ATmega_Board_Programmer to program a stand alone ATmega328P

Other Hardware 3rd Party Boards
1

I have successfully burned a bootloader onto a stand alone ATmega328P using ATmega_Board_Programmer burning from an Arduino Uno rev 3. This is what gets output to the serial monitor with the burning:

Atmega chip detector.
Written by Nick Gammon.
Version 1.18
Compiled on Oct 30 2016 at 19:18:27 with Arduino IDE 10612.
Attempting to enter ICSP programming mode ...
Entered programming mode OK.
Signature = 0x1E 0x95 0x0F 
Processor = ATmega328P
Flash memory size = 32768 bytes.
LFuse = 0xFF 
HFuse = 0xDE 
EFuse = 0xFD 
Lock byte = 0xEF 
Clock calibration = 0xC0 
Bootloader in use: Yes
EEPROM preserved through erase: No
Watchdog timer always on: No
Bootloader is 512 bytes starting at 7E00

Bootloader:

7E00: 0x11 0x24 0x84 0xB7 0x14 0xBE 0x81 0xFF 0xF0 0xD0 0x85 0xE0 0x80 0x93 0x81 0x00 
7E10: 0x82 0xE0 0x80 0x93 0xC0 0x00 0x88 0xE1 0x80 0x93 0xC1 0x00 0x86 0xE0 0x80 0x93 
7E20: 0xC2 0x00 0x80 0xE1 0x80 0x93 0xC4 0x00 0x8E 0xE0 0xC9 0xD0 0x25 0x9A 0x86 0xE0 
7E30: 0x20 0xE3 0x3C 0xEF 0x91 0xE0 0x30 0x93 0x85 0x00 0x20 0x93 0x84 0x00 0x96 0xBB 
7E40: 0xB0 0x9B 0xFE 0xCF 0x1D 0x9A 0xA8 0x95 0x81 0x50 0xA9 0xF7 0xCC 0x24 0xDD 0x24 
7E50: 0x88 0x24 0x83 0x94 0xB5 0xE0 0xAB 0x2E 0xA1 0xE1 0x9A 0x2E 0xF3 0xE0 0xBF 0x2E 
.
.
.
7FF0: 0xFF 0x27 0x09 0x94 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0xFF 0x04 0x04 

MD5 sum of bootloader = 0xFB 0xF4 0x9B 0x7B 0x59 0x73 0x7F 0x65 0xE8 0xD0 0xF8 0xA5 0x08 0x12 0xE7 0x9F 
Bootloader name: optiboot_atmega328

First 256 bytes of program memory:

0: 0x0C 0x94 0x5C 0x00 0x0C 0x94 0x6E 0x00 0x0C 0x94 0x6E 0x00 0x0C 0x94 0x6E 0x00 
10: 0x0C 0x94 0x6E 0x00 0x0C 0x94 0x6E 0x00 0x0C 0x94 0x6E 0x00 0x0C 0x94 0x6E 0x00 
.
.
.
E0: 0x90 0xE0 0xFC 0x01 0xEC 0x55 0xFF 0x4F 0x24 0x91 0xFC 0x01 0xE0 0x57 0xFF 0x4F 
F0: 0x84 0x91 0x88 0x23 0x99 0xF0 0x90 0xE0 0x88 0x0F 0x99 0x1F 0xFC 0x01 0xEA 0x57 

Programming mode off.

The problem is the Low Byte fuse setting. It is 0xFF (and HFuse 0xDE, EFuse 0xFD). I want the chip to run on its internal clock, without the divider. The fuse calculator from Engbedded tells me that it is E2 I want.

What perplexes me is that when I look at the code for ATmega_Board_Programmer, the fuse values for LFuse, HFuse, and EFuse for the signature 0x1E950F (identified as the 328P I am burning) reads as E2, DE, 05 (and 2F for the Lock Byte).

Why is ATmega_Board_Programmer not setting the fuses according to the code? In fact, I can find no AVR Part for which these fuse settings appear (the ATmega328 without the P comes closer).

I thought perhaps that ATmega_Board_Programmer wasn't able to burn anything, that these were the settings from the chip vendor (DigiKey), but the output from the ATmega_Board_Programmer suggests it did indeed burn the ATmega_Board_Programmer.ino.hex file:

Warning: Board breadboard:avr:atmega328bb doesn't define a 'build.board' preference. Auto-set to: AVR_ATMEGA328BB

Sketch uses 27,044 bytes (83%) of program storage space. Maximum is 32,256 bytes.
Global variables use 241 bytes (11%) of dynamic memory, leaving 1,807 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 2,048 bytes.
/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude -C/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf -v -patmega328p -carduino -P/dev/cu.usbmodem1d11 -b115200 -D -Uflash:w:/var/folders/q6/2g6gp6cd0tb2_4wz4ljn39sm0000gp/T/arduino_build_484799/Atmega_Board_Programmer.ino.hex:i 

avrdude: Version 6.3, compiled on Sep 12 2016 at 17:22:25
         Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
         Copyright (c) 2007-2014 Joerg Wunsch

         System wide configuration file is "/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf"
         User configuration file is "/Users/Bigdaddy/.avrduderc"
         User configuration file does not exist or is not a regular file, skipping

         Using Port                    : /dev/cu.usbmodem1d11
         Using Programmer              : arduino
         Overriding Baud Rate          : 115200
         AVR Part                      : ATmega328P
         Chip Erase delay              : 9000 us
         PAGEL                         : PD7
         BS2                           : PC2
         RESET disposition             : dedicated
         RETRY pulse                   : SCK
         serial program mode           : yes
         parallel program mode         : yes
         Timeout                       : 200
         StabDelay                     : 100
         CmdexeDelay                   : 25
         SyncLoops                     : 32
         ByteDelay                     : 0
         PollIndex                     : 3
         PollValue                     : 0x53
         Memory Detail                 :

