[avr-chat] "Proper" programmer for Linux ?

[Vincent Trouilliez]

Hi list,

I keep having random problems communicating with my AVR chips, using my
simplistic "bsd" DIY parallel port cable. I used to blame the chip
itself, but today, the chip is running its program just fine as I
write this, yet avrdude can't connect to it anymore. Worked fine
yesterday, will probably work again next week when it feels like it. 
But although my project started as a hobby thing hence no hurry, thing
have changed a little and I now need a reliable programmer that just
works, so I can be productive and concentrate on programming and
hopefully meet a deadline that has appeared.

So I am considering spending a little money possibly, for something
more sophisticated/reliable/dependable.
I looked at the HTML documentation for avrdude.. many programmers are
supported. Do any of them stand out of the crowd ? A model from Atmel
themselves maybe ? Any recommendations ?
For this project all I need is ISP programming, the interface used to
connect to the computer can be anything, //, serial, or USB. 
Obviously if it also supports JTAG or other features, I ain't going to
complain, but I can't easily switch my current project from ISP to
JTAG unfortunately, especially given the time constraint, so the
programmer must support ISP in any case.
Also, budget is tight, so the cheaper that meets the above
requirements, the better ;-)

Thanks all in advance for sharing your wisdom and experiences ;-)


Regards,

--
Vince, needs a working programmer ASAP...