The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1 is a compact, low-cost in-system programmer (ISP) for AVR microcontrollers from Atmel (now a part of Microchip). The programmer provides an interface for transferring a compiled AVR program from your computer to the target AVR’s non-volatile memory, allowing it to run the program. It is a good solution for programming AVR-based controllers like our A-Star 328PB Micro and Orangutan robot controllers. It can also be used to update, replace, or remove the bootloader on Arduino boards and our Arduino-compatible A-Star controllers. This programmer is designed to work well with both 3.3 V and 5 V devices, and it can even be configured to provide power to the target device in low-power systems.

The programmer connects to your computer’s USB port via a standard USB A to Micro-B cable (not included) and communicates with your programming software, such as Atmel Studio, AVRDUDE, or the Arduino IDE, through a virtual COM port using the STK500 protocol. The programmer connects to your target device via an included 6-pin ISP programming cable (the older, 10-pin ISP connections are not directly supported, but it’s easy to create or purchase a 6-pin-to-10-pin ISP adapter). The programmer also acts as a USB-to-TTL serial adapter, providing a TTL-level serial port that can be used to communicate with other serial devices from your computer. It ships fully assembled with connectors soldered in as shown.

The Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2.1 is a drop-in replacement for the older Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 with several hardware improvements that are described in the “Comparison to previous AVR programmers” section below.

• Connects to a computer through USB via a USB A to Micro-B cable (not included)
• Emulates an STK500 programmer through virtual COM port interface
• Works with standard AVR programming software, including Atmel Studio, AVRDUDE, and the Arduino IDE
• Configuration software available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux
• Supports both 3.3 V and 5 V devices; can automatically switch operating voltage based on detected target VCC
• Can optionally power the target at 3.3 V or 5 V in low-power systems
• USB-to-TTL serial adapter functionality for general-purpose serial communication
• Provides a 100 kHz clock output, which can be useful for reviving misconfigured AVRs
• All I/O pins are protected with 470 Ω resistors
• 6-pin ISP cable and a 1×6 double-sided male header included
• Comprehensive user’s guide

• User’s guide (PDF)
• Pololu AVR Programming Quick Start Guide (Printable PDF)
  This guide explains how to get started programming your Orangutan or 3pi Robot in Windows, Linux or Mac OS X. It covers setting up an AVR development environment (Atmel Studio for Windows users), installing the Pololu AVR C/C++ Library, and setting up the Pololu USB AVR Programmer.
• Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 Software and Drivers for Windows (9MB msi)
  This installer contains the drivers and software for the Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 for Microsoft Windows.
• Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 Software for Linux (x86) (8MB xz)
• Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 Software for Linux (Raspberry Pi) (6MB xz)
• Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 Software for Mac OS X (7MB pkg)
• Pololu AVR Development Bundle for Windows (12MB exe)
  This bundle contains all the Pololu software you need to get started programming AVRs in Windows: the Pololu AVR C/C++ Library, the Pololu USB AVR Programmer drivers and software, and the Pololu Orangutan SVP drivers. We recommend installing Atmel Studio 7.0 before installing this bundle.
• Dimensions (240k pdf)
   
• Recommended links
  - Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 software source code
  Source code for the Pololu USB AVR Programmer v2 software on GitHub.
  - Atmel Studio 7
  Atmel’s free integrated development environment (IDE) for AVRs. 
  - WinAVR
  A free, open-source suite of development tools for the AVR family of microcontrollers, including the GNU GCC compiler for C/C++.
  - CrossPack for AVR Development
  - Distribution of AVR development libraries and tools for Mac OS X.
  - AVRDUDE
  AVRDUDE is a cross-platform command-line utility for programming the flash memory on AVR microcontrollers.
  - Arduino Software
  Arduino integrated development environment (IDE) software
  - AVR Libc Home Page
  The web site for AVR Libc, which is the standard library of functions that you can use with C and C++ on the AVR.
  - GCC, the GNU Compiler Collection
  Documentation for GCC, including the AVR GCC C/C++ compilers.
  - Pololu Robotics Forum
  Pololu Robotics and Electronics forum — get technical support, share your project, or just drop in to say hi.
  - AVR Freaks
  AVR community with forums, projects, and AVR news.