Just converted one of the three arduino nano v3’s I got from banggood for $2.99 a piece into an avrisp
Just thought you guys might be interested because some of the supposedly cheap usbavr’s’ they sell use old firmware and spit out errors
http://www.nexuscyber.com/boards/topic/1/how-to-use-arduino-uno-upgrade-usbasp-firmware
(I have been trying to develop a modem for APRS that fits on the arduino footprint [got the idea from MicroAPRS, which is a spinoff from Mark’s MicroModem]
Interesting links. Are you working on the APRS stuff for HAM purposes or some other thing?
FWIW I don’t think I’ve had much trouble with my usbavr’s - at least not after I picked up a decent clip. Are you using the Arduino Nano for flashing drivers, or just for flashing the troubles usbavr’s?
The link above turns a nano into an ISP…more or less the same thing as the USBAVR
I am currently taking Marks DIY micro modem design and upscaling it to fit a arduino nano (with his permission of course)…I got the first boards in but found that the .lbr file I had gotten was not an official release and the analog A0-A7 were backwards, I fixed the design (getting new boards) but fritzed the ones I got in using breadboard jumpers…it works (as in the nano sees audio in from my handi-talkie and flashes the RX led) for the most part but I am having a hard time getting the nano to decode the packets right now.
I would also like to get into packet radio as well.
It’s been a VERY long time since I messed with flashing drivers for flashlights…unfortunately I think my USBVAR was bad and got frustrated with it and gave up…started tinkering and came across this when I tried to flash the MicroAPRS KISS .hex and set fuses it wouldn’t work, so re-purposed a 2nd nano as a AVRISP to program…and voila…programmed like a champ
Here is a picture of the bad design…the A0 pin should be 4th from bottom [coming off the right side of R10] vs 4th from top (on the right hand side, the digital pins are fine)…design is corrected though just not uploaded to OSHPark yet.
Plus you guys have taken flashlight drivers to the next level and I couldn’t keep up, you guys stuff was top notch and mine was amateurish and rudimentary at best.
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Link to pinouts of the nano
http://pighixxx.com/nanopdf.pdf
Sure, I was just curious whether you ended up repairing your USBASP (which is AVR based, after all with it’s Atmega8) using the AVRISP. I think I’ve used the AVRISP in the past to burn an Arduino without the sometimes-pesky bootloader.
What’s the thought process behind a shield for the nano vs a complete board like the MicroAPRS? From the pictures you’ve just posted I assume that it’s a double goal: (a) reduce the monetary barrier-to-entry which a product like the €54 MicroModem carries (b) go all through-hole to make this newbie-kit-friendly / old-ham-dude-kit-friendly. I suppose that by using DirtyPCBs the cost for the PCBs with HASL would be ~$0.28/ea in QTY=100 ($28 for 100pcs). IMO HASL is easier for hand soldering anyway.
Oops, I meant to post this as a point of interest WarHawk-AVG: FTDI FT232RL: real vs fake : ZeptoBars
When you mentioned the Nano I immediately wondered “Why Nano rather than Pro Mini” - of course this was because the Pro Mini doesn’t provide a USB interface (and the Pro Micro doesn’t run the 328P). Then I was reminded that all of the latest bottom-dollar Nano, Uno, etc clones run the CH340-series USB->Serial chip rather than an FTDI clone… eventually I ended up checking out those die images and the nice little writeup at the bottom. Interesting stuff IMO.
Yeah, FTDI gate sucked…don’t want to have to deal with that at all
The microAPRS full board is a purchase one…$50~…so out of my price range…I wanted a DIY version…the original MicroModem was just a shield that went on a Microduino (I got one of those too, the Microduino core USB to be precise but haven’t messed with as I am trying to get mine off the ground…
I should probably just buy a daggum TNC as to relieve the stress of trying to develop something and not having it work and trying to figure it out…but where is the fun in that
I don’t think I have the fuses set right or for some reason I can’t get it to get aprs packets output thru the serial connection
I do however have a simple APRS tracker in my truck working, using the TRRS module here (of which I have tweaked the original and made a thruhole version)
Mine is connected to a cheap Baofeng UV-5RE, thru the outputs on the side (the 2.5 and 3.5mm plugs), thru the board, into a cheap (so old it was gonna be thrown away SGH-T679) android phone running APRSDroid (the cell phone has GPS, Bluetooth in it [later project once I get it working is to tie into the nanoduino another shield that does Bluetooth serial], set my radio to VOX 3 (voice activation) and 144.390 mhz, out to a simple mag mount on the roof of my truck next to the NMO dual band antenna for my mobile rig and voila…it sends packets out fairly far.
So far I have gotten packets received by iGates maybe 10-20miles away….
Map of my APRS hits
Hmm, offhand the map just seems to show a single location rather than hits / pushpins. Do I need to click something on the sidebar?
It’s definitely easier to emulate a product with the product in hand, heh. Doing it that way is fun though! 
Well…when I drive around it shows my plot points…I haven’t gone very far today
On the tab to the right you can kick up the plot points to days…
I am trying to make this little modem so people can setup very easy and inexpensive iGate (or even a digipeter w/ APRX software)…the more there are the better (well to a point too many causes too much traffic to the servers, too few and plot points are too far apart)
Plus I will be able to build another addon later on that will just take the TX/RX pins out of the arduino nano straight to a cheap Bluetooth to serial converter, and then use the cell phone’s bluetooth to connect to it and have it be a full cheap DIY APRX tracker.
corrected, ordered, will test when I get them in
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Was the mistake something which you could cut and jumper for now?
I ended up just soldering some breadboard jumpers in and then plugging into correct pins on the arduino nano.
I saw on the video of his micro modem he had a resistor on one of the 3.5mm jacks, not sure if for the PTT or something to do with voltage divider on input, plus not sure if I have the fuses set right…still working on that