AVR Freaks

I understand that 'low voltage' means just not 12V. I hope. 5V supported.

They say avr spi support. With only two pins (and reset) ... 

VTG is the "target voltage" i.e. VCC from your externally powered AVR chip.

I suggest that you start with Uno hardware.   Cut the RESET-EN solder-bridge.   This lets you use debugWIRE.

Life is much simpler when you have a regular 3x2 ISP/dW header and a permanent UART-USB Serial link.

MPLABX + SNAP should work ok with the ATmega328P

It probably works fine with ATtiny85.   But it is painful to hook up hardware (if you expect readers to guide you through any project)

David.

When will they provide an updated AtmelStudio that uses MPLAB SNAP as debugger/programmer? :(

PicKit4 works pretty well in AS7.

I bet that SNAP would appear as a cut-price PicKit4.   They would simply disable some devices / features.

It would be wise for Microchip to concentrate on one piece of software.

MPLABX is ok for building projects.   In fact it is nicer than AS7 in several ways.

The "MPLABX debug" is not as good as AS7.    (yet)

David.

Thanks clawson.

That's very helpful. dW is what I will concentrate on for now.

I didn't know that AVR programmers do not provide a power source to the target device. That information will, no doubt, save me a lot of pain downstream.

Describe what hardware you have got on your desk.

Uno clone + SNAP + PC is all that you need to get started.

In fact an XMINI-mega328 + PC would be even easier.

Yes you can mess around with breadboards,  UART-USB dongles, power supplies, ...

They are all things that can go wrong.

If you stick to common items readers might even walk you through a project (that they can set up on their own desk).

One of the beauties of Arduino is that anyone, anywhere in the world can upload a sketch and run it on their own Arduino.

You can also use the same Uno hardware to run a non-Arduino program.   And readers can replicate this too.  e.g. from your AS7 project.

David.

Seriously.    Buy a Uno clone.   Cut the RESET-EN solder-bridge.    Connect all 6-pins of the ISP interface.

The Unos are very cheap.   Check that your clone has a RESET-EN printed on the pcb.

You have a useful amount of memory, peripherals, ...

Existing shields plug and go.

Yes,  it is "fun" to squeeze something into an 8-pin chip.   Even more "fun" with a 6-pin chip.

It is not a useful way to start learning about the subject.

More of an advanced project for an experienced user.

David.

Hi David.

If that post is for me, well let's see...

Test Equipment

DMM, 'scope, Logic Analyser, Component Tester (AVR based), probably some other stuff that I don't use very often

Power Supplies

Various

MCU Dev Stuff

Various STM8S and STM8L based (STM8S103 and STM8L151 probably most common), along with STLINKV2 programmer and debugger

ATmega328P, ATtiny85 devices with an USBASP (and now a SNAP)

STM32F various (along with the previously mentioned STLINKV2)

Some development/experimental boards

Various STM32 Discoveries/Nucleos, a TI Tiva, an Atmel Xplained (think I have two of these somewhere, one with an ATmega328PB and the other an ATtiny817), an MSP430something_or_other (I haven't used MSP430 for some time), and a few Arduino UNOs.

Dev Envs

Atmel Studio 7 (recently acquired, and was trying to get to grips with it when I became aware of the SNAP which led to), MPLAB X, Code Composer Studio (for MSP430), ST Visual Develop (for STM8), Code::Blocks (STM8 and general purpose), Atollic True Studio (STM32), Keil, IAR (used to use for MSP430, way back when), and (various)-gcc, cosmic, sdcc and ARM compilers. I prefer using SDCC with Code::Blocks on Ubuntu for STM8, and would use Ubuntu (or any Linux system) for AVR development if I could (MPLAB X offers that possibility). 

Just a general comment, but over the years I have come to dislike Java and .NET based applications intensely. They might produce nice shiny products, but boy are they slow. Yea, I know that includes Atmel Studio, MPLAB X and Eclipse based tools.

I don't have any (current) plans for the MSP430. I do have some projects in mind that I think will suit the STM8x, and I have a couple for the Tiny, and some half-ideas (as yet) for the STM32.

PCs

Win7 64 Bit (pressed back into service and only really used for Atmel Studio)

Ubuntu 16.04 64-Bit (a 14 year old, but still my general use, system)

I've probably left out some stuff.

I suppose I should try to explain where I am coming from and where I want to go.

I used to do electronics (even got one of those engineering thingys a long time ago), and worked in various computer related fields over the years. Then I had what was described to me as a 'Neurological Incident'. Well, a couple of those.

