First blinking test looks promising, seems that this thing just gets a job for good. Have attached a picture so you can get an imagination.
The m644 worked ootb, only setting changed: set the clkdiv fuse off, so that the chip works at 8 Mhz @ internal clock. Must see if i have a 16 Mhz quarz, then i can change it on the board, at the moment there is only one @8 Mhz.
A arduino mega2560 clone is on the list, must wait a bit, because some shoppings recently spotted the curiosity of my wife :)
As i first got it, it was frustrating. Especially as i started with the attiny13a - which pins aren't as good supported on the boards traces. And the ponyser isp isn't good - took hours with a usb2serial-adaptor.
But with the atmega644 everything should work. At the 40 pin connector there is a flat cable and a connector board (picture attached). Will see if the usb2ser-adaptor comes to a good use as i burned the mightycore from arduino on the mega644 :)
The testing board looks interesting... why not a big zif socket though?
Does it come with pc software and you flash a hex file from maybe gcb ?
I'd still say get a mega2560 for ease of use but with the gear you use then any pic chip
with enough io pins would suit you.
the only pics I use are 18f25k22 as they are 28 pin dil and tidy minimal spec
but I never bother with a xtal and 2 caps. I use #chip 18f25k22,64 and it seems to work at 16MHz,
which I think it's supposed to. Does it though !?
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the board is from a german firm for electronic parts: pollin.
why they did not place one big zif socket and place jumpers - i don't know. this version is not sold any longer. unfortunately it's not usable for pic's i guess.
The software side: you can use pretty much anything you would use for programming AVRs: C, ASM, arduino or even Great Cow BASIC :) They laid it out to be compatible with the most hobbyist's in mind. the board has one rs232 port and there you can burn avr with avrdude and serial bitbanging (ponyser).
and there is a classic rs232 serial interface for the communication with the microcontroller. with a bootloader you can manuallly reset the microcontroller and program the new hex-file. lately i saw a little hardware mod to get autoreset like arduino. i think i have to warmup the soldering iron....
first led blink got on the board flawlessly after i found out that the best baudrate is 38400.
Last edit: Boris Breuer 2021-08-16
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Sounds complicated. Bootloader? Just interested. The effort other people use to program a microcontroller.
I like win with gcb and avr boards. It makes it easy so more time for coding.
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no. it's not too complicated once understood and installed. it's a bit like firmware update on other systems: the microcontroller gets some bytes imstructions to await the new firmware over the uart. once the data is imcoming it gets written page by page to the flash memory. afterwards the microcontroller gets a rest instruction. then the new firmware starts afterwards.
let me add: and you don't have to do much yourself. lookup mightycore for arduino, read their manual on github. then add there boards to the arduino ide. the arduino uno with isp sketch does its job very well. i'd say something around 15-30 minutes and you have a bootloaded chip and can load your hex-files with much
less hassle than with icsp.
for example without the integrated usb2serial converter and a bootloader the arduino would be pretty much the same thing. a board with the necesswry circuits and you would need a in-system-programmer. e.g. a avr dragon or similar.
and for own pcb's a bootloader is a fine thing: just add two point for rx/tx instead of 6 for icsp.
by the way: should i give some instructions on top of my gcb source code, that there is a bootloader? i read something about it, but most of the test code wass so small it had plenty spcace. but asking just in case. @anobium
Last edit: Boris Breuer 2021-08-16
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Very nice you got good results... too complicated for me.
I looked for my pickit to zif socket adapter but found this old programmer and I had mega2560 all the while... and waiting for another I ordered.
OK... mega2560 testing time... I'll do the ili9341 hwspi first.
I knew I had one somewhere.. doh :(
looks good, too. arduino boards shorten much complexity out - more time to cocentrate on developing. but with respect to the recycling approach, it would be a pitty, to do nothing with this board.
if i have a 16 mhz quarz i'll do the testing, too. or is a 8 mhz test of interest?
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This is the image I wanted to send you.
The dev programmer I have is https://www.epemag3.com/search.php?zoom_sort=0&zoom_query=pic+program click first in list.
Not used for many years.
Good I found my mega2560 as the new one that arrived today has a row of bent pins so will return it. It says it's a real arduino and has a different board layout to the clone I have which I'm still breadboarding to test.
