Re: [avr-chat] avrdude question

[Joerg Wunsch]

(Btw., better subscribe to the list, you might miss some answers
otherwise.)

Marge Coahran <address@hidden> wrote:

> However, my system administrator prefers to install the stable
> debian package (avrdude v5.2-2 and avrdude.conf
> v1.105). Unfortunately, I find that this installation refuses to
> program the ATmega8515, apparently because the chip's
> self-proclaimed signature does not match the signature expected by
> the conf file.

Too bad your system administrator insists on installing obsolete
software.  avrdude 5.2 is in no way more stable or such than avrdude
5.4, and as you can see, you simply miss bug fixes by that policy.  As
you are now considering editing avrdude.conf, I question the
usefulness of your administrator's policy decision, since you end up
in a package that no longer matches the original one anyway.

> avrdude: Device signature = 0x1e9306
> avrdude: Expected signature for ATMEGA8515 is 1E 93 07

Yes, that was bug #18348, fixed in avrdude.conf.in rev 1.114 (so it's
already been fixed in release 5.3.1).

> I am tempted to simply edit the older conf file to match the newer
> one in these two lines.

For your purpose, it would suffice to just change the line with the
chip ID.

> However, I am also hesitant to do so since I assume signature
> validation is intended to protect the chip.

It is merely there to make the operator sure he selected the correct
device.  (In theory, we could probably default the -p option now to
the autodetected one based on the chip signature.)  I've never heard
of a situation where someone would have killed their chip by using the
wrong programming algorithm though, they are only different in minor
details.

However, in your case, the old chip ID was simply a bug, so it is
completely safe to edit it if you cannot convince your admin to
install the most recent software instead.

-- 
cheers, J"org               .-.-.   --... ...--   -.. .  DL8DTL

http://www.sax.de/~joerg/                        NIC: JW11-RIPE
Never trust an operating system you don't have sources for. ;-)