These tiny controller boards are build to provide a quick start for projects with 8 and 20 pin AVR microcontrollers, e.g. ATtiny13, ATtiny45, ATtiny85 and ATtiny2313. They don’t include any fancy stuff, they are just as simple as possible.
Where is the problem?
Whenever I was prototyping on a breadboard I was annoyed by all the wires to setup before the actual project could begin. Arduino projects were much easier. The 6 pin ISP (In System Programming) header alone was troublesome. Make an adaptor to plug a 3×2 pin header on a breadboard. Then cut short wires and connect the controller to the header. Which pins are what? MOSI, MISO and SCK? So I decided to do it only once more.
The solution
These little breadboard headers are very handy. They occupy only one more row on each side as a controller would need. They include already:
- 6 pin ISP (In System Programming) header
- 8 MHz resonator
- Reset pull-up resistor and reset switch
- blocking capacitors
- Serial connection header (FTDI-cable compatible), only on the ATtiny2313-Header
If these boards look somehow familliar to you, they are inspired by the Arduino compatible RBBB and the Boarduino. If you put them side by side, the tiny boards look like younger brothers and sisters.
Failure
And as Sparkfun showed us that you don’t have to be ashamed of what you screw up, here is one of my failures. Because the routed connections between the controller and the pin headers looked a bit warped in Eagle CAD, I ripped them up and routed them by hand. And forgot to reroute the connection on pin 1! So always hit “ratsnest” at the end to check, if you missed something. Luckily it was easy to fix. Lesson learned. That’s why you are prototyping.
Outlook
They work like a charm. Just plug them in your breadboard and connect your programmer. Great. And don’t they look cute?
So now I am ready for a bigger batch of PCBs. Expect the header boards in the store maybe next month.
Update 2009/03/15: The kits are now available in the store.
Downloads
- Eagle schematics: headers-v10
24 responses so far ↓
1 Al // Jan 18, 2009 at 12:04
Those look great! My breakout adaptor for programming took a surprising amount of time to make and it’s ugly. These look like a perfect solution!
2 Marcus // Jan 18, 2009 at 12:20
Very nice!
They came out much nicer than I thought!
Have you tried adding an socket for the resonator? So you can use the boards at different speeds? Or is it too unstable?
3 Alex // Jan 18, 2009 at 12:37
No, I haven’t. I think I will just make another, if I need a different speed or different controller. Remember, just plug and go.
4 ATtiny breadboard headers - Hack a Day // Jan 18, 2009 at 19:55
[...] the amount of time it took to start prototyping with an AVR ATtiny. To make things easier, he built headers that carry the 8 and 20 pin chips and plug directly into breadboards. The boards include a 6pin ISP header, resonator, pull-up [...]
5 George G // Jan 19, 2009 at 00:45
Looking forward to pick up some of these – Actually a single sided board might be nice to try and make at home.
6 Nick Scott // Jan 19, 2009 at 01:39
That looks good, how much are you expecting these to cost when they go on sale.
7 Alex // Jan 19, 2009 at 08:46
Hi Nick,
I expect them be around $8-12.
Cheers,
Alex
8 Hans // Jan 19, 2009 at 08:46
Do I get it right that you are forwarding all Atmel pins directly to the header on the bottom side of the board? I don’t think this makes sense for the oscillator connections. And I’d really like to see a 12MHz crystal so you can easily an USB slave device implementation on the 2313.
@George G: I don’t really think these like to be done single-sided. The pin headers on the bottom side should be soldered from the top to increase mechanical stability. You could get one done single-sided though by using SMD components.
9 Alex // Jan 19, 2009 at 09:00
Hi Hans,
yes, all pins are directly connected to the headers. And maybe I will have an option to select different resonators.
Cheers,
Alex
10 bryon // Jan 20, 2009 at 04:53
I’ve been looking for something like this for a long time. When do you think they will be available for sale?
11 AC0KG // Jan 21, 2009 at 22:20
Cool project. I’d like to see support for a crystal though. Do you think you could set the board up so it could be populated with either crystal or resonator? I don’t care much for sockets on those parts, but it would be nice to be able to use the same board for both configurations.
12 Daemach // Jan 21, 2009 at 23:26
Would you mind posting a schematic so I can breadboard this?
13 Alex // Jan 22, 2009 at 00:36
Hi Daemach,
I added a zip with Eagle-CAD schematics. Board layouts will be released when I am finished with the boards.
Cheers,
Alex
14 Eric // Jan 26, 2009 at 02:57
I’m really looking forward to your PCB’s arriving and making an order for them! Thanks!
15 Daemach // Jan 29, 2009 at 16:38
Thanks much. Please consider creating full kits with all components included. Better make a bunch though…
16 Daemach // Jan 29, 2009 at 16:41
A jack for a 9v DC wall-wart and a VR would be another outstanding addition…
17 mike // Feb 20, 2009 at 21:45
I am a complete noob but I was looking for a way to use my Arduino Diecimila to program an 8-pin ATtiny chip. Is that what this header allows me to do? What do I exactly need to program an 8-pin ATtiny. Do I use the same Arduino software? do I need another cable to connect to your header? Or do I still use my Diecimila AND your header?
18 Alex // Feb 21, 2009 at 08:54
Hi Mike,
no, you will need an ISP programmer to program these header boards (e.g. usbtinyisp). But you can turn your Arduino into an ISP programmer. Take a look at http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2007/11/04/arduino-avr-in-system-programmer-isp/
And you write your software in assembler or C.
Cheers,
Alex
19 ruedi // Jul 30, 2009 at 08:41
Wow, so nice. I’m not that good in building circuits. Can you explain me what those capacitors are doing. Flattening the power source input?
Thanks, ruedi.
20 Alex // Jul 30, 2009 at 18:09
Hi ruedi,
yes, that’s exactly what they are for.
Cheers,
Alex
21 Electronics-Lab.com Blog » Blog Archive » ATtiny breadboard headers // Oct 19, 2009 at 22:24
[...] breadboard headers – [Link] Tags: ATtiny, ATtiny13, ATtiny2313, ATTiny45, ATtiny85 Filed in Mcu | 1 views No Comments [...]
22 Electronics-Lab.com Blog » Blog Archive » Breadboard header for ATTiny 25/45/85 // Mar 23, 2010 at 20:41
[...] header for ATTiny 25/45/85 microcontroller is a new design based on the original idea from Tinkerlog. Maybe the most useful feature is that it can provide power to the vertical breadboard strips while [...]
23 Placas minimas ATtiny | Automatismos Mar del Plata // Jun 16, 2010 at 03:28
[...] Descargar esquemáticos para EAGLE + Visto en Tinkerlog Compartir [...]
24 Electronics-Lab.com Blog » Blog Archive » Building Breadboard Headers for ATtiny Microcontrollers // Jun 19, 2010 at 10:04
[...] Breadboard Headers for ATtiny Microcontrollers – [Link] Filed in Mcu | 1 views No Comments [...]
Leave a Comment