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[on:]

I have an Arduino Duemilanove board with an included ATMEGA328P chip in the IC socket. Over a few years of tinkering, I've managed to fry a few I/O pins, so I think it's time I replace the microcontroller.

Now, most places only sell replacement microcontrollers pre-loaded with the UNO bootloader—can I use this in my Duemilanove board?

Also-- has anyone come up with a good method for prying-out the chip from its socket?? 


Thanks,

bob800

[Reply #1 on:]

I have an Arduino Duemilanove board with an included ATMEGA328P chip in the IC socket. Over a few years of tinkering, I've managed to fry a few I/O pins, so I think it's time I replace the microcontroller.

Now, most places only sell replacement microcontrollers pre-loaded with the UNO bootloader—can I use this in my Duemilanove board?

What chip do you have? A 328 or a 168?

Also-- has anyone come up with a good method for prying-out the chip from its socket?? 

Small screwdriver under each end? Do you really care about bending pins if you're throwing it away?

[Reply #2 on:]

As I said, it is a 328 chip.

[Reply #3 on:]

If you put an ATmega386P with the UNO/Optiboot bootloader into your Duemilanove you can just call it an UNO from then on.  The design differences are small enough that the IDE can treat it like an UNO without problems.

[Reply #4 on:]

On removing DIP chips from sockets, I use an Exacto knife. I stick the blade into one end and gently lift that end maybe 1/8" then go to the other end and lift it the same amount, then back and forth just lifting a little at a time so that the chip pins aren't bent. eventually the chip will be high enough off the socket you can grab it with your fingers a lift straight up with maybe a little rocking back and forth in the 'skinny' direction of the chip. There are special DIP chip removal hand tools available but they tend to be expensive for the few times you will be using it. Installing new chips is where you need to be extra careful. You will find that most chips will have their pins 'sprayed out' rather then perfectly vertical. I usually hold the chip by its end and press all the pins on one side against a hard table top and gently bend all the pins on that side to near vertical, then do the other side. Then when placing the chip into the socket, just rest the chip on top of the socket to see if all the pins are going to have a straight path into the socket pins. Then just press gently down watching for equal insertion progress for all pins, it can take some fair amount of pressure to fully seat the chip but you must go slowly to make sure any pins aren't missing and bending inward or outward from it's socket pin as you press down.