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SparkFun MicroView Bootloading Kit
MicroView, essentially an Arduino with a built-in display, is a tiny, enclosed piece of technology used to create a large assortment of electronics and programming projects. We understand that a lot of you really want to make the MicroView your own and get inside and reprogram it. We also, however, understand that that is not such an easy feat, luckily that's where the MicroView Bootloading Kit comes in. This is an all-in-one kit that includes everything you will need to easily open and add, change, or remove a bootloader to/from your MicroView.
Each MicroView Bootloading Kit includes four basic parts to add a bootloader to your little OLED Arduino in the easiest way possible: SparkFun's own Tiny AVR Programmer to upload an ArduinoISP sketch or RedBoard drivers with the added benefit of not requiring a USB cable because it works with the MicroView's included cable, a Hobby Knife to open the enclosure with the lowest potential of leaving scratches, a 30-pack of jumper wires for connecting the MicroView to the programmer if needed (you'll only need 6), and three 0 Ohm resistors in case you are lacking soldering tools and need to connect the MicroView to a breadboard. With these items combined you should experience no issues accessing and customizing your very own MicroView!
Note: In the Documents section below you will find a step-by-step guide on how to open up and load a bootloader on your MicroView. It's a good read, check it out!
- 1x Tiny AVR Programmer
- 1x Hobby Knife
- 30x Jumper Wire - M/M 180mm
- 3x Resistor - 0 Ohm 1/6W
SparkFun MicroView Bootloading Kit Product Help and Resources
SparkFun Inventor's Kit for MicroView
February 27, 2015
The SparkFun Inventor's Kit for MicroView follows our tried and true inventor's kit model, bringing you 11 simple yet fun experiments to introduce you to the SparkFun MicroView.
Core Skill: DIY
Whether it's for assembling a kit, hacking an enclosure, or creating your own parts; the DIY skill is all about knowing how to use tools and the techniques associated with them.
Skill Level: Rookie - Basic hand tools are required and instructions will allow more freedom. You may need to make your own decisions on design. If sewing is required, it will be free-form.
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Core Skill: Programming
If a board needs code or communicates somehow, you're going to need to know how to program or interface with it. The programming skill is all about communication and code.
Skill Level: Rookie - You will need a better fundamental understand of what code is, and how it works. You will be using beginner-level software and development tools like Arduino. You will be dealing directly with code, but numerous examples and libraries are available. Sensors or shields will communicate with serial or TTL.
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Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping
If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.
Skill Level: Noob - You don't need to reference a datasheet, but you will need to know basic power requirements.
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Comments
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Customer Reviews
5 out of 5
Based on 1 ratings:
Works great!
Works just as advertised. Had no trouble loading a attiny85. Put it into a breadboard and it worked just like it was supposed to. If you're using attiny and is prototyping, I would suggest buying this bootloading board.
I wonder how much it would have cost to add programming pads and holes/a hole, with optional rubber plug...
Really you'd just need 3 accessible pads, as the other 3 (power, ground, reset) are already broken out as pins... I already repaired my Microview, and added a pin header to the left side to make it easier to reprogram the bootloader. It really is packed in there, though. Microview is a very space-efficient design. To put a pin header in I had to thin down a section of the plastic's bottom wall and seat the header in there. In retrospect it wasn't really worth it. How often am I going to reprogram the bootloader? How often am I going to use the Microview's SPI for something other than the display? The Microview design could have been made more space-efficient by using a smaller version of the ATMega328 - QFN maybe instead of TQFP. But even then, it'd be hard to add a pin header anywhere but the bottom due to the way injection-molding works. (To mold a hole in the side of the case, you either need a three-part mold, or the hole has to be open to the top or bottom of the unit as well) My efforts at altering the Microview have given me a real appreciation for the elegance of the stock design.
For the Microviews the issue really isn't cost but space. There is no a lot of extra room in those enclosures, and I don't think there is physically any room to bring headers out from the board to anywhere. The 6 pins you need are all available if you open the enclosure, but there isn't any extra space for a header.
I wasn't asking for a header, just accessible pads. They don't even need to be 100-mil offset, and we don't need all 6 since power comes through the pins.