tpiprog

tpiprog; V 1; 2010-12-15; communicating with microcontrollers over the TPI (Tiny Programming Interface)

Synopsis and description

tpiprog [--direct-port=port] [--ppdev=device] [--calib-us] [calib-n=n] [--clock-t=T] [--hi-voltage] [--stat-progress] [--stat-flow] [--ignore-errors] [--interactive] [command ...]

tpiprog utility communicates with microcontrollers over the TPI (Tiny Programming Interface) link and allows to read and write sections of chip's memory, including NVRAM. Full TPI protocol is implemented. Currently, a LPT dongle is supported as the interface. Included PCB supports 12-volt programming and allows accessing chips locked with RSTDISBL (reset disable) flag.

The only microcontrollers known to me to use the TPI is Atmel's ATtiny4, ATtiny5, ATtiny9 and ATtiny10 family. The hardware dongle supports both SMD and DIP chips as well as connector for in situ programming.

Downloading and compiling

Source code and manual pages:

1 (2010-12-15)

Requirements:

libarguments
bash and make for easy compiling

Compiling and installing:

Edit config.h first to customize the program
Run: make

LPT dongle

The LPT adapter for ATtiny4/5/9/10 allows both programming and testing the chip. All four outputs can be controlled individually. Additionally, the PB3 pin (!RESET) may be powered from a 12-volt source to allow the high voltage programming. It is based on the 74LS125 tri-state TTL buffer.

The board requires an external 6-12 V power supply for programming. The standard LPT outputs do not provide enough current to support flash write operations even though entering TPI mode and reading from memories is possible.

Both SOT23 and DIP8 connectors are available, as well as the 6-pin row connector for programming outside of the board. Mounting the SMD package is a bit tricky since you will need something to hold the chip in its place. I use a paper clip for that. Mouting the SOT23 chip in the dongle

Board layout

Elements needed to build the dongle:

DB25 male connector
2-pin and 4-pin row connectors
DC connector
DIP8 socket
LED 5 mm: 1 × green, 4 × yellow, 1 × red
Resistors 1/4 W: 6 × 220 Ω
Resistors 1/8 W: 7 × 10 kΩ, 2 × 100 kΩ
Electrolyte 16 V: 4.7 µF, 47 µF
BAV20 or similar
1N5817, 1 A Shottky
Zener 1/2 W: 6.2 V
2 × BC327-16, h_FE 200+
2 × BC337-16, h_FE 200+
4 × BSS123
L78S05, TO92 may not deal with LED currents
74LS125 (DIP)

PCB

Bottom layer:
TPI LPT dongle: PCB layer 1

Top layer:
TPI LPT dongle: PCB layer 2

Via placement:
TPI LPT dongle: PCB vias