Updating AVR in Arduino IDE To Program ATTiny Chips

by Oscar

It wasn’t that straight-forward as I started to program the ATTiny85 and 4313 micro controllers, as I had a few problems programming them.

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Anyway, after you have followed the steps in this article, and you are still getting errors, first thing I would recommend to do is updating the AVR in Arduino.

  • Close Arduino IDE
  • Download WinAVR and Install it (for example in this directory “C:WinAVR”)
  • Navigate to “{ArduinoRoot}hardwaretools”. There should be an “avr” directory. Rename it, e.g. “avr.old”, and create a new “avr” directory
  •  Copy everything in (“C:WinAVR”) to the “avr” directory (“{ArduinoRoot}hardwaretoolsavr”)
  • Create an “etc” directory under the “avr” directory (“{ArduinoRoot}hardwaretoolsavretc”)
  • Locate the “avrdude.conf” file in the new avr directory (“{ArduinoRoot}hardwaretoolsavr”) (I think it was in “bin”)
  • Move “avrdude.conf” to the “etc” directory (“{ArduinoRoot}hardwaretoolsavretc”)

That’s it. If you want to use the old AVR toolset, you just need to

  • Close Arduino
  • Rename the “avr” directory, e.g. rename “avr” to “avr.new”
  • Rename the avr.old directory to “avr”

Some errors you might get

After updating the AVR, you might still get some errors.

arduino avrdude: can't open config file hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf": No such file or directory

You might have missed some steps in updating the AVR. Simply create a folder in hardware/tools/avr/ , and call it “etc”, then copy avrdude.conf from

{ArduinoRootFolder}hardwaretoolsavrbin

to

{ArduinoRootFolder}hardwaretoolsavretc

avrdude: AVR Part "attiny4313" not found.

This means the ATtiny4313 chip configuration is missing in your avrdude.conf file. You simply need to append the definition of this chip in the file. You can add this after the ATtiny2313 definition in avrdude.conf.

#------------------------------------------------------------
# ATtiny4313
#------------------------------------------------------------

part
     id            = "t4313";
     desc          = "ATtiny4313";
     has_debugwire = yes;
     flash_instr   = 0xB2, 0x0F, 0x1F;
     eeprom_instr  = 0xBB, 0xFE, 0xBB, 0xEE, 0xBB, 0xCC, 0xB2, 0x0D,
	             0xBA, 0x0F, 0xB2, 0x0F, 0xBA, 0x0D, 0xBB, 0xBC,
	             0x99, 0xE1, 0xBB, 0xAC;
     stk500_devcode   = 0x23;
##   Use the ATtiny26 devcode:
     avr910_devcode   = 0x5e;
     signature        = 0x1e 0x92 0x0d;
     pagel            = 0xD4;
     bs2              = 0xD6;
     reset            = io;
     chip_erase_delay = 9000;

     pgm_enable       = "1 0 1 0  1 1 0 0    0 1 0 1  0 0 1 1",
                        "x x x x  x x x x    x x x x  x x x x";

     chip_erase       = "1 0 1 0  1 1 0 0    1 0 0 x  x x x x",
                        "x x x x  x x x x    x x x x  x x x x";

    timeout		= 200;
    stabdelay		= 100;
    cmdexedelay		= 25;
    synchloops		= 32;
    bytedelay		= 0;
    pollindex		= 3;
    pollvalue		= 0x53;
    predelay		= 1;
    postdelay		= 1;
    pollmethod		= 1;

    pp_controlstack     =
        0x0E, 0x1E, 0x0E, 0x1E, 0x2E, 0x3E, 0x2E, 0x3E,
        0x4E, 0x5E, 0x4E, 0x5E, 0x6E, 0x7E, 0x6E, 0x7E,
        0x26, 0x36, 0x66, 0x76, 0x2A, 0x3A, 0x6A, 0x7A,
        0x2E, 0xFD, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00;
    hventerstabdelay    = 100;
    progmodedelay       = 0;
    latchcycles         = 5;
    togglevtg           = 1;
    poweroffdelay       = 15;
    resetdelayms        = 1;
    resetdelayus        = 0;
    hvleavestabdelay    = 15;
    chiperasepulsewidth = 0;
    chiperasepolltimeout = 10;
    programfusepulsewidth = 0;
    programfusepolltimeout = 5;
    programlockpulsewidth = 0;
    programlockpolltimeout = 5;

     memory "eeprom"
         size            = 256;
        paged           = no;
        page_size       = 4;
         min_write_delay = 4000;
         max_write_delay = 4500;
         readback_p1     = 0xff;
         readback_p2     = 0xff;
         read            = "1   0  1  0   0  0  0  0   0 0 0 x  x x x x",
                           "a7 a6 a5 a4  a3 a2 a1 a0   o o o o  o o o o";

         write           = "1   1  0  0   0  0  0  0   0 0 0 x  x x x x",
                           "a7 a6 a5 a4  a3 a2 a1 a0   i i i i  i i i i";

	loadpage_lo	= "  1   1   0   0      0   0   0   1",
			  "  0   0   0   0      0   0   0   0",
			  "  0   0   0   0      0   0  a1  a0",
			  "  i   i   i   i      i   i   i   i";

	writepage	= "  1   1   0   0      0   0   1   0",
			  "  0   0   x   x      x   x   x   x",
			  " a7  a6  a5  a4     a3  a2   0   0",
			  "  x   x   x   x      x   x   x   x";

