JWilly's Linux Travels

No, it isn't Lead, nor is it Peanut Butter.  It is the 'B' version of the prolific ATmega328P microcontroller which started all this maker craziness off! Top view of PB Pro Mini Description This is a minimal microcontroller board with only a voltage reg, crystal, I2C pull-ups, LEDs and the chip itself.  The goal here is to reduce costs while hosting the beefy 328PB! This is based on, and pin compatible with, the Arduino Pro Mini 5v/16MHz from  Sparkfun . Notable, not-so-minor improvements for the 'B' version: 2 UARTs 2 I2Cs (TWI) 2 SPI Qtouch 5 Timers (with OC, IC, and PWM) Everything else is about the same.  You should be aware the clock driver on the chip is a low-power version, but this board and crystal operate at 16MHz just fine at 5V.  The Arduino library I've been using for the PB has been working without a problem! Getting Started You'll need a FTDI Friend  or FTDI Cable  to program this as there is no secondary USB

The Atmega328PB is the greatest thing to come to the Arduino platform since the UNO.  Who wouldn't want more 16-bit PWMs and double all 3 serial protocols? The new unofficial Arduino Mini PB Pro! To get the IDE to support it, follow this guide: https://github.com/watterott/ATmega328PB-Testing Since the JSON file is incomplete for Linux, do the manual toolchain replacement.  This was a little tricky, and there isn't much on the internet on where the toolchain resides inside the Arduino base folder.  Here's what I did to make it work. I downloaded the latest Arduino build, and I will refer to the extracted base directory as "arduino-1.6.9".  Also download the "hardware.zip" and the "Arduino Toolchain (4.9.2)" Linux x64 version from the github links. 1. Replace the toolchain The builtin toolchain resides in "arduino-1.6.9/hardware/tools/avr/".  Rename the avr folder to "avr.old".  Extract the "Arduino Toolc

ATtiny85-20  DIP-8 Fits nicely on a breadboard. I followed this guide to get it working with the Arduino IDE:  http://highlowtech.org/?p=1695 I downloaded the 64bit Linux 1.6.5-r5 version of the IDE, extracted it to a folder in my home directory. This newer version has the extra board support!  I also put the ATtiny ide files in the sketchbook folder under "hardware".  See the guide above.  When uploading, it tries to use its built-in avrdude (failing and complaining), but since I have the latest and greatest (6.1) in my /usr/bin, I (moved and) replaced it with a simlink to my system avrdude.  Then I loaded up Blink to test on "Pin 0", and wala, we have a blinking tardis: A TARDIS working.  It's totally bigger on the inside. I can use the power from my USBmicroISP (power jumper installed) to give it 5V.  Very nice. Sometimes the programming wouldn't initiate.  I found that I had to close the IDE, unplug the USBmicroISP, then replug it in, a

Actually using my USBmicroISP with microcontrollers other than Arduino Uno's led me to fix a udev rule issue with my Gentoo Linux laptop.  I was getting Permission Denied when I was trying to use avrdude as a normal user.  Yes, my user is part of the 'uucp' group... Background Some background on the Arduino ISP connector.  It is much different than the 10-pin AVR connector... 6-pin ICSP cable pinout.  NOTE: Numbers refer to ATtiny45/85 pins, not ICSP! Arduino ISP pinout. Notice the vertical line next to pin 1, which appears in silkscreen on the PCBs. Redboard ISP pinout.  Obviously the same as UNO.  Notice pin 1 location on upper-left, with horizontal white silk. My USBmicroISP has the cables coming off the IDC differently, but the key is in the correct orientation to the pinout in the top picture! (Please disregard numbering on first picture for ICSP purposes)  Usually the key and wires are facing inward (left side on 2nd and 3rd picture) on an Arduino

Ah, that age-old old-timer, the 555 chip.  It can be run in either astable (think repeating clock signal) or monostable (single pulse, then done) mode.  I'm going to outline a simple monostable design, and some of the tricks that I needed to use to get it working great. Design of a 555 Monostable 1 to 10 second Timer Monostable timer with 24V trigger Two Component Timing This particular design I needed to turn on a relay for about 5 seconds when the 24V rail came on.  The basic timing of the 555 depends on R1+R6 and C1, in my circuit.  The equation is as follows: τ = 1.1 R C This is also displayed on the datasheet on page 10 as a graph of common resistor values. I chose 4.7uF and 1MΩ, which equates to τ = 5.17. I wanted my timing adjustable by at least 1 order of magnitude, centered on my 5 seconds.  Thus, a minimum R of 200KΩ and a maximum of 2MΩ.  I went with a split series resistance: a fixed 100KΩ and a 25-turn 5MΩ potentiometer.  Eh, a little more than 10 sec

Intro Continuing to document my USBmicroISP, based off the  USBtinyISP  from Adafruit, here is my the assembly process. My first post  detailed the why  I'm building this version, and its features.  Essentially I wanted to make it with a smaller, nicer looking enclosure and have it use a micro USB cable, not a printer USB cable.  I used much the same schematic. Assembled USBmicroISP; green means ready for programming! Parts Received I often buy the parts  FIRST, then check that I designed the board correctly by printing it out 1:1. Lining up the new, often-weird parts (the ATTiny, the XTAL, the MicroMatch connectors) made me realize I needed to rearrange the way the connectors go out of the case: Finished product.  Tight quarters in this case! Having finally received the PCBs reminds me again how amazing OSHPark is: Nicely fabricated OSHPark boards.  Notice the ATTiny IC1 is on the top layer, and the buffer IC2 is on the bottom layer. Build Process Ha