burning arduino bootloader with another arduino

March 6, 2010 | Filed Under Installation Art, physical computing 

Burning the arduino bootloader using another arduino duemilanove is very easy. I’m documenting it here (informally) so I can remember how to do it later. It is all done in the Arduino software (I was using version 0018)

1) upload the example sketch (File->Examples->ArduinoISP) to the arduino that has a working bootloader already on it (I used a duemilanove – I’m not sure if it will work with the older ones, but I’m sure it will . . . I’m going to give it a try later with my old NG).
2) hook up the two arduinos (from the digital pins of the arduino with the ArduinoISP sketch to the ICSP pins of the other arduino) and put an LED (with resistor) on the following pins of the arduino with the ArduinoISP sketch on it:
9: Heartbeat – shows the programmer is running
8: Error – Lights up if something goes wrong (use red if that makes sense)
7: Programming – In communication with the slave

3) with only the arduino with the ArduinoISP sketch plugged into the USB of the computer (the other gets power from this one) – go to (Tools->Burn Bootloader->w/ Arduino as ISP) and it will take a while (30seconds or more) to burn the bootloader
4) that is it!

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