I have just had to load the bootloader onto 20 blank P-UP chips that I embed in my projectts.
Sometimes it likes the IE 95 0F in the signature, and sometimes IE 95 14 depending on the batch ??? from the same supplier ??
I have no time to investigate this, I am just so glad I can get the chips up and running with my rough and ready loom between my two Arduino Deumilanove boards.
While waiting for each to load, I had time to think about the IC sockets ( I havn't got round to ICSP yet with my current pcbs )
Both my Arduino boards are 3 years old now, and each have had many hundred chips inserted in the sockets.
I had one socket fail in the first year, and tried putting in a "tulip" type socket, which I heard were better, but more expensive.
The socket lasted a couple of weeks until the inner tiny cylinder of the the sockets pulled out on the chips leg.
I changed back to the original type socket, and they are both coping well after lots of abuse.
Boffin1:
Sometimes it likes the IE 95 0F in the signature, and sometimes IE 95 14 depending on the batch ??? from the same supplier ??
Sure sounds like some chips are ATmega328 (0x14) and some are ATmega328P (0x0F).
How are the chips marked? If they're all the same, I'd seriously consider changing suppliers. Nothing wrong with a plain ATmega328, but having one chip represented as the other would not impress me.
The trouble is Jack, I havn't had chance to really document it, it might be a lot to do with fatigue, but I normally leave the avrdude config file at whatever worked last, and then it tells me it expects the other. And I am buying from the same supplier ....
Its not a train smash, but every time I have to bootload another tube of chips I get confused . ( I was 66 yesterday so not too surprising )
I am surprised with the cheapy IC sockets outperforming the others though.
PS I have considered changing supplier, but this local one supplies for about $US 3 , which I cant match elsewhere.
I made a little standalone board a couple of years ago, that I use in loads of projects :-
Here is todays in a hand held remote, sending data from 6 binary coded switches and 5 push buttons.
As I say I wish I had put a ISP socket on the board !
I will redesign it one day, but it is just so cheap and easy to order another 10 little boards without setup charges .
And I have no need for ZIF sockets when these cheap sockets in my arduiono boards have handled probably 1000 insertion/removals ( I make lots of corrections each project ! )
I havnt had a chance to get on the forum, its been 18 hour days for months, but now I am getting smarter, and subcontracting the benchwork. ( its taken a long time to learn this ! )
I have some new designs I want to build a stock of, its quite exciting.
I have written some code for saving a library of 110 team names , and 20 age groups, in the 328s EEPROM.
The user can scroll through their previously typed in teamnames ( or enter a new one ) it will wrap around when full and overwrite the oldest )
Only after I worked out how to get it to save the name in the next empty byte, and save the address of the next empty byte , did I realise that I had made a little File Allocation Table , and I understand much better how it works
I have 9 scoreboards and one telemetry unit that I should have finished already, but the Chinese New Year is messing me around with pcbs and LEDs
Back to the grindstone its 5-30 Sun morning and I need to finish some code and get a bit of shuteye !
tried putting in a "tulip" type socket, which I heard were better, but more expensive.
The socket lasted a couple of weeks until the inner tiny cylinder of the the sockets pulled out on the chips leg.
"better" has multiple dimensions. The "machined pin" sockets are supposed to be more reliable, but I don't think that they are rated for as many insert/remove cycles as side-wipe sockets.
but the Chinese New Year is messing me around with pcbs and LEDs
Yes that's a real pain, I just had to get 8 board designs in before they close down. It's not like we shut up shop for Xmas/new year...oh hang on.
Do you use any matrix displays? I've an idea for a 16x16 "tile" that can be X/Y stacked up to 256 tiles but maybe this sort of thing is already available.
"It's not like we shut up shop for Xmas/new year...oh hang on."
We havnt for 7 years now, but this morning we decided we will shut shop this year for a couple of weeks next Christmas for a holiday.
It will have to be in the summer Xmas holidays to be able to spend time with the family, but Cape Town gets chock a block full with tourists at that time ( bless them ) so we will have to join in with the masses
I have just started using 5x7 matrix for the team names. which could be 8x8 of course .
I am using the MAX7219 chips, which I was hoping to daisychain for more than 8 chips per chain, it looked like its possible, but no data comes out of the 8th chip, I have no time to experiment further , so I am driving each chain with a separate load / latch/ CS pin whatever you want to call it
What chips are you planning to use on your 65,000 LED display Rob ?
I went and bought five ZIF sockets (OK, cheap ones, curiously enough, labelled "TFXTDOL PAT.NO 3500745" - you could easily mistake that for "TEXTOOL", couldn't you?) with a mind to put one in one UNO.
Thing is - the pins are really too big to go in the primary socket without permanently stretching the contacts, and even if one did, it could not be seated due to the adjoining capacitor (and probably, ISP connector).
And I presume it would be an even more impossible fit in a "tulip" or "machined pin" (presumably a description of the circular pin as much as the actual socket part) socket.
Machined sockets are designed for small IC legs, no way a ZIF socket will. As you found out they have large flat pins.
If you solder the ZIF to two machined header strips then insert that into the IC socket it should be ok and the extra height should fix any clearance problems.
I shouldnt worry with the ZIF Paul, as I say my normal original type sockets have withstood over 1000 chip insertions, just file a bit of plastic away on the socket under one end of the chip so you can get a small screwdriver in to lift it,and no problem.
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