{"id":1316,"date":"2014-02-12T22:08:59","date_gmt":"2014-02-12T21:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/?p=1316"},"modified":"2025-06-16T18:38:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T16:38:09","slug":"avr-isp-breadboard-adapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/?p=1316","title":{"rendered":"AVR ISP breadboard adapter"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_1314\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1314\" style=\"width: 222px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2535a_700.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2535a_700-222x300.jpg\" alt=\"My very own AVR ISP adapter on a breadboard.\" width=\"222\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2535a_700-222x300.jpg 222w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2535a_700-111x150.jpg 111w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2535a_700-400x539.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2535a_700.jpg 710w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 222px) 100vw, 222px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1314\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My very own AVR ISP adapter on a breadboard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Breadboards are great! I mean the solderless breadboard type which you can get everywhere now for almost no money. I use them all the time to prototype electronics circuits and have been forcing my students to do the same.<\/p>\n<p>Most of my current projects also involve AVR microcontrollers which support an in-system programming. For this I use <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/?p=938\" title=\"Hacking an AVR programmer\" target=\"_blank\">USB programmers<\/a> which normally are fitted with Atmel&#8217;s standard 10-pin ISP connector. But how do you get these signals then onto the breadboard and into the microcontroller? This is what <a href=\"http:\/\/www.instructables.com\/id\/AVR-ISP-breadboard-adapter\/\" target=\"_blank\">my latest Instructable<\/a> is about.<\/p>\n<p>Sparkfun is selling a nice and usefull small <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sparkfun.com\/products\/8508\" target=\"_blank\">breadboard adapter<\/a> or break-out board, which connects to both Atmel&#8217;s 10-pin and 6-pin ISP connectors. The breadbord connection is then done with a single-row 6-pin header. Also the Swedish electronics shop Lawicel has a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lawicel-shop.se\/prod\/AVR-ISP-Converter-PCB_428671\/LAWICEL-AB_8758\/SWE\/SEK\" target=\"_blank\">similar adapter<\/a> in stock, which features the exact same layout of the breadboard connectors, unlike a low-quality version which I bought last year from a Chinese reseller on eBay.<\/p>\n<p>Last week I was running a bit short on these adapters for a student lab &#8211; and they just happened to be out of stock at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.electrokit.com\/avr-programmeringsadapter-6-10pin.45267\" target=\"_blank\">Electrokit<\/a>, and at the same time I thought I could do better&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I don&#8217;t need Atmel&#8217;s 6-pin ISP connector<\/li>\n<li>I wanted to be able to use polarized IDC connectors for the contact towards the programmer<\/li>\n<li>since Sparkfun, Electrokit and Lawicel only sell bare circuit boards, I would need to do the soldering myself anyway<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Inspired by the way the 10-pin IDC connector is mounted on the most common AVR USB programmers available on the internet, I designed my own small circuit board:<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_1302\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1302\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/20140210_avr_isp_01_cmp.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/20140210_avr_isp_01_cmp-150x150.png\" alt=\"AVR ISP adapter - front side.\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-1302\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1302\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AVR ISP adapter &#8211; front side.<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure id=\"attachment_1304\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1304\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/20140210_avr_isp_01_sol.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/20140210_avr_isp_01_sol-150x150.png\" alt=\"AVR ISP adapter - back side.\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-1304\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1304\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">AVR ISP adapter &#8211; back side.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>Here is the layout in the form of 1:1 PDFs:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/20140210_avr_isp_01_cmp.pdf\">20140210_avr_isp_01_cmp<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/20140210_avr_isp_01_sol.pdf\">20140210_avr_isp_01_sol<\/a><\/p>\n<p><br clear=\"all\"\/><\/p>\n<p>This was my first attempt to make a double-sided circuit board using the toner-transfer method. I had to realize though that the stack of two paper sheets and the circuit board did not fit through my modified laminator. Therefore I had to use a household iron to transfer the toner to the front-side and back-side copper layer at the same time. It worked quite well &#8211; aligning the paper printouts with a corner of the circuit board. I took a piece of FR4 circuit board which had place for twelve of these small adapters.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1305\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1305\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2504a_680.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2504a_680-300x198.jpg\" alt=\"Removing the photo-paper residue.\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1305\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2504a_680-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2504a_680-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2504a_680-400x265.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2504a_680.jpg 679w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1305\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Removing the photo-paper residue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1306\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1306\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2510a_1000.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2510a_1000-300x257.jpg\" alt=\"A circuit board with 12 individual adapter boards taking a bath in sodium persulfate solution.\" width=\"300\" height=\"257\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2510a_1000-300x257.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2510a_1000-1024x877.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2510a_1000-150x128.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2510a_1000-400x342.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2510a_1000.jpg 1075w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1306\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A circuit board with 12 individual adapter boards taking a bath in sodium persulfate solution.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1307\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1307\" style=\"width: 289px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2515a_750.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2515a_750-289x300.jpg\" alt=\"The adapter board at different stages of completion.\" width=\"289\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2515a_750-289x300.jpg 289w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2515a_750-144x150.jpg 144w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2515a_750-400x415.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2515a_750.jpg 769w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1307\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The adapter board at different stages of completion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Not before I hade soldered together the first prototype I realized that I had more possibilities with this device than I had planned for:<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_1309\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1309\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2525a_750.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2525a_750-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"First prototype with a 90-degree angled connector towards the breadboard.\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-1309\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1309\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">First prototype with a 90-degree angled connector towards the breadboard.<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<strong>1. With a 90-degree connector towards the breadboard:<\/strong><br \/>\nThis way you will get an adapter which takes minimal space on the breadboard, since it stands vertically. However, this might introduce stress on both the breadboard and the connector itself.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\"\/><\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_1314\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1314\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2535a_700.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2535a_700-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"My very own AVR ISP adapter on a breadboard.\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-1314\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1314\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My very own AVR ISP adapter on a breadboard.<\/figcaption><\/figure><strong>2. With a straight connector towards the breadboard:<\/strong><br \/>\nThe adapter will lie flat on the breadboard, with minimal stress on the board and the cable. Placing the adapter at the edge of the breadboard also takes up only a reasonable amount of real estate.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>3. With a female connector:<\/strong><br \/>\nSo far I have always included Atmel&#8217;s 2&#215;5 (or in a few cases the 2&#215;3) ISP connector for later updates of the firmware. But routing the wires to the two rows of pins is not always an easy task &#8211; especially when trying to keep the layout single-sided. It might actually be easier to route the signals to a single row of pins &#8211; but that waits to be seen&#8230;<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Breadboards are great! I mean the solderless breadboard type which you can get everywhere now for almost no money. I use them all the time to prototype electronics circuits and have been forcing my students to do the same. Most of my current projects also involve AVR microcontrollers which support an in-system programming. For this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[46,22,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avr","category-computers_en","category-electronics_en","entry","has-media"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMGP2535a_700.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p48grL-le","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1316"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2439,"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1316\/revisions\/2439"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sciencetronics.com\/greenphotons\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}