avrdude hfuse verification mismatch

Using Arduino Microcontrollers
1

So, about maybe half the time when I'm flashing new chips, avrdude spits back something like this:

orbimac:firmware pfriedel$ avrdude -c usbasp \
  -C /Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Resources/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf \
  -p m328p -U lfuse:w:lfuse-LifeClock.hex:i -U hfuse:w:hfuse-LifeClock.hex:i \
  -U efuse:w:efuse-LifeClock.hex:i -U flash:w:flash-LifeClock.hex:i

avrdude: warning: cannot set sck period. please check for usbasp firmware update.
avrdude: AVR device initialized and ready to accept instructions

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.00s

avrdude: Device signature = 0x1e950f
avrdude: NOTE: FLASH memory has been specified, an erase cycle will be performed
         To disable this feature, specify the -D option.
avrdude: erasing chip
avrdude: warning: cannot set sck period. please check for usbasp firmware update.
avrdude: reading input file "lfuse-LifeClock.hex"
avrdude: writing lfuse (1 bytes):

Writing | ################################################## | 100% 0.00s

avrdude: 1 bytes of lfuse written
avrdude: verifying lfuse memory against lfuse-LifeClock.hex:
avrdude: load data lfuse data from input file lfuse-LifeClock.hex:
avrdude: input file lfuse-LifeClock.hex contains 1 bytes
avrdude: reading on-chip lfuse data:

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.00s

avrdude: verifying ...
avrdude: 1 bytes of lfuse verified
avrdude: reading input file "hfuse-LifeClock.hex"
avrdude: writing hfuse (1 bytes):

Writing |                                                    | 0% 0.00s ***failed;  
Writing | ################################################## | 100% 0.03s

avrdude: 1 bytes of hfuse written
avrdude: verifying hfuse memory against hfuse-LifeClock.hex:
avrdude: load data hfuse data from input file hfuse-LifeClock.hex:
avrdude: input file hfuse-LifeClock.hex contains 1 bytes
avrdude: reading on-chip hfuse data:

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.00s

avrdude: verifying ...
avrdude: verification error, first mismatch at byte 0x0000
         0xde != 0xd9
avrdude: verification error; content mismatch

avrdude: safemode: hfuse changed! Was de, and is now d9
Would you like this fuse to be changed back? [y/n]

Clearly, hfuse is failing to write and verify the first time. But I would swear that it works flawlessly every time (on that chip) after that. Am I missing some intricacy of avrdude and fuses - i.e. lfuse in one run, hfuse in another run, then go ahead and do flash and eeprom in a combined run?

2

maybe the effects of LFUSE needs some time to take effect, maybe the reset pin is not toggled between LFUSE and HFUSE operations

separate runs is a good idea, use a bash/batch script or makefile if you must automate it

3

I think frank26080115 is probably right. The Lfuse change might change the clock speed (turn off divide by 8) and attempting to change another fuse at that moment might be problematic.

4

Ah, good point about CKDIV. Yeah, this is already a bit of a batch script, so it's easy enough to split into separate processes.