Adafruit introduced a brand new programming software that targets newer Microchip eight-bit microcontrollers: the UPDI Good friend, a USB-based UPDI programmer.
“UPDI stands for Unified Program and Debug Interface, however this board is so smol and cute that we are going to name it the Unusually Playful System Interfacer and pat its head when it does an excellent job.” — Adafruit
Microchip’s Unified Program and Debug Interface (UPDI) is a one-wire resolution to program and debug newer tinyAVR and megaAVR microcontrollers. For instance, Adafruit says they use it with the ATtiny816, 817, and 1616 chips.
You can too discover the UPDI interface on chips just like the AVR Dx Collection and the ATmega4809. The 4809 microcontroller is the processor on the Arduino Nano Each board. (The Nano Each’s design doesn’t get away the UPDI pin, however it does use it for programming over serial.)
UPDI has shortly change into the choice low-pin rely programming interface for Microchip’s AVR microcontrollers. It’s a direct substitute for the XMEGA’s PDI interface and a useful substitute for debugWIRE.
SerialUPDI from Stefan Wagner (📷: wagiminator, github.com)
An open-source mission from Stefan Wagner offered Adafruit the inspiration. Wagner’s SerialUPDI is a bigger design with a USB-A connector and solely 2.54 mm headers.
Adafruit’s UPDI Good friend measures a teeny 26.4 x 17.8 millimeters. A USB-C connector for information and energy is on one aspect, whereas the opposite has two ports. You possibly can hook up with a microcontroller utilizing 2.54 millimeter headers or a cable related to a JST SH socket. A CH340E USB Serial converter offers the interface to a PC.
An onboard swap permits you to choose between 3V and 5V targets. The 5V rail comes from the USB-C connection and a regulator offers the 3V rail. It may well supply as much as 500 milliamps of present.
One vital limitation is that UPDI Good friend doesn’t present a 12 volt pulse. This pulse is required in purposes which can be utilizing the UPDI pin as one other perform within the design. This isn’t a big limitation, however you will need to know in case you are implementing a customized design with a tinyAVR chip.
Adafruit UPDI Good friend (📷: Adafruit)
Adafruit sells the UPDI Good friend for $6.95 earlier than transport. You can too buy a JST SH to 2.54 mm suitable header for $1.50.