Compiling and uploading with Arduino framework but not using bootloader

Development Platforms
1

Hi,

Using arduino framework I am running out of memory with my atmega32 project on custom board.

I require to program using the usbasp ICSP board and to not use bootloader. At the moment the AVR is fresh from the fab house and untouched by any programmer.

I have in platformio.ini (excluding all the lib_deps)

[env:ATmega32]
platform = atmelavr
board = ATmega32
framework = arduino
upload_protocol = custom
upload_port = usb
upload_flags =
    -C
    ; use "tool-avrdude-megaavr" for the atmelmegaavr platform
    ${platformio.packages_dir}/tool-avrdude/avrdude.conf
    -p
    $BOARD_MCU
    -P
    $UPLOAD_PORT
    -c
    usbasp

upload_command = avrdude $UPLOAD_FLAGS -U flash:w:$SOURCE:i

I have spent some hours searching for how to build and upload this project to my newly recevied atmega32 boards without the bootloader being present. To my simple mind there are a mish-mash of concepts and instructions around bootloaders, fuses and avrdude and platformio, the atmel framework and the arduino framework. It seems straightofrward in the arduino IDE but I never want to go back to that !

Would some knowledgeable person be able to just tell me what I do to my project so that run pio --target upload will actually compile and upload my file and not use a bootloader. Is it just a few lines in the platformio.ini ? Is it a few terminal commands ? A combination ?

Help !

Thanks

Eloso

2

It already is. Unless you do a pio run -t bootloader, the uploaded binary does not include a bootloader (Optiboot).

3

Thank you very much. That makes sense and is what I originally thought.

I am distracted by the fact that whether I select a USBasp programmer, or use a bootloader option the generated hexfile is identical. To reiterate:

Start a new project with a board, ATmega32 in my case. Build and get a hexfile.
Now intorduce the previously mentioned directives in platformio.ini to identify that we are using a programmer.
Clean (tried cleanall too) and repeat build to obtain new hexfile.

Both hexfiles are identical.

I must be misunderstanding something, but I was expecting the second hexfile to be different, and smaller.

Using avr-objectdump to dissassemble the hex files I can see they are identical.

If they are identical how does that fit with the idea that there is no bootloader added to the code ?

Thanks again for taking the time and trouble to deal with this.

Cheers

Eloso

4

Cancel the last post. I have double checked everything and platformio is indeed reporting 32768 available for flash when using the programmer and 32256 when not using the programmer.

Apologies for the distraction!

Cheers

Eloso

5

Hello, can you help me spot what’s wrong with my configuration. I’m also wanting to use the extra 512bytes of flash with a ATMega328P, but PlatformIO keeps saying that the available flash is 32256.

Here’s my .ini file:

[env:program_via_ArduinoISP]
platform = atmelavr
board = ATmega328P

board_build.f_cpu = 8000000L
board_hardware.oscillator = external

framework = arduino
upload_protocol = custom
upload_port = COM6
upload_speed = 19200
upload_flags =
    -C
    ; use "tool-avrdude-megaavr" for the atmelmegaavr platform
    ${platformio.packages_dir}/tool-avrdude/avrdude.conf
    -p
    $BOARD_MCU
    -P
    $UPLOAD_PORT
    -b
    $UPLOAD_SPEED
    -c
    stk500v1
upload_command = avrdude $UPLOAD_FLAGS -U flash:w:$SOURCE:i

And here’s what terminal says after uploading the code:

Flash: [====== ] 61.2% (used 19728 bytes from 32256 bytes)

Notice I’m not yet next to the limit, either way I would like to know how to achive this because I also have other projects using the Arduino IDE (which I don’t want to use anymore) and are closer to the limit. Thank you!

6

See

I don’t see you setting

board_hardware.uart = no_bootloader

in your platformio.ini anywhere.

All of this is documented

https://docs.platformio.org/en/latest/platforms/atmelavr.html#minicore-megacore-mightycore-majorcore-and-microcore

Which applies since

7

Oh! I did not know about the no_bootloader option. I’ll try that and let you know