Help loading a boot loader

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) Hardware Troubleshooting
1

Hi,

i have made my own arduino serial, using this as a guide, arduino.cc/en/uploads/Main/ArduinoSeverinoManual.pdf
i did the board on stripper board (vero board) i will upload a picture of both sides of the board and my "design" when i get home from work.

i made a parallel programmer, following this guide, arduino.cc/en/Hacking/ParallelProgrammer?from=Main.ParallelProgrammer
except i did not have a 220 ohm resistor so i substituted it with a which is 220 K ohms, im guessing this is a big deal & part of my problem.

i have a ATmega8 chip, and the only pc i have with a parallel port is my Ubuntu server (8.10) so i connected my parallel programmer to it, then the other end to the ICSP, the board is powered from a pc power supply. i found the instructions for that here, reprap.org/bin/view/Main/PCPowerSupply

so i ssh'd into the server, installed avrdude and ran: sudo avrdude -p m8 -c pada, which gave an error, rc=-1

i know there is a lot that could have gone wrong from what i have described here,

  • my board
  • my parallel programmer

but i was unable to find anyone else who had tried the serial arduino on vero board, with instructions.

as for the parallel programmer and avrdude,
the instructions i found are ambiguous... or i am trying to over complicate things...

is this what i am supposed to do...

power the arduino, connect the ardiono -> parallel programmer -> pc
then run something like
sudo avrdude -p m8 -c dapa -U flash:w:arduino.hex

then i should have the arduino bootloader on the chip?

2

re: parallel programmer,
power up your duino,
plug in the parallel isp,
start the arduino ide (if not already started)
Hit
hit Tools-->Board-->[select your board] (NG with atmega8 should work)
hit Tools-->Burn Bootloader-->W/Parallel Programmer
If you get a blinking light on pin 13 assume it worked, regardless of what the screen says.

3

ubuntu server has no X so i cant use the arduino ide! i have to use the cli with avrdude....

4

Why not use an USB to Serial cable then you can use it on any PC with a USB port?

5

i was thinking of that but has read that the serial to usb cable hardly ever works?

ill be home from work in an hour so then i can upload a picture of my (attempt) at the arduino on veroboard, i did not solder a serial port even though i should have and could have. only 5 of the 9 serial pins are used... so i just broke of a 5pin header and soldered that on the veroboard, suppose i can unsolder it and solder the serial port...

then i need to find myself a serial to usb cable or buy one...

6

Surely there is a way to run the arduino ide under ubuntu. It isn't really arduino without the ide?!? Check x.org

avrfreaks.net is a good resource if you want to work from the command line only.

7

yes, you can run the arduino ide under ubutnu, however, the only pc i have with a parallel port is an ubuntu server... my server has no windowing environment, i ssh into it. ssh is similar to telnet.
i just want to load the boot loader...

but yes, i suppose i dont really need the arduino bootloader, i can just compile my code using avr-gcc and upload the compiled code...

8

here is my arduino on vero board, ill be very happy if it works... just really wish i could get pcb's where i live...

9

i did not have a 220 ohm resistor so i substituted it with a which is 220 K ohms, im guessing this is a big deal

I don't think it will ever work with that high a resistance in place. try the closest higher value you have, like another 470 ohm. Even better, put two 470 ohm resistors in parallel, which gives you a net resistance of 235 ohms.

Depending on your parallel port, you may have trouble. I never got this to work with my computer, but a variant of the same circuit that uses a 74hc244 driver worked just fine.

-j

10

i did not have a 220 ohm resistor so i substituted it with a which is 220 K ohms, im guessing this is a big deal

kg4wsv is right.
220 K ohms = 220,000 ohms = 1,000 x 220 ohms.

Try to use a 220ohms, or make an association in parallel (like kg4wsv example) or in series (put 2 resistors of 100 ohm in series). And make the cable as short as possible.

11

thanks a lot for the advice :slight_smile: i really appreciate it!

12

here is my parallel programmer, the plot thickens...: the parallel programmer i will change that 220 K ohm resistor to a 220 ohm resistor this weekend. thanks for the advice :slight_smile:

13

I swapped that 220 K ohm resistor with a 220 ohm resistor, but i still get rc=-1 as an error message from avrdude. are any of the jumpers supposed to be connected for programming via a parallel programmer? thanks

14

In this case, there are no jumper settings to change.
Did you try to use the -F option in the command line?
(sudo avrdude -p m8 -c dapa -F -U flash:w:arduino.hex)

15

i tried the -F flag with my old pralell programmer, the one with the 220 K ohm resistor, not the new one with the 220 ohm resistor, maybe it will work this time. i will try it when i get home. thanks Adilson.