Comments on: Atmel Xplain Xmega board Gotchas http://blog.frankvh.com/2009/11/15/atmel-xplain-board/ A bunch of random musings, with a leaning towards electronics & computers. Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:09:58 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Kenneth Scharf http://blog.frankvh.com/2009/11/15/atmel-xplain-board/comment-page-1/#comment-123 Kenneth Scharf Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:07:19 +0000 http://blog.frankvh.com/?p=187#comment-123 Actually the avrispMKII DOES support the 10 pin cable without an adapter. Atmel just didn't supply the cable. Get or make up a short cable with a 10 pin connector on each end. Snap open the avrisp (you have to insert a screwdriver into the plastic clamps holding the case together while prying it open with another screwdriver. It looks hard to do, but it opens easily. You'll see that the PC board has BOTH connectors on it. In the event that they have depopulated the 10 pin connector from the board you'll have to solder one to the provided pads, however the units I've opened up had both connectors installed. Actually the avrispMKII DOES support the 10 pin cable without an adapter. Atmel just didn’t supply the cable. Get or make up a short cable with a 10 pin connector on each end. Snap open the avrisp (you have to insert a screwdriver into the plastic clamps holding the case together while prying it open with another screwdriver. It looks hard to do, but it opens easily. You’ll see that the PC board has BOTH connectors on it. In the event that they have depopulated the 10 pin connector from the board you’ll have to solder one to the provided pads, however the units I’ve opened up had both connectors installed.

]]> By: Dean Camera http://blog.frankvh.com/2009/11/15/atmel-xplain-board/comment-page-1/#comment-114 Dean Camera Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:18:37 +0000 http://blog.frankvh.com/?p=187#comment-114 And another update - I've just finished a first revision of an XPLAIN programmer firmware for the onboard AT90USB1287, also located in the LUFA SVN as well as this AVRFreaks thread: http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=87393. When loaded, it will cause the XPLAIN board to enumerate as an Atmel AVRISP-MKII which (with the latest AVRStudio release) can PDI program the onboard XMEGA. - Dean And another update – I’ve just finished a first revision of an XPLAIN programmer firmware for the onboard AT90USB1287, also located in the LUFA SVN as well as this AVRFreaks thread: http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=87393. When loaded, it will cause the XPLAIN board to enumerate as an Atmel AVRISP-MKII which (with the latest AVRStudio release) can PDI program the onboard XMEGA.

- Dean

]]> By: ArnodB http://blog.frankvh.com/2009/11/15/atmel-xplain-board/comment-page-1/#comment-113 ArnodB Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:02:04 +0000 http://blog.frankvh.com/?p=187#comment-113 > In theory you can reprogram the 1287 via the USB port, using Atmel’s “FLIP” utility > (available on their website). For me, that didn’t work either, and I really tried hard. No FLIP for me! Old Rev 1 Xplains didn't have the necessary bootloader in the 1287. Rev 2 and later ones have it, but the procedure described in AVR1907 to enter the bootloader is incomplete. I have summarized my experience in http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=645225 I use Ubuntu, but checked that the pushbuttons I added works with FLIP under Windows, too. > In theory you can reprogram the 1287 via the USB port, using Atmel’s “FLIP” utility
> (available on their website). For me, that didn’t work either, and I really tried hard. No FLIP for me!

Old Rev 1 Xplains didn’t have the necessary bootloader in the 1287. Rev 2 and later ones have it, but the procedure described in AVR1907 to enter the bootloader is incomplete. I have summarized my experience in http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=645225 I use Ubuntu, but checked that the pushbuttons I added works with FLIP under Windows, too.

]]> By: frank http://blog.frankvh.com/2009/11/15/atmel-xplain-board/comment-page-1/#comment-111 frank Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:03:49 +0000 http://blog.frankvh.com/?p=187#comment-111 That is indeed a good note - thanks! I have updated the post. That is indeed a good note – thanks! I have updated the post.

]]> By: Dean Camera http://blog.frankvh.com/2009/11/15/atmel-xplain-board/comment-page-1/#comment-110 Dean Camera Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:24:05 +0000 http://blog.frankvh.com/?p=187#comment-110 Hi Frank, Just a minor correction to your excellent post. My LUFA project does indeed contain a USBtoSerial demo which converts between a USB port and a physical serial port, however I've been told this won't work on the XPLAIN board as the XMEGA->AT90USB link is via a software and not hardware UART. That said, as of this morning, there is a new "XMEGABridge" project in the LUFA SVN which should implement the required software USART bridge to restore that functionality to the XPLAIN boards. Cheers! - Dean Hi Frank,

Just a minor correction to your excellent post. My LUFA project does indeed contain a USBtoSerial demo which converts between a USB port and a physical serial port, however I’ve been told this won’t work on the XPLAIN board as the XMEGA->AT90USB link is via a software and not hardware UART. That said, as of this morning, there is a new “XMEGABridge” project in the LUFA SVN which should implement the required software USART bridge to restore that functionality to the XPLAIN boards.

Cheers!
- Dean

]]>