Re: [avr-chat] Avrdude and JTAG / Dragon...

[Vincent Trouilliez]

On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:37:33 -0500
"Graham Davies" <address@hidden> wrote:

> Vincent Trouilliez wrote:
> > Vince, just opened his mail box... received 3 brand new Mega32 ...
> 
> If you're using the ATmega32, which is supported by the original JTAG ICE 
> (Mk I), you should consider the AVR ICE-Cube.  It has no ribbon cable at all 
> and so doesn't suffer from any of the problems that have been recently 
> discussed.  It comes with a six foot serial cable and there is no box of any 
> kind to find a place for on the bench, just the business end of the 
> ICE-Cube, which is the size of, well, an ice cube, and sits above the target 
> JTAG connector.  You do, of course, need a serial port on your computer or a 
> USB-to-serial adapter.  Now, if you had a Dragon *and* an ICE-Cube, well 
> then you'd be able to ...
> 
> Disclosure - for those that don't know, I make and sell the AVR ICE-Cube, so 
> I'm tooting my own horn here, but you've seen others speak well of the 
> ICE-Cube here too.
> 
> Graham.

He he, don't worry Graham ;-) I am thinking of your ICE cube ;-)

It's just the Dragon fits my needs better right now: it's versatile
(JTAG AND ISP, and also PP and HV, so I can recover my chips if I get
my fuses wrong), and it has a USB interface, and it's cheap.
And since I happen to using a mega32, I can even start playing with
JTAG debugging, to get the hang of it.

THEN, a bit later, once I have wedtted my feet with JATAG debugging,
and I (most likely) have to move away from a mega32 to mega64 as my
project grows, then at this point yes, I will be looking at an
"unrestricted" JTAG debugger.

There two little things that would keep me away from the ICE-cube:

- Since it's meant precisely to be moved around the bench and handled
by... well by hand constantly, I fear the fragile/exposed SMT
components on the tiny boards, will sooner or later get hit/damaged.
Also, I fear ESD shocks because with my big fat fingers will get all
over the components, which can't be good.

- it's got a serial interface, so I would have to add the cost of
either an unreliable (as far as I understand, there never 100% garantee
that these things work under all circumstances) RS-USB adapter, or buy
an extra PCI card just to get an extra serial port, and they aren't
cheap from what I saw, unlike what I expected.

- high cost to import and ship it from overseas


So I am also considering the USBProg project:

http://www.embedded-projects.net/index.php?page_id=165


Advantages: available from Europe so no import charges nor overseas
shipping, and it's got a native USB interface.

Down-side: the JTAG debugger firmware is currently under development
as I understand it, so it may not be ready/available by the time I am
in the market for one.


So I have two options, each with their pros and cons as usual ! ;-)

So if you could consider my poijts about the ICE-cube, I would be glad
to lean your way and support you ;-)
So a native USB interface, along with a way to protect the PCB,
probably with a coat of that coloured epoxy resin. It would make
repairs next to impossible, but sending it back to you for repairs is
not economically viable anyway, so I would have to buy an other one if
ever it develops a problem anyway. 
You could keep the serial ICE-cube as it is, and offer the USB version
as an option. I dunno, charge 10 USB more for the USB version. 
Same for the resin protection, offer it as an option for I don't know,
5 bucks ?


Food for thoughts he ?! ;-)


Regards,


--
Vince