Published September 4, 2018

ATtiny13/13a/25/45/85 Programming Shield

Compact board to program an ATtiny using an Arduino UNO.

BeginnerFull instructions provided2 hours12,654

ATtiny13/13a/25/45/85 Programming Shield

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Arduino UNO

Microchip ATtiny85

Any tiny will do. I used an ATtiny13.

Capacitor 10 µF

LED (generic)

Resistor 475 ohm

Any value above ~300 ohms will do.

Female Header 8 Position 1 Row (0.1")

We just need 2 rows of 4 pins.

DIP 8 Socket

Perma-Proto Breadboard Half Size

I used strip/vero board.

Jumper wires (generic)

Any wire works.

Software apps and online services

Arduino IDE

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Soldering iron (generic)

Dremel

Sandpaper

Story

Build an Arduino UNO shield to program 8 pin ATtiny microcontroller! We'll take advantage of the ATmega16U2 on the UNO to program an ATting13A.

Connections

ATtiny pin 1 (PB5) <--> Arduino pin D10
ATtiny pin 2 (PB3) <--> x
ATtiny pin 3 (PB4) <--> x
ATtiny pin 4 (GND) <--> Arduino GND
ATtiny pin 5 (PB0) <--> Arduino pin D11
ATtiny pin 6 (PB1) <--> Arduino pin D12
ATtiny pin 7 (PB2) <--> Arduino pin D13
ATtiny pin 8 (Vcc) <--> Arduino +5V

Follow the pinout diagram below for additional reference.

ATtiny13 Pinout

Below is a collection of photos as I progressed through the build of the shield.

Assembly

I cut down stripboard for this build.

Trimmed and sanded board

Use a DIP8 socket for the ATtiny to quick connect/disconnect. The rows of female headers is optional.

DIP8 socket with female headers around

My board was single sided, which forced me to get creative with soldering the pins that go into the Arduino UNO.

Pins soldered from underneath instead of on top.

Add a 10uF electrolytic capacitor between the Arduino's Reset pin and Ground.

I installed an LED with a series resistor on pin 2 aka PB3/D3.

If using a strip board, remember to cut traces where necessary.

1 / 4

Uploading Code

1. Arduino as ISP

Plug in the UNO, select the correct COM port and board.
Arduino IDE > File > Examples > ArduinoISP > ArduinoISP > Upload

2. ATtiny Hardware Package Installation

File > Preferences > Additional Boards Manager URL > Paste:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sleemanj/optiboot/master/dists/package_gogo_diy_attiny_index.json

OK
Tools > Board > Boards Manager > Find "DIY ATtiny" > Install

3. Configure Settings

Make sure your settings match the image below. I used an ATtiny13A.

Tools Settings

4. Test Code

Download the "ATtiny Blink" sketch provided at the bottom of the guide and upload it.
Observe if LED toggles every second.

Conclusion

Congratulations! The shield is complete. If you wish to print the enclosure used on the UNO, you can find it here (Note that it was designed around genuine boards without multiple rows of header pins). Happy tinkering.

ATtiny Blink

/*
 * Viktor Silivanov
 * 9/4/2018
 * 
 * ATtiny13A Pinout
 * https://camo.githubusercontent.com/54658102e904b5d7efc931168f7f0afaa12a347f/687474703a2f2f692e696d6775722e636f6d2f71524564564d622e6a7067
 * 
 * Pin # | Assignment | PWM | Serial |
 *   1   |   D5/A0    |  x  |   x    |
 *   2   |   D3/A3    |  x  |   x    |
 *   3   |   D4/A2    |  x  |   x    |
 *   4   |    GND     |  x  |   x    |
 *   5   |     D0     |  Y  |  MOSI  |
 *   6   |     D1     |  Y  |  MISO  |
 *   7   |   D2/A1    |  x  |  SCK   |
 *   8   |    VCC     |  x  |   x    |
 * 
 */

#define LED       3        //D3 = Pin 2 in DIP8 package

void setup() {
  pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
  delay(1000);
  digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
  delay(1000);
}

Credits

Viktor S

7 projects • 20 followers

Electrical Engineer & Electronics Hobbyist

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ATtiny13/13a/25/45/85 Programming Shield

ATtiny13/13a/25/45/85 Programming Shield

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Software apps and online services

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Story

Connections

Assembly

Uploading Code

Conclusion

Code

ATtiny Blink

Credits

Viktor S

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