And I have had to relearn a lot of things. (Including reading, which I find very tiring, although oddly I can write...)

Anyway, I have long realised that 'I' learn best when I do, rather than when I read. And so I am going to 'do'. 

I am going to 'automate' my home. (That's not the correct term, but it'll do for now.)

I have long wanted to create a Renewable Energy monitoring system, maybe even more than that. Something that would log and report generation and consumption, for instance. And I want to monitor things like room temperatures and ambient temperatures. I would like, maybe, to set up a home brewing system, or home wine making (is there a term for that?) system, and have something monitor, or maybe control, such a system. I will build a greenhouse, and monitor that. And so on.

Then I recently discovered the new fangled idea called Internet-of-Things or IoT (a silly name, but it wasn't me I promise). Now one of the 'problems' I had not found a comfortable solution to was how to transfer data from possibly distributed control and monitoring systems to some central server or hub. I wont go into all of the things I considered, 'coz I when I tripped across this IoT I started getting ideas.

So I invested in a Raspberry PI (RPi) Zero. And I have got that set up and hooked into my home network. And I set up MQTT (just to see if I could).

Now I have discovered there's a problem with the RPi - it really does not like power outages, or other disturbances to its power source. It does not like that at all. 

And so the first project for the new me will be an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) for the Pi. The simplest of these would require 2 microcontroller pins, an ADC and a timer. Other functionality could be added, but all would 'fit' into an ATiny85 (I think it would fit an ATtiny13, but time will tell).

Now one of my 'controls' (I can't think of the right word) is to be parsimonious with resources, particularly power. And to make these control and monitoring systems as small and 'mean' (is that the right word?) as I can. 

I have created a (provisional) board layout with a Digispark Tiny85 which is 1.5" x 0.8". That will fit snugly onto the Pi and an adjoining LiIon battery system. 

The Arduino is fine. For what it is. But small and power conscious it is not. It would dwarf my Pi-Battery 'some word I cannot find'.

And this also gives me the opportunity to 'learn AVR debugging'. 

If you get what I mean.

Anyway, sorry for all that rambling.

And thank you David, and all the rest of you, for information you have provided. A lot of my uncertainties are now behind me. I can now move on to new uncertainties.

(...now to get that SNAP debugging for me...)

Hi All

I apologise in advance for what is to come. 

Preamble

I obtained a SNAP programmer/debugger intending to use with AVR ATmega and ATtiny devices, most notably ATmega328Px and ATtiny85. I installed MPLAB X (5.15) IDE and IPE on a Win7 64-bit machine, but both applications reported problems when attempting to communicate with the target, a Digispark ATtiny85, specifically 

Data transmission failed. Error code -10121 returned while trying to receive USB data.

A communication error with the debug tool has occurred. The tool will be reset and should re-enumerate shortly.
Connection Failed.

I tried many things, many suggestions in many posts to no avail until a link to another thread provided by gchapman led me to this

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, I powered up my Snap #2, and out-of-the-box, "Error code -10121". Snap #1 is still working.

I reproduced the way snap #1 started working:

1) select ATSAMC20E1A

2) press Apply

3) press Connect. Some firmware activity takes place. Some Win drivers are installed.

4) select ATtiny1616

5) press Apply

6) press Connect. Some firmware activity takes place. Some Win drivers are installed. This message should appear:

*****************************************************

...

Currently loaded versions:
Boot version...................1.0.0

Now Downloading new Firmware for target device: ATtiny1616
Updating firmware application...

From here on, the Snap is "cured". Worked on my 2 Snaps.

edit: forgot to say - this is using the IPE software.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

by El Tangas in https://www.avrfreaks.net/forum/...

I tried those steps with the following results.

(Note: before I started there was a 'Microchip' category in Device Manager)

1. I started MPLAB IPE (hereafter IPE) and selected the ATSAMC20E15A (there doesn't seem to be an 'E1A)

2. I pressed 'Apply'

3. I pressed 'Connect'   -> Windows began installing, and successfully installed, a new device which is labelled 'Microchip WinUSB Device'

The IPE failed to connect, reporting the following

*****************************************************

Connecting to MPLAB Snap...

Currently loaded versions:
Application version............00.00.17
Boot version...................01.00.00
Script version.................00.02.77
Script build number............5215401e64

Connecting to MPLAB Snap...

Currently loaded versions:
Boot version...................01.00.00
Updating firmware application...

Connecting to MPLAB Snap...

Currently loaded versions:
Application version............00.02.11
Boot version...................01.00.00
Script version.................00.02.77
Script build number............5215401e64
You have set the program speed to Normal. The circuit on your board may require you to slow the speed down. Please change the setting in the tool properties to low and try the operation again.