Had a look to that link - nice Magazine. Reminds me of some Amiga Magazines I consumed in earlier days.
Odd to hear that your delivery went wrong - hopefully you get another board or a refund timely.
That pickit programmer is on my extended imaginary wishlist - i have a small 8 pin PIC in the drawer which awaits some work :) just to test if my attiny13a code really works with only small modifications ;) Should also be easier to use than build one: https://diyodemag.com/projects/arduino_pic_programmer
Last edit: Boris Breuer 2021-08-18
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Hi @Boris.
The magazine link is old. I built the programmer which used a centronix printer port and the software that came with it, which was an assembler editor and flasher.
I gave up on assembler. Not really easy to use.
You will find gcb has done lots to keep pickit working with newer pics but a different story.
When I use pics I go for in circuit programming which seems no different to flashing a pic on its own. It's just data and clock to 2 pic pins... well it seems that easy when I use it.
I use cheap arduino uno and nano boards for the convenience with gcb. It integrates with averdude or something and makes it simple to flash your code.
It has a small boot loader but no problem for me.
If you don't have a cheap uno I would recommend getting one for use with gcb... a nano even cheaper but more for finished projects.
The code you write is universal for avr and pic... with some port changes and changing the #chip to pic/avr used. but it's a fundamental gcb feature. Nice.
You can see I like free great cow basic!
If you get a chip or display and can't get it working like me, then I send it to Anobium who if he thinks it's interesting then sorts the technical stuff and makes a gcb include library BUT please check before doing this :)
At the moment I was wiring mega2560 to ili9341 to test with xpt touch but anobium says keep it uno/lgt328 testing so another bread board and then finding the lgt xpt files.
Using nano and logic green technology 328... cool name , to sort it as they are pin compatible.
I contacted the mega2560 supplier and they say open and test and were sorry and wanted a photo for their claim against postal damage but I think it'll work and it looks like a genuine arduino.
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First blinking test looks promising, seems that this thing just gets a job for good. Have attached a picture so you can get an imagination.
The m644 worked ootb, only setting changed: set the clkdiv fuse off, so that the chip works at 8 Mhz @ internal clock. Must see if i have a 16 Mhz quarz, then i can change it on the board, at the moment there is only one @8 Mhz.
A arduino mega2560 clone is on the list, must wait a bit, because some shoppings recently spotted the curiosity of my wife :)
Nice board!
As i first got it, it was frustrating. Especially as i started with the attiny13a - which pins aren't as good supported on the boards traces. And the ponyser isp isn't good - took hours with a usb2serial-adaptor.
But with the atmega644 everything should work. At the 40 pin connector there is a flat cable and a connector board (picture attached). Will see if the usb2ser-adaptor comes to a good use as i burned the mightycore from arduino on the mega644 :)
The testing board looks interesting... why not a big zif socket though?
Does it come with pc software and you flash a hex file from maybe gcb ?
I'd still say get a mega2560 for ease of use but with the gear you use then any pic chip
with enough io pins would suit you.
the only pics I use are 18f25k22 as they are 28 pin dil and tidy minimal spec
but I never bother with a xtal and 2 caps. I use #chip 18f25k22,64 and it seems to work at 16MHz,
which I think it's supposed to. Does it though !?
the board is from a german firm for electronic parts: pollin.
why they did not place one big zif socket and place jumpers - i don't know. this version is not sold any longer. unfortunately it's not usable for pic's i guess.
The software side: you can use pretty much anything you would use for programming AVRs: C, ASM, arduino or even Great Cow BASIC :) They laid it out to be compatible with the most hobbyist's in mind. the board has one rs232 port and there you can burn avr with avrdude and serial bitbanging (ponyser).
and there is a classic rs232 serial interface for the communication with the microcontroller. with a bootloader you can manuallly reset the microcontroller and program the new hex-file. lately i saw a little hardware mod to get autoreset like arduino. i think i have to warmup the soldering iron....
first led blink got on the board flawlessly after i found out that the best baudrate is 38400.
Last edit: Boris Breuer 2021-08-16
Sounds complicated. Bootloader? Just interested. The effort other people use to program a microcontroller.
