Standalone Arduino Programmer
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.
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.
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.
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.