Pocket AVR Programmer Hookup Guide

Contributors: jimblom, bboyho

Installing Drivers

Driver installation is required on Windows machines only. If you're using a Mac or Linux machine, you don't need to install drivers. Just plug the board in, and skip to the next section. Otherwise, follow along below as we overview the installation process.

There are two sets of instruction for driver installation on this page. The first is the easiest, quickest method, and should work for most everyone. The second installation process is only required if the first one fails -- it takes a more manual approach to the driver installation.

Automatically Install the Drivers with Zadig

To begin, plug the AVR Pocket Programmer into your computer. Upon initially connecting the board, Windows will try to automatically install the drivers. Some computers may be lucky, but most will turn up with a message notifying you that the driver install failed.

Click the link below to download the Zadig software and drivers:

Use your favorite unzipper to extract the ZIP file. Don't forget where you put the extracted folder!

After you've plugged the Pocket AVR Programmer into your computer and your machine has run through the process of checking for and failing to install drivers, proceed to the "zadig_v2.0.1.160" folder you just unzipped. Then Run zadig.exe software.

Zadig is a wonderful tool that can install the drivers on just about any Windows platform out there. Upon opening the program, you should be greeted with a window like this:

There are a few options to verify before installing the driver:

• Select the device -- The top dropbox controls which device you want to install the driver for. Hopefully you only have one option here, something like "Unknown Device #1". If you have more than one option, check your device manager to see if you can make sense of which is which (plugging and unplugging a device usually helps).
• Select the driver -- Click the arrows in this box until you happen upon libusb-win32 (vx.x.x.x), that's the driver we want to install.

After verifying those two selections, click "Install Driver". The installation process can take a few minutes, but after you've watched the scroll bar zoom by countless times, you should be greeted with a "The driver was installed successfully" message.

Zadig Driver Installation Issues

After installing the drivers, your computer may respond by indicating that the device was not installed correctly. Here are two methods of troubleshooting driver issues when installing with Zadig.

📌 Troubleshooting Tip: In this case, the WinUSB drivers were selected instead of the libusb-win32 drivers. To remedy the issue, simply go through the guide again to reinstall the correct libusb-win32 drivers.


📌 Troubleshooting Tip: In other cases, it may also initialize somewhere in your device manager as an Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) even if you installed the correct drivers:


Try unplugging and replugging the Pocket AVR Programmer back into your USB port. Or switch out your mini-B USB cable for a known good. In some cases, your Pocket AVR Programmer may shows up under the libusb-win32 devices as an Unknown Device #1. As long as it shows up under libusb-win32 devices tree, you should be good to go!

Well done! You've successfully installed the drivers on your computer. However, the driver still shows up as an Unknown Device #1. But you know what it is! You can use the Zadig software to rename the USB port if you desire. With your programmer connected to your comptuer and the software open, navigate to the programmer's port. Select the checkbox next to Edit.


Type in the name for your port. It can be "USBtiny" or in this case, "SparkFun Pocket AVR Programmer". Make sure that the correct driver is selected.


Click Reinstall Driver. The driver will reinstall and you should see the same message that indicates that the drivers were successfully installed. You may need to unplug and replug the programmer to your computer to give it a second to refresh again.


Open up your device manager and you should see the device renamed!

If you were successful, close out of the Zadig program and proceed to the next section!

If Zadig didn't work for you, check out the instructions below for help manually installing the drivers.

Manually Installing the libUSB Drivers

If, for some reason, Zadig didn't work for you. Read the instructions below to manually install the drivers. Click the link below to download the drivers:

Use your favorite unzipper to extract the ZIP file. Don't forget where you put the extracted folder!

After you've plugged in the Programmer, and Windows has failed to install the driver. Follow these steps to install the driver:

1. Open the Device Manager -- There are a few routes to open up the device manager.
   • You can go to the Control Panel, then click Hardware and Sound, then click Device Manager.
     
     
   • Or, simply open the run tool (press Windows Key + R), and run devmgmt.msc.
2. In the Device Manager, you should see "Other devices > Unknown device". Right click "Unkown Device" and select Update Driver Software....
   
   
3. Click Browse my computer for driver software in the "Update Diver Software - Unknown Device" window that pops up.
   
   
4. Click "Browse..." and navigate to the "../usbtinyisp_libusb-win32_1.2.1.0" folder you just downloaded. Then click Next.
   
   
5. Windows will begin installing the driver, and then immediately notify you that the driver isn't signed. Click Install this driver software anyway option, to proceed with the installation.
   
   
6. After a few moments, the driver should successfully install. You'll be prompted with a "Windows has successfully updated your driver software" window. Close that, and you'll see a "USBtiny" entry populated in the Device Manager, under the "LibUSB-Win32 Devices" tree.

Congratulations! Proceed over to the next section, and we'll start using the Programmer!

Breathe easy now! Once you've installed the USBtiny drivers on your computer, you shouldn't ever have to do it again. Now it's time to program something!