hi guys, hope you can help, im trying to solder a 1284p onto a protoboard, i have tested it on a breadboard and everything works fine, i followed this tutorial:
it works perfectly on a breadboard, but when i try to solder it onto a protoboard it doesnt seem to work! im using the same capacitors, resistors and crystal that i used on the breadboard... is there anything special i have to do when soldering onto the protoboard?
im using this protoboard:
i get the following error :
avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x30
and : avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
i have also tried to Desolder the ATMEGA1284p and put it back on the breadboard and it works fine on the breadboard..
i have check all the connections and they are fine...
First of all, I would take a socket for the chip. This makes testing and replacing much easier. When you have checked all connections and they are ok please also check if you have connections you don't want to, e. g. bridging two pins with solder. A magnifying lens is very appreciated for finding soldering errors.
thanks for your reply, i have checked the connections using a multimeter, and also magnifying lens.
do i need special flux? im using powerflow flux JTM Plumbing Ltd Leading Online Plumbing Merchants
thats all i could find in my area.
does the soldering iron need to be at a set temperature? my soldering iron is usually at 390C
im using ceramic through hole capacitors... and a normal 16mhz crystal. thanks
DON'T use it for electronics!!! This one is for plumbing. Although sold as acid-free it will produce acid during soldering. This will kill your circuit over time!
For soldering electronic parts take a SnPB60/40 electronic solder. It has flux inside. Normally, no additional flux is needed when you have through-hole components.
My soldering iron runs at 340 degrees Celsius. It depends on the tip you have.
When you have your circuit done connect it to power (with no chip in the socket) and check with the multimeter if all supply voltage connections are good (voltage appears on the pins it should and not on the neighbour pins). The disconnect power and insert the chip. After reconnecting power measure supply current. It should be around 8 to 15mA.
The flux will make you problems in the future. You can try to clean the board e. g. with alcohol. When all your connections are ok everything's fine at the moment.
do you think it is the flux that is causing the problem?
No it is not.
The problem is caused by you not wiring it up the same.
However given no photos of what you have done it is hard to say where you have gone wrong.
I'm a electronics soldering noob myself, but I found I had a devil of a job soldering onto stripboard (veroboard) well until I learned to cut the tracks and make them no longer than they needed to be - i.e. just the equivalent of small pads left. I guessed that copper is an excellent heat conductor and basically I was having to heat up the entire strip before one part could get hot enough for the solder to melt properly. Of course it probably didn't help that I was nervous about letting my iron get too hot.
I've used that Powerflow flux too. While I've no doubt that Mike is correct that this may cause long term problems (corroded copper tracks!) in the short term I don't see how this could cause your problem.