is TI MSP430 Launchpad?
TI MSP430 Launchpad is a MSP430 development kit, it’s easy to use and it’s mainly for beginners. It’s also the CHEAPEST development kit in the market for only $4.30. It could also be used for rapid prototyping just like the Arduino.
It can support up to 20 pin high end MSP430 Value Line Microcontrollers (some even made it work with non-value line higher end chips and expanding it’s flexibility).
The Launchpad board provides 2 programmable push button switches (1 General purpose, 1 for Reset), 2 programmable LEDs (1 Red, 1 Green), and easy breakout for each of the microcontroller pins.

You can buy the  TI MSP430 Launchpad at Element14.
The MSP430 launchpad is only PHP307 in the Philipppines.

Why Launchpad?

• It is easy to use - Hardware and softwares needed to get started are readily available. There are also many resources such as open source projects and tutorials on the web about the Launchpad.
• Cheap - It’s only for $4.30!
• Microcontroller Experience - Launchpad provides hands-on experience and introduction to MSP430 microcontrollers. And the what you learn and develop for Launchpad is also applicable to higher end MSP430 chips.

What do I get?
When you get the MSP430 Launchpad Kit, the box includes the following:

• LaunchPad Development board (MSP-EXP430G2)
• Mini USB cable
• MSP430G2211IN14 Microcontroller
• MSP430G2231IN14 Microcontroller(preloaded with sample program)
• 10-pin PCB Connectors (2 male & 2 female)
• 32kHz crystal (MS3V-T1R 32.768kHz CL: 12.5pF +/-20ppm from www.microcrystal.com)
• Quick Start Guide
• 2x Launchpad Stickers

Features
The board:

• 20 pin DIP socket – support for up to 20 pin DIP packaged MSP430 Value Line chips.
• Flash Emulator – real time communication with PC (UART), in-system programming and debugging, and can program any other MSP430 devices that are programmable via Spi By-Wire (2 wire JTAG)
• 2 programmable LEDs
• 1 power LED
• 2 programmable push buttons (1 for reset)

The included MSP430G2xx:

• MSP430G2211IN14 - 2kB Flash, 128B RAM, 10 GPIO, 1x 16-bit timer, WDT, BOR, Comparator A+
• MSP430G2231IN14 - 2kB Flash, 128B RAM, 10 GPIO, 1x 16-bit timer, WDT, BOR, 1x USI (I2C/SPI), 8ch 10-bit ADC

The Launchpad is also open source.
“LaunchPad includes the firmware source code, GUI source code, Gerber/PCB files, schematics, BOMs, and other design files. By providing the source files, LaunchPad provides users with a completely flexible development environment.”

How do I use it?
In this tutorial teach how to use Code Composer Studio for Windows users.

First step: Download and Install Code Composer Studio
You can download it here (requires TI account, but it’s easy to register). It’s code size limited but that’s not important because we’re not even going to reach that limit.
If you’re having trouble installing CCSv4, here’s a step by step guide.
And here for a step by step guide for running CCSv4 for the first time, don’t choose the 30-day evaluation, choose the code size limited license.

Second step: Make a new Project
Now that you have Code Composer Studio installed. Run Code Composer Studio.
Click File -> New -> CCS Project.

A new window appears, type in your desired project name (any will do). Click next.

Make sure you choose “MSP430″ from the “Project Type” drop down list box. Click next.

And just click next again.

Choose the correct device variant and click Finish.

Right Click on the project you just created and select New -> Source File.

A new window will appear, type in “main.c” into the “Source File” text box, click finish.

Third Step: Code and Run
Let’s try this LED blinker code from Lesson 1 – Programming Tutorial:

Double click on “main.c” of you project from the left.

Paste the code and save. (one note: you must make a new line at the end of the code because CCS gives a warning)

Click the Debug Launch button, the code will now build and compile.

If there were no errors in building, you will now be in Debug View. Now, just click run.

And, the Red LED in the Launchpad should now blink (thats what the code does)!

I just got my AVR Butterly from Element14. I’ve heard about AVR butterfly before but I started with AVR programming using Arduino. I guess a lot of people started with arduino because it’s easy to use.

