Help! Cannot Debug (avr_debug) on Custom Atmega1284p Board

Advanced Solutions Debugging
1

Hi, I am trying to use jdolinay’s avr_debug in a simple code using a custom board with and Atmega1284p, but I am not able to get it to work. I tried getting the latest optiboot bootloader, which according to jdolinay’s comments should be working after 2020 release, and changing the Make file to set the following information.

What I changed:

  • The clock frequency from 16000000 to 8000000
  • The baud rate to 38400
# Atmega1284p (8MHz full-swing xtal) @ 38400 baudrate
atmega1284_38: TARGET = atmega1284p
atmega1284_38: MCU_TARGET = atmega1284p
atmega1284_38: CFLAGS += '-DLED_START_FLASHES=3' '-DBAUD_RATE=38400' '-DBIGBOOT'
atmega1284_38: AVR_FREQ = 8000000L
atmega1284_38: LDSECTIONS  = -Wl,--section-start=.text=0x1fc00
atmega1284_38: $(PROGRAM)_atmega1284p_38.hex
atmega1284_38: $(PROGRAM)_atmega1284p_38.lst

atmega1284_38_isp: atmega1284_38
atmega1284_38_isp: TARGET = atmega1284p
atmega1284_38_isp: MCU_TARGET = atmega1284p
# 1024 byte boot
atmega1284_38_isp: HFUSE = DE
# Full swing xtal (8MHz) 14CK+65ms
atmega1284_38_isp: LFUSE = F7
# 2.7V brownout
atmega1284_38_isp: EFUSE = FD
atmega1284_38_isp: isp

After compiling and loading this new bootloader to my device, I am able to program it, but the debugger is not working.

main.cpp

#include <Arduino.h>
#include "avr8-stub.h"
#include "app_api.h"

void setup() {
  debug_init();  
  breakpoint();
  while(1);
}

void loop() {
}

platformio.ini

[env:custom]
platform = atmelavr
board = custom
framework = arduino

upload_port = COM13
monitor_port = COM13
monitor_speed = 38400

debug_tool = avr-stub
debug_port = \\.\COM13
debug_init_break = setup

lib_deps =
    jdolinay/avr-debugger @ ~1.4

custom.json

{
  "build": {
    "core": "arduino",
    "f_cpu": "8000000L",
    "mcu": "atmega1284p",
    "variant": "custom"
  },
  "debug": {
    "simavr_target": "atmega1284p",
    "avr-stub": {
      "speed": 115200
    }
  },
  "frameworks": [
    "arduino"
  ],
  "upload": {
    "maximum_ram_size": 16384,
    "maximum_size": 130048,
    "protocol": "arduino",
    "require_upload_port": true,
    "speed": 38400
  },
  "name": "custom",
  "url": "",
  "vendor": ""
}

The error I am getting…
image

I also tried following the bootloader flash instructions in jdolinay’s avr_debug/bootloader/optiboot/readme_platformio.txt, but I cannot make it work.

Does anyone know how to make this debugger work with platformio on a custom avr board? If so, is there a tutorial I could follow to verify that the steps I am taking are not wrong?

Thanks!