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AVR Downloader/UploaDEr
For the latest AVRDUDE version, see here: savannah.nongnu.org/projects/avrdude
For the latest project information, see the AVRDUDE project at savannah.nongnu.org.
NOTE: AVRDUDE is the FreeBSD Unix software formerly known as AVRPROG. The name was changed so as not to conflict with Atmel's own programmer software called AVRPROG.EXE. Currently, an effort is underway to port AVRDUDE to Linux and Windows. The name AVRPROG would surely cause confusion with Atmel's software, thus I felt the best way to handle this is to just change the name.
AVRDUDE is a full featured FreeBSD Unix program for programming Atmel's AVR CPU's. It can program the Flash and EEPROM, and where supported by the serial programming protocol, it can program fuse and lock bits. AVRDUDE also supplies a direct instruction mode allowing one to issue any programming instruction to the AVR chip regardless of whether AVRDUDE implements that specific feature of a particular chip.
AVRDUDE can be used effectively via the command line to read or write all chip memory types (eeprom, flash, fuse bits, lock bits, signature bytes) or via an interactive (terminal) mode. Using AVRDUDE from the command line works well for programming the entire memory of the chip from the contents of a file, while interactive mode is useful for exploring memory contents, modifing individual bytes of eeprom, programming fuse/lock bits, etc.
AVRDUDE supports two basic programmer types: Atmel's STK500 and the PPI (parallel port interface). PPI represents a class of simple programmers where the programming lines are directly connected to the PC parallel port, while the STK500 uses the serial port to communicate with the PC and contains on-board logic to control the programming of the target device. Several pin configurations exist for the various PPI programmers that exist, and AVRDUDE can be be configured to work with them by either specifying the appropriate programmer on the command line or by creating a new entry in its configuration file. All that's usually required for a new entry is to tell AVRDUDE which pins to use for each programming function.
The simplest possible programmer is shown below and requires only a few connections, a few resistors, and a crystal resonator assuming your device doesn't have an on-board oscillator. If the device you wish to program has an on-board oscillator, you can do without the crystal resonator. In it's simplest form, just make the following connections from the parallel port pins to the Atmel AVR device:
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Be sure and include series resistors between the signal wires and the parallel port. 1K resistors should work fine and may save your parallel port from damage in case of mis-wiring or some other mishap.
Also, of course, you need a power supply to power the chip. Some parallel ports can source enough power for smaller chips, but I recommend creating a simple battery supply and a voltage regulator (7805 or similar) to regulate the voltage at 5V or whatever your chip requires since many modern PCs and especially laptops cannot source enough current to power the larger AVR chips.