I like win with gcb and avr boards. It makes it easy so more time for coding.
no. it's not too complicated once understood and installed. it's a bit like firmware update on other systems: the microcontroller gets some bytes imstructions to await the new firmware over the uart. once the data is imcoming it gets written page by page to the flash memory. afterwards the microcontroller gets a rest instruction. then the new firmware starts afterwards.
let me add: and you don't have to do much yourself. lookup mightycore for arduino, read their manual on github. then add there boards to the arduino ide. the arduino uno with isp sketch does its job very well. i'd say something around 15-30 minutes and you have a bootloaded chip and can load your hex-files with much
less hassle than with icsp.
for example without the integrated usb2serial converter and a bootloader the arduino would be pretty much the same thing. a board with the necesswry circuits and you would need a in-system-programmer. e.g. a avr dragon or similar.
and for own pcb's a bootloader is a fine thing: just add two point for rx/tx instead of 6 for icsp.
by the way: should i give some instructions on top of my gcb source code, that there is a bootloader? i read something about it, but most of the test code wass so small it had plenty spcace. but asking just in case. @anobium
Last edit: Boris Breuer 2021-08-16
Very nice you got good results... too complicated for me.
I looked for my pickit to zif socket adapter but found this old programmer and I had mega2560 all the while... and waiting for another I ordered.
OK... mega2560 testing time... I'll do the ili9341 hwspi first.
I knew I had one somewhere.. doh :(
looks good, too. arduino boards shorten much complexity out - more time to cocentrate on developing. but with respect to the recycling approach, it would be a pitty, to do nothing with this board.
if i have a 16 mhz quarz i'll do the testing, too. or is a 8 mhz test of interest?
This is the image I wanted to send you.
The dev programmer I have is https://www.epemag3.com/search.php?zoom_sort=0&zoom_query=pic+program click first in list.
Not used for many years.
Good I found my mega2560 as the new one that arrived today has a row of bent pins so will return it. It says it's a real arduino and has a different board layout to the clone I have which I'm still breadboarding to test.
Last edit: stan cartwright 2021-08-17
Had a look to that link - nice Magazine. Reminds me of some Amiga Magazines I consumed in earlier days.
Odd to hear that your delivery went wrong - hopefully you get another board or a refund timely.
That pickit programmer is on my extended imaginary wishlist - i have a small 8 pin PIC in the drawer which awaits some work :) just to test if my attiny13a code really works with only small modifications ;) Should also be easier to use than build one: https://diyodemag.com/projects/arduino_pic_programmer
Last edit: Boris Breuer 2021-08-18
mega2560 pinout... not brill spi mosi,miso,sck pinout
and clones different
Last edit: stan cartwright 2021-08-17
Hi @Boris.
The magazine link is old. I built the programmer which used a centronix printer port and the software that came with it, which was an assembler editor and flasher.
I gave up on assembler. Not really easy to use.
I saw your link https://diyodemag.com/projects/arduino_pic_programmer ... interesting.
You will find gcb has done lots to keep pickit working with newer pics but a different story.
When I use pics I go for in circuit programming which seems no different to flashing a pic on its own. It's just data and clock to 2 pic pins... well it seems that easy when I use it.
I use cheap arduino uno and nano boards for the convenience with gcb. It integrates with averdude or something and makes it simple to flash your code.
It has a small boot loader but no problem for me.
If you don't have a cheap uno I would recommend getting one for use with gcb... a nano even cheaper but more for finished projects.
The code you write is universal for avr and pic... with some port changes and changing the #chip to pic/avr used. but it's a fundamental gcb feature. Nice.
You can see I like free great cow basic!
If you get a chip or display and can't get it working like me, then I send it to Anobium who if he thinks it's interesting then sorts the technical stuff and makes a gcb include library BUT please check before doing this :)
At the moment I was wiring mega2560 to ili9341 to test with xpt touch but anobium says keep it uno/lgt328 testing so another bread board and then finding the lgt xpt files.
Using nano and logic green technology 328... cool name , to sort it as they are pin compatible.
I contacted the mega2560 supplier and they say open and test and were sorry and wanted a photo for their claim against postal damage but I think it'll work and it looks like a genuine arduino.