Need Bootloader!

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) General Frequently-Asked Questions
1

I managed to mess up the bootloader on my Arduino. All I get when uploading is a verification error. Not sure what I did to cause it, it just stopped working.

So I ordered 3 Atmel 168's from a source that I thought I remembered reading shipped them with a bootloader. I tried to find the post again that I read about it, but could not. So I ordered blind, and verified what all of you probably can remember. Sparkfun does not ship Atmel 168's with a pre-loaded bootloader. :cry:

So before I order again, I thought I'd check to see if anyone who can burn bootloaders might live in Utah and be willing to help me out?

I'll also look in to burning my own bootloaders.

2

You can easily make a parallel programmer.

A word of advice if you do . . .
Keep your cables short. (~8") The cable does not use an active device.
(Here is another site with more details and the same warning about cable length -
http://www.avrfreaks.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=36591)

3

My biggest hang up with building or buying a programmer is my lack of a working PC. I'm one of those people who got in to the Arduino because it does not require the use of a PC. Except for the bootloader. Oh well. The IDE under Mac OS-X says it can burn a bootloader, but everything else I've read says you need to do it from the PC.

4

As far as I know the cable should work with a Mac.

However, if you don't want to try it, I'm in the next state over, and I'd be happy to burn them for you.
PM me to make arrangements.

5

Ladyada sells the chips with the bootloader at adafruit.com

6

Ladyada sells the chips with the bootloader at adafruit.com

She also sells an excellent USB programmer that will burn the bootloader in a jiffy.

7

As far as I know the cable should work with a Mac.

I assume the problem is the lack of a parallel port.

Have a look at my list of links for using an Arduino as an ISP programmer--the recently mentioned "Burning the Bootloader without external AVR-Writer" page looks hopeful as it seems it wouldn't require a functional IC to start with.

--Phil.