I have built a v3.2 HeaterMeter that will control my home BBQ smoker with a ATMEGA328P (the link to this project is here http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9270072103/m/5721075126 and here https://github.com/CapnBry/HeaterMeter/wiki/Heatermeter-hardware), I purchased and built a USBtinyISP and have been having problems flashing the bootloader onto the HeaterMeter.

After installing the Arduino IDE on my Windowws 7 laptop, I attached the B USB cable to the USBtinyISP, the other end of the USB cable to my laptop, and installed the USBtinyISP drivers onto Windows 7.

USBtiny is listed under libusb-win32 devices in the Device Manager. The Driver Provider is libusb-win32, Driver Date 1/17/2012, Driver Version 1.2.6.0, and the Digital Signer is Not digitally signed. The Device type is libusb-win32 devices and the Location is Port_#0001.Hub_#0003. Device status is This device is working properly. Diver files are C:\Windows\system32\drivers\libusb0.sys, C:\Windows\system32\libusb0.dll, C:\Windows\syswow64\libusb0.dll. Provider is http://libusb-win32.sourceforge.net.

When I next attach the USB cable to my laptop and the USBtinyISP to the Heatermeter via the HeaterMeter's 6-pin ICSP header, the green LED glows on the USBtinyISP.

Using the Arduni GUI software I selected Arduino Uno from the Tools, Board menu and selected USBtinyISP from the Tools, Programmer menu. When I select Tools, Burn Bootloader, I get a brief blink of the red LED on the USBtinyISP and the following error message on my laptop.

avrdude: initialization failed, rc=-1
Double check connections and try again, or use -F to override
this check.

Turning on a verbose mode I get the following additional information:

C:\Patches\Arduino\arduino-1.0.1\hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude -CC:\Patches\Arduino\arduino-1.0.1\hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf -v -v -v -v -patmega328p -cusbtiny -e -Ulock:w:0x3F:m -Uefuse:w:0x05:m -Uhfuse:w:0xde:m -Ulfuse:w:0xff:m


avrdude: Version 5.11, compiled on Sep 2 2011 at 19:38:36
Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/
Copyright (c) 2007-2009 Joerg Wunsch


System wide configuration file is "C:\Patches\Arduino\arduino-1.0.1\hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf"


Using Port : lpt1
Using Programmer : usbtiny
avrdude: usbdev_open(): Found USBtinyISP, bus:device: bus-0:\\.\libusb0-0001--0x1781-0x0c9f
AVR Part : ATMEGA328P
Chip Erase delay : 9000 us
PAGEL : PD7
BS2 : PC2
RESET disposition : dedicated
RETRY pulse : SCK
serial program mode : yes
parallel program mode : yes
Timeout : 200
StabDelay : 100
CmdexeDelay : 25
SyncLoops : 32
ByteDelay : 0
PollIndex : 3
PollValue : 0x53
Memory Detail :


Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
eeprom 65 20 4 0 no 1024 4 0 3600 3600 0xff 0xff
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
flash 65 6 128 0 yes 32768 128 256 4500 4500 0xff 0xff
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
lfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
hfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
efuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
lock 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 4500 4500 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
calibration 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00
Block Poll Page Polled
Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack
----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------
signature 0 0 0 0 no 3 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00


Programmer Type : USBtiny
Description : USBtiny simple USB programmer, http://www.ladyada.net/make/usbtinyisp/
avrdude: programmer operation not supported


avrdude: Using SCK period of 10 usec
CMD: [ac 53 00 00] [00 00 00 00]
CMD: [ac 53 00 00] [00 00 00 00]
avrdude: initialization failed, rc=-1
Double check connections and try again, or use -F to override
this check.

avrdude done. Thank you.

I have checked the connectivity on the pins of the ATMEGA328P chip on the HeaterMeter back to the pins on the ribbon cable headers of the USBtinyISP with an OHM meter and they are fine.

What am I doing wrong?

-- Mache

That error is a "blanket" error, which kind of means (for lack of a better term), "it didn't work."

There could be a problem with the target that you're trying to program, or there could be a problem with the way that the USBtinyISP is built, or there could be a problem with the connection.

- If you have another target to test your USBtinyISP with, I'd suggest that you try it out on that target, to make sure that your programmer is working. (If you're local to our shop, you can stop by to test it out on something else, too.)

- Make sure that the ribbon cable to your target is correctly oriented on both ends.

- Make sure that your target has power from exactly one source (not two or zero sources) while trying to program. (Either power the board from its usual source, OR program it from the USBtiny.)

- Make sure that your ATmega328P is correctly installed, and that the connections on the target board are all good.

- Make sure that the resonator is installed correctly-- it will absolutely not function without it.

- Finally, I don't understand why you'd pick UNO firmware for this-- your board is clearly a Duemilanove compatible, not an UNO compatible. That shouldn't affect your ability to program the bootloader, but it will definitely cause problems once you switch over to the FTDI interface.

I am local to the shop and appreciate the offer to drop by to check out the efficacy of the USBtinyISP build.

See you late this afternoon,

Best regards and thank you,

-- Mache