Difference between revisions of "AVR Drivers"

521 bytes added ,  06:51, 17 May 2011
add no-clip alternative and link to off memory post
(add no-clip alternative and link to off memory post)
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[[File:Soic8clip.jpg|thumb|200px|SOIC 8 clip with wires rearranged]]The other piece of hardware is a SOIC 8 clip to attach to the pins of the Atmel chip on the flashlight driver. There are cheap blue ones on eBay made by Pomona that have been very problematic, but sometimes work. They cost about $12. It is best to get one with a ribbon cable that attaches to pins coming out of the clip. The individual wires of the ribbon cable can be moved to the correct pins for the ISP programmer. See below for the proper configuration. There are [http://cgi.ebay.com/SOIC-8-SOIC8-8-Way-SMD-Programming-Testing-Test-Clip-/380333853764?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588daa0c44 more expensive ones on eBay] made by 3M that might work better. These are black, cost about $21, and don't seem to include the cable. The programmer itself includes a cable but you will need some way of connecting the wires in the ribbon cable to the pins sticking out of the clip.
[[File:Soic8clip.jpg|thumb|200px|SOIC 8 clip with wires rearranged]]The other piece of hardware is a SOIC 8 clip to attach to the pins of the Atmel chip on the flashlight driver. There are cheap blue ones on eBay made by Pomona that have been very problematic, but sometimes work. They cost about $12. It is best to get one with a ribbon cable that attaches to pins coming out of the clip. The individual wires of the ribbon cable can be moved to the correct pins for the ISP programmer. See below for the proper configuration. There are [http://cgi.ebay.com/SOIC-8-SOIC8-8-Way-SMD-Programming-Testing-Test-Clip-/380333853764?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588daa0c44 more expensive ones on eBay] made by 3M that might work better. These are black, cost about $21, and don't seem to include the cable. The programmer itself includes a cable but you will need some way of connecting the wires in the ribbon cable to the pins sticking out of the clip.
'''Clip alternative:''' You may be able to get by without a clip, by soldering leads to the chip temporarily. BLF user HID45 soldered pins only to the corner legs of the chip which is way easier than trying to solder adjacent legs, and then manually holds leads on the other two legs while someone else runs the computer. There's a picture [http://budgetlightforum.com/node/799?page=6#comment-37959 here].


===Software===
===Software===
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==Other Issues==
==Other Issues==


'''Mode Memory''' Some flashlights will remember the last mode they were in. Often the mode will be remembered after the light is off for a couple of seconds (if it was too short an interval you couldn't change modes by half-pressing the tail clicky to off briefly). But NANJG drivers usually have memory that sets after the light is on for a couple of seconds. When you turn the light off, it will come back on in the last mode, but if the light was on for less than 2 seconds, it will come back on in the next mode. This works pretty well except that if the light is on for a couple of seconds and you want to change modes, you will have to half-press the clicky once and end up in the same memorized mode, and then again to change the mode. The reason for memory to be this way is that when power is cut to the driver, it can't write to its memory. But it is easy for the memory to be written while the light is on and a timer can be used to write to the memory after the light is on for a couple of seconds. In order to get conventional memory, a capacitor would have to be added to hold on to power long enough after the power is turned off for the driver to write to its memory.
'''Mode Memory''' Some flashlights will remember the last mode they were in. Often the mode will be remembered after the light is off for a couple of seconds (if it was too short an interval you couldn't change modes by half-pressing the tail clicky to off briefly). But NANJG drivers usually have memory that sets after the light is on for a couple of seconds. When you turn the light off, it will come back on in the last mode, but if the light was on for less than 2 seconds, it will come back on in the next mode. This works pretty well except that if the light is on for a couple of seconds and you want to change modes, you will have to half-press the clicky once and end up in the same memorized mode, and then again to change the mode. The reason for memory to be this way is that when power is cut to the driver, it can't write to its memory. But it is easy for the memory to be written while the light is on and a timer can be used to write to the memory after the light is on for a couple of seconds. In order to get conventional memory, a capacitor would have to be added to hold on to power long enough after the power is turned off for the driver to write to its memory. BLF user sixty545 has done just this, described [http://budgetlightforum.com/node/799?page=3#comment-15453 here].


'''Low Battery''' The Atmel chip can monitor voltage through its VCC pin, however, the voltage can't be more than 1V. Therefore the battery voltage being directed to the VCC pin must go through a couple of resistors to come down to a readable level. Then the software can have some calibrated values so that the user is warned of a low battery by the brightness dropping or the light flashing periodically.
'''Low Battery''' The Atmel chip can monitor voltage through its VCC pin, however, the voltage can't be more than 1V. Therefore the battery voltage being directed to the VCC pin must go through a couple of resistors to come down to a readable level. Then the software can have some calibrated values so that the user is warned of a low battery by the brightness dropping or the light flashing periodically.
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