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Standalone Arduino Programmer

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There is a short introduction video: See video

The standalone Arduino Programmer can program many atmel chip in stand alone mode which means it does not need a computer to operate. This is very useful for automating the programming of large number of chips.

This product is a shield for the Arduino Mega.

You will need to program the Arduino Mega only once with a computer then the programmer will be stand-alone and only need connection with a power source.

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The principle is:

  • Program the Arduino Mega with the sketch provided below.
  • Flash the target sketch on a SD card
  • Insert the SD card / Connect the mega to the power supply.
  • Connect the shield to the target device with the 6 pin cable.
  • Press OK on the shield.
  • Target is now programmed.

Features

  • Onboard Micro SD card.
  • 3 operation LED (work / ok / error).
  • 3 operation button.
  • 6 pin SPI connection to target.
  • Additional GPIO pins available for expansion.
  • Provision for use of a small LCD screen.

Usage

Preparing the programmer

  • Compile the target sketch on Arduino IDE.
  • Locate the produced hex file.
  • Copy it to the SD card.
  • Rename the file as 'firmware.hex'.
  • Insert the SD card in the programmer.

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Production Usage

  • Connect the 6 pin ribbon cable to the target device.
  • Press the OK button.
  • Sucessful flash will be indicated with the green led 'ok'

Firmware

For the time being there are two firmwares that can be used on the programmer.

Atmega_Hex_Uploader_Fixed_Filename firmware This is the basic firmware to flash one file using one button.

SAP_oled_firmware firmware Requires a small oled screen. Offer the same functionality as the one above in a more user friendly way.

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40 Pin Connector

The standalone programmer has a 40 pin connector forwarding unused pins of the Arduino Mega. The pin out is as shown below. Pin 1 is the top right pin.