Tiny ISP V2.1

[MStarha]

Hello eveyone,

a year or so ago I bought on eBay 2 pcs of Tiny ISP V2.1 based on Attiny44.

Link to image

My problem is, that when connected to a computer (running Windows or Linux), it does not show up in the ports list. The power LED is on so it is not a connection problem.

Since then I got a refund for it. Now I want to know, if it is worth it repairing the board (try to flash firmware, connect to it in some way) so I can use it. Somewhere I read that these Attiny chips do not have the power to work as ISP programmers, so perhaps I could use it as an usual microcontroller.

Thank you for any helpful insights.

[pert]

it does not show up in the ports list.

This is normal and expected, the USBtinyISP programmer is a pure USB device. It does not present a virtual COM port and so it won't ever show up on the ports list.

it is worth it repairing the board (try to flash firmware, connect to it in some way)

It probably doesn't need any repair. Did you ever try using it?

Somewhere I read that these Attiny chips do not have the power to work as ISP programmers

Most likely incorrect information.

perhaps I could use it as an usual microcontroller.

Sure, if you like. The preferred Arduino boards platform for ATtiny parts is ATTinyCore:
https://github.com/SpenceKonde/ATTinyCore

[DrAzzy]

It is IMO about as bad as it gets as the basis for a general purpose ATtiny44 board. There's a jumper you need to bridge to connect to reset for ISP, and at best you only get... like 5 general purpose I/O pins with flying leads....

You'd be better off just buying an attiny84 and putting it on a breadboard....

Note also that ATTinyCore does not have support for:
* USB bootloader for ATtiny44 (only has it for 8k parts - it kinda sucks on smaller parts, because it eats 1.5k or so)
* Any VUSB functionality other than a bootloader for 8k and 16k parts that I have working support for, so you can't turn them into ersatz keyboards, mice, or serial ports (the digispark libraries generate non-working binaries, as far as I can tell - I suspect a compiler version incompatibility; probably relating to overly-aggressive optimization and/or LTO). Luckily I've gotten help from some dude on FB who sent me the resources I need for debugging this, which I'll work on after 2.2.0 megaTinyCore and 1.3.0 DxCore.

Just use is as an ISP programmer. The behavior you have described is consistent with a 100% working USBtinyISP. I have piles of those and they work beautifully :-)

The fact that the USBAsp and USBtinyISP devices *don't* show up as a port is one of their best features, IMO - you can have a serial port connected to the target, and *that* port selected, and you don't have constantly switch port between the ISP programmer and the target serial port in order to use the serial monitor (or normal upload, if you're bootloading then uploading).

(although - if I'm uploading with a programmer rather than through the bootloader, I'm generally going to be using some other serial console program (I prefer hTerm) - having one continuous record, so I don't need to do anything special to see what exactly the last version did (I have the sketch print something like "Start" at the beginning) is worth it's weight in gold)

[MStarha]

Thank you guys so much!! I will give it another go and see if it really works.

I think I did try using it once without success and at that time I could not be bothered with "fixing" it so I just wired an Arduino UNO as ISP and used that. But as I have mentioned it was about a year ago so I do not know if I am telling the truth.

Once again, thank you.

[WattsThat]

Somewhere I read that these Attiny chips do not have the power to work as ISP programmers, so perhaps I could use it as an usual microcontroller.

Beats me why someone would say that, a simple Google search proves otherwise.

I have two of the very same purple boards, been using them for years without a so much as a burp. Burned lots of chips with them. Nothing exotic, all standard AVR stuff but never a hiccup. Only reason I bought them was for the micro usb connectors, easier to cable than the usb-A devices that need an extension cable.

As Dr. Azzy's said, they're not very useful as a general purpose board. With no practical way to program them, they're a "why bother". There are far more interesting, more capable atTiny's available. Dr. Azzy would know.

[DrAzzy]

Somewhere I read that these Attiny chips do not have the power to work as ISP programmers, 

Likely a misunderstanding. and what they intended to convey was that