	mode		= 0x41;
	delay		= 6;
	blocksize	= 4;
	readsize	= 256;
       ;
     memory "flash"
         paged           = yes;
         size            = 4096;
         page_size       = 64;
         num_pages       = 64;
         min_write_delay = 4500;
         max_write_delay = 4500;
         readback_p1     = 0xff;
         readback_p2     = 0xff;
         read_lo         = "  0   0   1   0    0   0   0   0",
                           "  0   0   0   0    0 a10  a9  a8",
                           " a7  a6  a5  a4   a3  a2  a1  a0",
                           "  o   o   o   o    o   o   o   o";

         read_hi         = "  0   0   1   0    1   0   0   0",
                           "  0   0   0   0    0 a10  a9  a8",
                           " a7  a6  a5  a4   a3  a2  a1  a0",
                           "  o   o   o   o    o   o   o   o";

         loadpage_lo     = "  0   1   0   0    0   0   0   0",
                           "  0   0   0   x    x   x   x   x",
                           "  x   x   x  a4   a3  a2  a1  a0",
                           "  i   i   i   i    i   i   i   i";

         loadpage_hi     = "  0   1   0   0    1   0   0   0",
                           "  0   0   0   x    x   x   x   x",
                           "  x   x   x  a4   a3  a2  a1  a0",
                           "  i   i   i   i    i   i   i   i";

         writepage       = "  0  1  0  0   1   1  0  0",
                           "  0  0  0  0   0 a10 a9 a8",
                           " a7 a6 a5  x   x   x  x  x",
                           "  x  x  x  x   x   x  x  x";

	mode		= 0x41;
	delay		= 6;
	blocksize	= 32;
	readsize	= 256;
       ;
#   ATtiny4313 has Signature Bytes: 0x1E 0x92 0x0D.
     memory "signature"
         size            = 3;
         read            = "0  0  1  1   0  0  0  0   0  0  0  x   x  x  x  x",
                           "x  x  x  x   x  x a1 a0   o  o  o  o   o  o  o  o";
       ;
     memory "lock"
         size            = 1;
         write           = "1 0 1 0  1 1 0 0  1 1 1 x  x x x x",
                           "x x x x  x x x x  1 1 i i  i i i i";
         read           = "0 1 0 1  1 0 0 0  0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0",
                          "x x x x  x x x x  x x o o  o o o o";
        min_write_delay = 9000;
        max_write_delay = 9000;
       ;

     memory "lfuse"
         size            = 1;
         write           = "1 0 1 0  1 1 0 0  1 0 1 0  0 0 0 0",
                           "x x x x  x x x x  i i i i  i i i i";

         read            = "0 1 0 1  0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0",
                           "x x x x  x x x x  o o o o  o o o o";
        min_write_delay = 9000;
        max_write_delay = 9000;
       ;

     memory "hfuse"
         size            = 1;
         write           = "1 0 1 0  1 1 0 0  1 0 1 0  1 0 0 0",
                           "x x x x  x x x x  i i i i  i i i i";

         read            = "0 1 0 1  1 0 0 0  0 0 0 0  1 0 0 0",
                           "x x x x  x x x x  o o o o  o o o o";
        min_write_delay = 9000;
        max_write_delay = 9000;
       ;

     memory "efuse"
         size            = 1;
         write           = "1 0 1 0  1 1 0 0  1 0 1 0  0 1 0 0",
                           "x x x x  x x x x  x x x x  x x x i";

         read            = "0 1 0 1  0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0  1 0 0 0",
                           "x x x x  x x x x  o o o o  o o o o";
        min_write_delay = 9000;
        max_write_delay = 9000;
     ;

     memory "calibration"
         size            = 2;
         read            = "0  0  1  1   1  0  0  0    0 0 0 x  x x x x",
                           "0  0  0  0   0  0  0  a0   o o o o  o o o o";
     ;
  ;

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4 comments

Ramon Panganiban 1st August 2014 - 12:41 pm

Hi Oscar,
I bought a bunch of attiny85 20 pu to use with NRF24l01. I am having trouble running the tx program on most of them. I was only able to make 1 attiny work. I am programming them with WinAvr with an Arduino Uno as ISP. I can’t understand why the program should not work though it was written in the chips.
If you have any thought about it, I would highly appreciate it.
Just a note. I have tried all the chips with the blink sketch and they all work, programming them from WinAvr and Arduino IDE.

Thank you very much.

Reply
Oscar 2nd August 2014 - 8:28 pm

Hi Ramon, what error are you getting? I never had any problem programming them. it’s so weird that only one works and others don’t. Could that be the chips are faulty?

maybe double check the orientation of the chip, and the wire connections?

Reply
ron wright 16th March 2014 - 5:51 pm

Hi Oscar,
I’m having no luck with the 4313.
I’m able to write to other avr’s no problem, but i get an error message that basically says the attiny4313 is not in the boards list even though it is. I updated the definitions from google and followed your procedure exactly as discribed to update using Winavr. I still get the same message that states: unknown MCU ‘attiny4313 specified.
Then lists known MCU names but doesn’t include 4313. I’m stumped my boards difinition list shows both 4313 variations 1 and 8 mhz. I’m using arduino 1.0.5 and a UNO. Like I say i program other device with no problems including the 2313.
Please help!!!

Best regards,
Ron Wright

Reply
William Truett Mann 13th September 2014 - 1:02 am

Ron,
I am having the exact same problem. Did you figure it out? I am using ATtiny4313-PU chips. I have no problem programming the ATtiny2313 chips. I require the extra memory that the ATtiny4313 has.
Thanks,
William Mann

Reply