Gepetto Electronics' USBTinyISP Adapter Adds Compatibility with TPI-Based ATtiny Microcontrollers
Those with an avrdude-compatible ISP programmer can now program TPI-based microcontrollers, with a software patch and hardware adapter.
Geppetto Electronics has launched a handy tool for converting USBTinyISP-compatible programmers to the TPI programmable protocol required for selected ATtiny family microcontrollers: the USBTiny ISP TPI adapter.
"This is an adapter that allows you to program ATTiny microcontrollers that use the TPI programming protocol with a USBTinyISP (or clone, such as the USB µISP)," Geppetto's Nick Sayer explains of the compact design. "The adapter combines the MOSI and MISO lines into a single TPID signal and routes the signals to the appropriate target pins for the standard pinout of the TPI 2x3 connector."
"Additionally, the adapter has a 12 volt boost converter so that it can force chips that have had !RESET disabled into the TPI programming mode. There is a switch on the board to select between normal !RESET and the HV (12V) !RESET signal."
The hardware is only half the story, however: In order to actually use the device with TPI-based ATtiny4/5/9/10 microcontrollers, the avrdude software needs a small patch — a patch Sayer has, thankfully, already written and tested.
Details on the project, including board design files and the avrdude patch, can be found on Sayer's Hackaday.io project page; the adapter, meanwhile, is available on Tindie for $15.