Using Arduino Uno as a standalone AVR programmer

Other Hardware 3rd Party Boards
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Hi everyone, i'm not a very experienced programmer but i know theres some geniuses here who can help -- and i'd greatly appreciate it!! Is there a way to turn the arduino uno (or any arduino really) into a standalone AVR programmer that uses a 6-pin ISP cable? My company's product uses a control board with an ATtiny261A for a brain, and unfortunately its looking like we are going to need to reprogram TONS of units in the field at multiple locations around the US. Our product has no connection to the cloud or internet, nor USB - just the male 6 pins for programming. We have a couple of (fairly expensive) standalone AVR programmers already, but our problem is so big that we may need to send out like a hundred of them and even ask the customers to plug it in and hit "go" to reprogram the units. Im hoping i can just make 100 of them with cheap arduinos and basically make it a disposable item. since we're already asking for the customers' help, i dont want to further burden them and require that they send the programmers back when theyre done, etc, and obviously we cant use the $200 programmers out there as giveaway's/disposables - If i can make a standalone programmer for like $20 then i dont care if they get lost, tossed, or whatever. 20 bucks per customer would be peanuts compared to what we'd have to spend for other alternatives. any advice would be helpful. what do you guys think?

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Hi, @cmessner421
Welcome to the forum.

Have you Googled;

using arduino uno as isp programmer

You should get many hits including YouTube videos on how to accomplish this.

Thanks.. Tom.. :grinning: :+1: :coffee: :australia:

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Thanks Tom, i have googled and learned a lot of good stuff but had trouble finding how to make it standalone and not require a computer while being able to program in-system without disrupting any existing hardware.

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Hi, @cmessner421

So you need the Arduino to contain the update code as well as act as an ISP programmer?

You would be better off having the controller that needs to be programmed, installed on a plug in PCB and then you just replace the controller with an update controller.
Return the old controller to be updated for the next round of edits.

Or you swap out the complete control PCB to have it replaced with an updated version.

Sounds like some rethinking about program updating hardware and methodology needs to be made.

Tom.. :grinning: :+1: :coffee: :australia:

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Have you seen Nick Gammon's stuff?

Atmega chip stand-alone programmer to upload .hex files

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