Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1

The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1 is a compact, low-cost in-system programmer (ISP) for AVR microcontrollers from Atmel (now a part of Microchip). The programmer provides an interface for transferring a compiled AVR program from your computer to the target AVR?s non-volatile memory, allowing it to run the program. It is a good solution for programming AVR-based controllers like our A-Star 328PB Micro and Orangutan robot controllers. It can also be used to update, replace, or remove the bootloader on Arduino boards and our Arduino-compatible A-Star controllers. This programmer is designed to work well with both 3.3 V and 5 V devices, and it can even be configured to provide power to the target device in low-power systems.

The programmer communicates with your programming software, such as Atmel Studio, AVRDUDE, or the Arduino IDE, through a virtual COM port using the STK500 protocol. The programmer connects to your target device via an included 6-pin ISP programming cable. The programmer also acts as a USB-to-TTL serial adapter, providing a TTL-level serial port that can be used to communicate with other serial devices from your computer. It ships fully assembled with connectors soldered in as shown.

The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1 is a drop-in replacement for the older Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 with three hardware improvements:

• The optional VCC output feature of the v2 programmer (which allows you to power your AVR target from the programmer) was not designed to power loads with more than a few microfarads of capacitance. The v2.1 programmer has better VCC output circuity, so it can power higher-capacitance boards that would have caused the v2 programmer to continually experience brown-out resets. While there is still a limit to how much capacitance it can handle, we expect the v2.1 VCC output feature to work with most small AVR target boards that have less than about 33 µF of capacitance on VCC.
• Plugging a v2 programmer into a 3pi robot could cause one of the motors to briefly run at full speed because the programmer?s circuitry for measuring VCC could inadvertently pull up one of the 3pi?s programming pins (which doubles as a motor driver input) before the GND connection was established. The v2.1 programmer has improved circuitry for measuring VCC which limits the duty cycle of this effect to about 0.2%, so the motor won?t move (but it might make a 25 Hz clicking sound).
• The v2 programmer would typically brown-out if a 5 V signal was applied to its RST pin while it was operating at 3.3 V. The v2.1 programmer does not have this problem.

Features and specifications:

• Connects to a computer through USB via a USB A to Micro-B cable (not included)
• Emulates an STK500 programmer through virtual COM port interface
• Works with standard AVR programming software, including Atmel Studio, AVRDUDE, and the Arduino IDE
• Configuration software available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux
• Supports both 3.3 V and 5 V devices; can automatically switch operating voltage based on detected target VCC
• Can optionally power the target at 3.3 V or 5 V in low-power systems
• USB-to-TTL serial adapter functionality for general-purpose serial communication
• Provides a 100 kHz clock output, which can be useful for reviving misconfigured AVRs
• All I/O pins are protected with 470 ? resistors
• 6-pin ISP cable and a 1×6 double-sided male header included
• Comprehensive user?s guide