A typical arduino is like $30. What’s nice about the AVR butterfly is that it only costs around $20 but it already has an these additional items on the board

100-segment LCD (without backlight)
4-Mbit (512-Kbyte) AT45 flash memory
4-way Mini-Joystick with center push-button
Light, temperature, and voltage (0-5 V range) sensors (light sensor no longer included due to the RoHS directive)
Piezo speaker

Current Price as of this writing:
AVR Butterly at Element14 – $20.41
AVR Butterfly at Element 14 Philippines- PHP1,267

Programming the AVR Butterfly

There are a couple of ways to program the AVR butterfly. You don’t actually need a separate programmer since it comes with a pre-installed bootloader which allows the board to be re-programmed with just the serial port. You may also program it using an ISP or JTAG.

You can even use WINAVR and AVRDUDE. To flash the HEX file to the AVR Butterfly, you’ll just have to type something like this in the windows command line

c:\>avrdude -p atmega169 -c butterfly -P com1 -U flash:w:foo.hex

Can I use the arduino IDE to program AVR Butterfly?

Apparently, you can. There’s this thing called butteruino project which has the core code and libraries to integrate the AVR Butterfly with the Arduino environment.

What can you do with AVR Butterfly?

Somebody has made an mp3 player out of it. You can also use the AVR butterfly as a datalogger. Since this already has a built in LCD, there’s a lot of things you can do with it. Use it as a remote control for your mobot since it also has a joystick, you can add an external motor controller and use it as the brains of your autonomous mobot (ie. line follower, sumobot), add a relay and you can use it to turn on or turn off the power of your TV at a specific schedule, and many more. It’s up to your imagination.

There’s also a safety pin at the back so you can actually use this as a badge or ID. I think this would look great on events.

Most importantly, with just $20 you’ll have a nice cheap platform for learning embedded programming.

I was fortunate enough to be contacted by Ryan Gibson of Farnell (note: they’re also knowns as Element14) and was asked if I could do a review of some of their products. I picked 2 items in their inventory. One is the MSP430 launchpad and the other is the AVR Butterly.

Here’s a photo of the 2 products.

A closer look at what’s inside the MSP430 box

And here’s the one for AVR Butterly

So over the next few days I’ll be making a review of these 2 items. I’ll play around with these new toys for a while, and later on, I’ll do one review for each.

Thanks Ryan and Thanks to Farnell.

1. Install Simplicity Studio from (http://www.energymicro.com/downloads/)

2. Its been more than an hour… waiting patiently….(transfer rate is only 25kb/sec).

3. Install IAR

4. Get License. You need to fill up their form and then you’ll receive an email with the license keys.

5. Click setup IAR

6. Installation Finished. Finally!

5. Fire up the IAR Embedded Workbench IDE

6. Choose Getting Started > Example Projects > ARM > Energy Micro > EFM32_Gxxx_STK

Video On How to Edit the source code, compile, and program the device.

So I got my package from EnergyMicro.com. They’ve sent me an EFM32 Gecko Starter Kit.

Honestly, I never heard this one before. I’m aware of ARM processors from Texas Instruments, ST, and a few others. But now I get to play with their Gecko Starter Kit. For those of you who haven’t heard of energy micro, they are providers of energy efficient ARM Cortex-M3 and Cortex-M0. They position themselves as “The world’s most energy friendly microcontrollers and radios”.

Here’s the specs of their Gecko Processor

EFM32 Gecko Starter Kit Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Unboxing Photos:

Larger Image

I found this good video showing the process of multi layer PCB in a fabrication house. I didn’t know it involves so many steps just to produce a PCB. Great info.

Step 01- Introduction – Eurocircuits Educational movies – making a PCB

Step2 – Front End Tool Data Preparation

Step 3 – Preparing the Photo Tools

Step 4 – Print Inner Layers

Step 5 – Etching Inner Layers

Step 06 -Register punch and Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI)

Step 07 – Lay-up and bond

Step 08 – Drilling the PCB

Step 09 – Electroless copper deposition

Step 10 – Image the outer layers

Step 11 – Plating

Step 12 – Etch outer layers

Step 13 – Apply soldermask

Step 14 – RoHS-compliant surface finishes – electroless gold over nickel

Step 15 – Plated gold edge connectors

Step 16 – Silk-screen and cure

Step 17 – Profiling

Step 18 – Electrical test

Step 19 – Final inspection