AVR-Chat

Thanks to all for your help on my possible conversion from the ATMega32A to the
ATMega644.

I took another look at my application setup and decided to remove FreeRTOS due to
the fact that:

1) This application didn't really need it, but I was using the opportunity to learn
about FreeRTOS with an eye to using it in future projects.

2) FreeRTOS was consuming significant code space and, more critically, having to
allocate multiple stacks large enough to handle the max stack depth, including
interrupts was really straining things in 2k of SRAM.

It didn't take me long to re-organize things into a more typical "Work Loop
w/interrupt handlers" structure.

> From: H. Carl Ott
> 
> For JTAG (and DW and PDI) on the more current chips a Dragon for about $50
> USD is probably the way to go.
>  I managed to blow up my first gen. dragon (there were problems), but
> supposedly the new ones are far more robust.
> 
>  I've been using a real Atmel JTAGICE MKII for a couple of years now. It's
> great, but I think it's too expense at $300.
>  There are promotions fairly often where you can get a MKII at half price
> (from distributors like Avnet). At $150 I think it's worth it. That's what I
> paid for mine.

Thanks Carl, I'll do some poking around on prices.  I'll need it eventually ...

> From: ecros_technology
> ....
> Mike Payson is correct in his analysis.  The AVR ICE-Cube, as a "clone" of the
> original Atmel JTAG ICE, supports only a short list of devices, that were the
> first AVRs to use JTAG, plus the new variations of them, i.e. the "A" parts.
> I also agree with everything else that has been written in this thread,
> including 1) you should not have much trouble doing what you're proposing to
> do and 2) the AVR Dragon is a decent choice for a new JTAG interface.  I don't
> know much about this business of them being fragile, however, as I bought mine
> as soon as they came out and have had no trouble at all.

Yea, but Graham, I've gotten so used to having the Ice-Cube sitting on top of my
boards, things just won't be the same!  :-)
 
Cheers,

Chuck Hackett
"Good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment"
7.5" gauge Union Pacific Northern (4-8-4) 844 http://www.whitetrout.net/Chuck