STK500 on WIN10 and AVR studio version4 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: IconicPCB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 06:00:14 am
content: OK.. a simple problem for those in the know...A freshly established OLD PC. Win10 Pro on supermicro X10ASE motherboard. Two serial ports offered. BIOS enabled. Windows reports both ports operating. Serial ports accessed through DB9 /IDC ribbon cable. Checked 8 pin header and DB9 pin outs. They look correct.STK500 not recognized under AVR studio.Please advise how to get the trusted STK500 up and running.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 07:51:41 am
content: You've probably got a serial port problem. Do a loopback test with a terminal program, by putting your serial lead on the STK500's 'RS232 SPARE' DE-9 connector, and jumpering TXD and RXD at the two pin header labelled 'RS232 SPARE' over next to SW4/LED4. If it doesn't echo what you type in the terminal, scope the signal at that jumper (which should be TTL UART levels). If you get an echo, confirm its not a local echo within the terminal software by removing the jumper and seeing if the echo stops.Edit: The STK 500 'RS232 SPARE' TXD and RXD signals have level shifters powered by target Vcc (VTG), and odds are, without the STK500 utility program communicating via 'RS232 CTRL', it wont enable VTG or set its voltage. To loopback right across the board, you will therefore need to remove the VTARGET jumper and supply external VTG @5V, via the VTG and GND pins of one of the port headers. Don't forget the STK500 will need to be powered from DC in and switched on. You may deem this not worthwhile and settle for a simple loopback joining pins 2 and 3 of the serial cable.I had no problems with a USB COM port adapter connected directly to the STK500's 'RS232 CTRL' DE-9.N.B. The final release of Atmel AVR Studio 4, v4.19.730 is known to be borked - the toolchains have to be entered manually for every new project - so its best to install AVR Studio v4.18.684, and upgrade it to v4.18.716 using the AVR Studio v4.18.SP3.716 service pack installer.Unfortunately v4.18.684 is signed with an expired Atmel certificate, so wont install on Win 10 x64 OSes. The easy fix is to un-sign the downloaded installer (e.g. use the free Fluxbytes Fileunsigner utility). It can then be installed successfully on Win10 x64 provided you do *NOT* let it install the Jungo USB drivers (required for Atmel hardware tools with a USB interface). Fortunately the v4.18.SP3.716 service pack installer still had a valid certificate(as of June 2023), so *CAN* install the Jungo drivers - if you need them.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 07:35:01 pm
content: Bump: I forgot that without the utility talking to the STK500 to enable VTG, 'RS232 SPARE' RXD and TXD wont work. See edit above

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2025, 02:06:07 pm
content: avr studio to develop or just programming an avr ... avrdude with avrdudess can easily program and use the vtg optionexample found for a parallel port ...avrdude -p <chip_name> -c stk500 -P <parallel_port> -U <memory_type>:w:<file_name>:m -V <VTG_options>see the-Vcommand ...