Hi I'm trying to upload arduino code to an Attiny84 using an avr MK2 but it doesn't seem to be picking up the chip. I believe I need to install the bootloader first onto the chip but I'm not picking it up. Nothing is appearing on the coms toolbar.
I've installed the correct attiny library too, any suggestions for what could be the issue?
Are there also examples of other people doing this, so far I can only see people either using Atmel studio which I'm not, or they use an Arduino Uno as like a ghetto ISP.
How have you connected the Attiny to the programmer?
What process are you using to try to upload code to the ATTiny? You need to select the correct programmer in the Tools>Programmer menu, then use the Burn Bootloader option to correctly set the fuses on the ATTiny. Then you use the Sketch>Upload Using Programmer option to actually upload the code to the ATTiny.
MapleSyrup654:
Nothing is appearing on the coms toolbar.
That is the normal and expected behavior. The AVRISP mkII is a pure USB device. It doesn't create a virtual COM port.
MapleSyrup654:
Are there also examples of other people doing this
Sure. I've done it. You won't find as much information on the AVRISP mkII because it's a relatively expensive programmer discontinued by Atmel years ago (though the clones are still sold) which historically had some compatibility issues with the Arduino IDE (should be fixed now).
Thanks for the replies, yeah I feel pretty dumb but turns out it was drivers that needed to be installed, I usually use Atmel studio which solves this.
If I may ask, what type of programmer is more commonly used nowadays
For what it is worth, I'm pretty sure everyone here has done something like that at some point. Thanks for getting back to us and letting us know how you resolved the issue.
Lots of people use a USBASP- they are very cheap and you can get them almost everywhere. You get some that are adjustable for 3.3V and 5V if you look around.
I've been through some driver fun with my AVRISP mkII. It turns out that Atmel Studio requires it to have the Jungo driver but the avrdude tool used by the Arduino IDE requires it to have a libUSB driver. Luckily, I originally used it with the Arduino IDE, so then when it stopped working shortly after I gave Atmel Studio a try I didn't get too flustered.
I'm also a big fan of the USBasp. I paid <$3 for my USBasp and somewhere around $40 for my Atmel AVRISP mkII. I also have all the other common ISP programmers, including a dedicated "Arduino as ISP" I made from scratch as my first real soldering project. The USBasp is the only one I use on a regular basis, and I use it multiple times a week. I like the 6 pin USBasp you can buy on eBay. I prefer that to the more common 10 pin version because the Arduino boards all use the 6 pin ICSP header. You can get an adapter for the 10 pin programmers, but the cable is more bulky and the 10 pin USBasp + adapter makes it more expensive than the 6 pin USBasp alone.