Which USB progammer will work for micros GC joystick in an N64 controller mod

[Roboplodicus]

First off I'm a super noob at this, I've never programmed a pcb or modded anything electronic before.  So I want to try out the mod where I put a GC stick in a first party n64 controller using Micro's guide but my PC doesn't have a parallel port and I don't know which USB programmer will work because in his guide it says the programmer needs to be stk200 compatible, but looking on ebay the USB ones only mention they are stk500 compatible, though they do say they can program the ATMega8 and the ATTiny24.  Help please.

[cheema201]

Which guide are you referring to?

This one?

I haven't done that myself.

But I've found that USPasp (programmer) in conjunction with extreme burner (PC program) to be very friendly to us who aren't very technical (like myself)

I've successfully used that combo and it supports both atmega8 and attiny24

[Roboplodicus]

http://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3574.msg28186#new

This is the guide I'm talking about.

[public-pervert]

You don't really need the exact same programmer that Micro used. You just need a programmer that can write on the MCUs you're using.

USBASP + Extreme Burner is a good choice and easy to mess with. You'll need the .HEX file and not the .BAS file though. Be sure to write the correct fusebits too.

Good luck!

[Roboplodicus]

Ah ok, thanks, that clears things up for me, I was thinking I would probably just use the free program BASCOM-AVR that micro recommends in his guide and use micros code rather than write my own.  Where would you recommend I buy the micro controllers themselves from?

[Mitchfork]

Can't go wrong with Digi-Key.

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/ATMEGA8A-PU/ATMEGA8A-PU-ND/1914639
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/ATTINY24A-PU/ATTINY24A-PU-ND/2050990
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/ATTINY24A-SSU/ATTINY24A-SSU-ND/2050982

BASCOM-AVR is fine if you're using the 1.2 version of the code, but the latest (2.1 I believe, found here) doesn't include a .bas file, so you can't use BASCOM-AVR.  The 2.1 code is probably better because it includes a calibration the very first time you turn the controller on, so it might make your performance more consistent.  The 2.1 code also has a different pinout on the microcontroller.  That being said the 1.2 code is fine, I just performed the mod using it.

I used a USBasp programmer- this one to be exact.  I also used BASCOM-AVR to burn the 1.2 code, but if you're looking to burn the 2.1 code then a nice program is avrdude.  You can get it by downloading the Arduino IDE here. It's command line, but it's also pretty simple to use.  Here's something that worked for me:

Code Select Expand

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr\bin\avrdude.exe" -C "C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr\etc\avrdude.conf" -c usbasp -b 19200 -p attiny24 -U flash:w:flash.hex -U lfuse:w:0x42:m -U hfuse:w:0xdf:m
Here you have to name the .hex file "flash.hex" and have it in the directory you're accessing the command line in.

You can also find GUI shells for avrdude if you don't want to mess with the command line.

[Roboplodicus]

In the amazon description for the USB programmer it says

"Only available on XP and win 7 32 bit platform."

does that mean if I'm running a 64 bit operating system I'll need to look for a different programmer?

[Mitchfork]

I've got windows 7 64-bit and it works fine on my machine.

[Roboplodicus]

does something make one of those controllers better for this project other than the tinys are small?

[Mitchfork]

None that I'm aware of.  I think that the 2.1 code was only written for the ATtiny24a though.

I went with the ATtiny24a-PU because you can breadboard it to program or test it before you solder anything, which is nice.

[Roboplodicus]

Hey, so I think I'll go with one of the Tiny's then and use the 2.1 code if it's works with the ATtiny24, since calibration seems like a swell idea.  I ordered the programmer you recommended now I just am waiting for it to arrive from China...I ordered it a few days ago and I looked for the delivery estimate and it says sometime between august 24th and early september whyyyyy!?  I hate waiting so hopefully it will arrive sooner.  I'll keep yall updated on my progress.

[Roboplodicus]

So I got my programmer in, but when I plug it in, windows can't find the driver, and when I download it manually from the sainsmart site and add it manually to my driver folder it and then plug the programmer back in it still doesn't recognize it, any ideas why?

[cheema201]

After you downloaded and installed the driver did you try it in another USB port?

When it says, search for driver - did you choose manual install and point it to where you saved the driver?