AVRDUDE - AVR Downloader Uploader - is a program for downloading and uploading the on-chip memories of Atmel's AVR microcontrollers. It can program the Flash and EEPROM, and where supported by the serial programming protocol, it can program fuse and lock bits. AVRDUDE also supplies a direct instruction mode allowing one to issue any programming instruction to the AVR chip regardless of whether AVRDUDE implements that specific feature of a particular chip.
AVRDUDE can be used effectively via the command line to read or write all chip memory types (eeprom, flash, fuse bits, lock bits, signature bytes) or via an interactive (terminal) mode. Using AVRDUDE from the command line works well for programming the entire memory of the chip from the contents of a file, while interactive mode is useful for exploring memory contents, modifing individual bytes of eeprom, programming fuse/lock bits, etc.
AVRDUDE supports three basic programmer types: Atmel's STK500, appnote avr910 and the PPI (parallel port interface). PPI represents a class of simple programmers where the programming lines are directly connected to the PC parallel port. Several pin configurations exist for several variations of the PPI programmers, and AVRDUDE can be be configured to work with them by either specifying the appropriate programmer on the command line or by creating a new entry in its configuration file. All that's usually required for a new entry is to tell AVRDUDE which pins to use for each programming function.
The STK500 and avr910 use the serial port to communicate with the PC and contains on-board logic to control the programming of the target device. The fundamental difference between the two types lies in the protocol used to control the programmer. The av910 protocol is very simplistic and can easily be used as the basis for a simple, home made programer since the firmware is available online. On the other hand, the STK500 protocol is more robust and complicated and the firmware is not openly available.
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