Failed to get Device ID. Please make sure the target device is attached and try the operation again.
Connection Failed. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing with El Tangas' steps

4. Select ATtiny85 ('cause that's what I got...)

5. Press 'Apply'

6. press 'Connect' -> Windows began installing, and successfully installed, some more device driver(s)

The Device manager now shows a new category has been created (I didn't notice this at the time) - Human Interface Devices - and a new COM Port has been assigned - 'Snap Virtual COM Port'

A later examination of 'Human Interface Devices' shows

In the meantime, an activity icon adjacent to the IPE 'Connect' button began spinning its wheels, the fans on the PC sprang into life and became laboured after a time. This remained the state for some time. I left it for one half hour, just to ensure that it was really 'stuck' in some sort of loop.

Here's a couple of Windows Task Manager screenshots

At this point I had three options

(i) Unplug and re-connect the SNAP USB cable

(ii) Shutdown and restart IPE

(iii) Shutdown and restart the PC

I tried (i) -> There was no difference. The IPE kept spinning its wheels apparently trying to connect, and the PC CPU usage remained high

Then I tried (ii) -> the CPU usage immediately dropped to zero, or thereabouts

I restarted the IPE. 

Pressed 'Connect' -> et voila! SUCCESS!

I then tried to read the configuration bytes on the Digispark ATtiny85, which are non-standard (if I may phrase it like that)

This shows the configuration bytes to be 

L: 0x62

H: 0xDF

E: 0xFF

Lock: 0xFF

These are NOT correct.

I had previously checked the configuration bytes using AVR Studio and obtained the following

L: 0xE1

H: 0xDD

E: 0xFE

Well, at least IPE is now trying...

I then shut down IPE and started MPLAB X IDE (hereafter IDE) and tried to read the configuration bytes

Woo Hoo!

And the configuration bytes are correct too!

Then I tried to start a debug session...

OK. Not there yet!

But progress all the same.

It would seem that the MPLAB X install does not install the SNAP drivers correctly. On Windows, at any rate.

My car is due its annual medical, so I'm going to be tied up the next few days and, with other things to do as well, I probably wont be able to get back to this until mid-next week.

I would like to thank you all for your time and the very valuable help you give to those like me.

Where would we be without you?

Take care all

M

ps

One further apology...

When I was trying to work out how to add a picture to a post I added an attachment. Now I cannot work out how to remove that. And I am now too tired to care any more.

So, sorry again.

M

Sorry David, but I don't understand. 

I must be in a dense state of mind at the moment.

M

Hi All.

(Continuing from post #33)

Got an hour, so I continued from where I left off last night.

I had got to the stage where MPLAB IPE and IDE were communicating with the SNAP and could (apparently) communicate with the target. The latter seemed to be the case because both IPE and IDE reported successful reads of the target's configuration bytes, although the byte values reported by IPE were incorrect.

In IDE I had then tried to start a dW debug session, and got this...

I continued today by clicking the 'Yes' option in the window above to enable debugWire.

I was asked to toggle the power to the target...

...which I did.

I then tried to start a debug session. MPLAB IDE went through the motions, seemed to compile and upload the code, the PC started to go bananas again (high CPU usage, fans threatened to go on strike...) and remained like this for quite a while. Until I 'Paused' the debug using the icon on the toolbar. 

I wont add screenshots of that here, or of MPLAB at that stage.

I have no idea yet how to use MPLAB and the views are strange to me; I am more used to IDEs that automatically open debug windows displaying the code with a cursor halted in an appropriate place, with a window showing registers, and so on.

Anyway, I found an IO View in one of the menus and that opened this

Among the other things on view, the window on the bottom right is showing the registers for Port B. 

I toggled the value in PORTB - the Port B output data register - and an LED on the Digispark Tiny85 module switched on and off (having previously made sure that the Data Direction Register for Port B - DDRB - had configured that pin as an output, of course).

So cool!

All would seem to be Right With The World again.

The rest is down to me.

I will have to work with MPLAB to learn how to use it properly.

I can now deem this matter to be been resolved successfully, and get on with those little plans of mine.

Thank you all - I could not have done this without you.

Take care

M

ps

Summary

There remains a bug in IPE - it does not read the target configuration bytes correctly (perhaps it is displaying the device defaults?)

MPLAB install does not install the - Windows at least - SNAP drivers correctly; I used the procedure discovered by El Tangas to kickstart the SNAP driver install, and that seems to have got the beast working