                                  Block Poll               Page                       Polled
           Memory Type Mode Delay Size  Indx Paged  Size   Size #Pages MinW  MaxW   ReadBack
           ----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
           eeprom        65    20     4    0 no       1024    4      0  3600  3600 0xff 0xff
           flash         65     6   128    0 yes     32768  128    256  4500  4500 0xff 0xff
           lfuse          0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00
           hfuse          0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00
           efuse          0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00
           lock           0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00
           calibration    0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0     0     0 0x00 0x00
           signature      0     0     0    0 no          3    0      0     0     0 0x00 0x00

         Programmer Type : Arduino
         Description     : Arduino
         Hardware Version: 3
         Firmware Version: 4.4
         Vtarget         : 0.3 V
         Varef           : 0.3 V
         Oscillator      : 28.800 kHz
         SCK period      : 3.3 us

avrdude: AVR device initialized and ready to accept instructions

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

avrdude: Device signature = 0x1e950f (probably m328p)
avrdude: reading input file "/var/folders/q6/2g6gp6cd0tb2_4wz4ljn39sm0000gp/T/arduino_build_484799/Atmega_Board_Programmer.ino.hex"
avrdude: writing flash (27044 bytes):

Writing | ################################################## | 100% 5.08s

avrdude: 27044 bytes of flash written
avrdude: verifying flash memory against /var/folders/q6/2g6gp6cd0tb2_4wz4ljn39sm0000gp/T/arduino_build_484799/Atmega_Board_Programmer.ino.hex:
avrdude: load data flash data from input file /var/folders/q6/2g6gp6cd0tb2_4wz4ljn39sm0000gp/T/arduino_build_484799/Atmega_Board_Programmer.ino.hex:
avrdude: input file /var/folders/q6/2g6gp6cd0tb2_4wz4ljn39sm0000gp/T/arduino_build_484799/Atmega_Board_Programmer.ino.hex contains 27044 bytes
avrdude: reading on-chip flash data:

Reading | ################################################## | 100% 4.07s

avrdude: verifying ...
avrdude: 27044 bytes of flash verified

avrdude done.  Thank you.

Any thoughts?
I know MiniCore is widely touted as a superior solution, but I am trying to understand/learn in the process. By the way, with MiniCore, the pinout would suggest I need to hook up an FTDI AND ICSP from my programming Arduino Uno to the ATmega328P on the breadboard. Yes?

Thank you all for so altruistically donating some of your time even to us newbies.

2

Unused bits in the Fuse Bytes often read back as 1s altho they may be programmed as 0s.
So for example 0x05 = 00000101 may read back as 11111101 = FD

When programming, I typically connect an FTDI just to get power into board, as my AVR ISP MKii only monitors the power line and does not supply power itself. I then use the serial interface to download blink to make sure the bootloader installed okay:
Some examples, a 2560 board and a 1284P board:

3135×1984 777 KB

1083×791 84.7 KB

3

Thanks CrossRoads.

Followup: I used ATmega_Board_Programmer's Lilipad option to bootload the 0xE2 fuse setting that I wanted, and now it reads back to me correctly.

Any idea why changing the fuse settings for the ATmega328P in the ATmega_Board_Programmer's .ino did not change the fuses actual settings? It seemed to me that AVRdude was using the .hex of the compiled ATmega_Board_Programmer, so any changes to it should have been reflected in what actually got burned, no? Where are the actual fuse settings that are burned reside in code? Although I have gotten what I want (a 328P chip with bootloader that can operate without an external clock at 8MHz) I would like to understand the process better.

A 2nd question if I might: the 328P has one 16MHz timer and 2 8MHz timers. Why can't I set fuses that would allow the 328P to operate at 16MHz from an internal oscillator? Is it simply that it is too unreliable? Does the Uno achieve 16MHz only by using an external oscillator?

4

Does the Uno achieve 16MHz only by using an external oscillator?

Yes; there is no phase lock loop (PLL) to create higher internal frequencies in the 328/1284/2560 chips. There are some Atmel chips that do have a PLL.

Programming fuses - I have only changed them by using a Programmer, which connects to the ICSP pins (SCK, MISO, MOSI, Gnd), a Programmer holds the Reset line low and accesses the memory directly.
If the fuses are accessible via other means, I don't know know that method is.

When the fuses are set via Tools:Burn bootloader, a Programmer is expected to be connected and it loads the fuses from the data stored in boards.txt for the selected board.

5

mamore:
with MiniCore, the pinout would suggest I need to hook up an FTDI AND ICSP from my programming Arduino Uno to the ATmega328P on the breadboard. Yes?

You do need to connect the "programming Arduino Uno"(Arduino as ISP) to your computer using USB but it already has that onboard so a separate FTDI is not necessary. FTDI or other USB-serial adapter on the ATmega328P on the breadboard is only necessary if you need serial output from the chip. It is not needed for setting the fuses and burning the bootloader. You do need to connect the "programming Arduino Uno"(Arduino as ISP) to the SPI and reset pins of the ATmega328P on the breadboard as well as providing power to that chip to do this. These are the pins connected to an ICSP header but ICSP stands for "In-Circuit Serial Programming" so you're basically saying "hook up an In-Circuit Serial Programming" which doesn't really make sense.