Intro

The goal of the YA-µCP is to allow electronic hobbyists the ability to program two of the most popular microcontrollers in the market, the PIC by Microchip and the AVR by ATMEL with one simple and easy to carry device.

Microcontrollers are everywhere. Due to their low cost, availability and flexibility they are very attractive for electronic hobbyists, especially hackers. Both the AVR and the PIC have their pros and cons. Merging the 2 microcontrollers by providing an AVR and PIC programmer in a single device will help expose people the two architectures, allowing them to decide on their own which microcontroller they like best.

The following images will show the top and bottom 3D renders of board. These images were created with Eagle 3D and POV-Ray.

Top
3D Front

Bottom
3D Back

Details

The YA-μCP has been designed as an entry to the Hack A Day “design challenge” which requires certain specifications to be met, such as implementation of their logo, the board size (restricted to 3.5” x 2”), etc. Due to these restrictions, I decided to implement two ISP (in system programming) in to one simple, small design.

Due to the lack of time, I decided to use the well known ICSP only serial port design based on the popular JDM circuit for the PIC and the STK Serial port circuit for the AVR eliminating the need for new software and extensive test. The PICs can easily be programmed using ICPROG and WinPIC, while the AVRs can be programmed using PonyProg.

There is no need to provide external power to the programmer, increasing its portability and providing a more cost effective design. The AVR section uses the 2x5 ICSP connector setup and the PIC section has the 6 pins, which enables direct connection to breadboards.

The programmer communicates with the computer through the serial port. Additionally, the compact design of my board will also support simultaneous use of the two programmers.

The board consists of two layers. The bottom layer of the PCB includes the routed signals, while the top layer displays the HACK A DAY logo, in order to comply with the contest rules. With this entry, I am also including three logos that had to be made in order to fix the artifacts, which were a result of the enlargement of the website’s logo.

The following images will show the top and bottom layers of the routed board. These images were screen shots that were captured while using Eagle.

Top

Bottom

Part List

Part	Value	Device	Package	Description
C1	100u/16VDC	CPOL-USE2.5-7	E2,5-7	POLARIZED CAPACITOR
C2	100u/16VDC	CPOL-USE2.5-7	E2,5-7	POLARIZED CAPACITOR
D1	1N4148	1N4148	DO35-10	DIODE
D2	1N4148	1N4148	DO35-10	DIODE
D3	1N4148	1N4148	DO35-10	DIODE
D4	1N4148	1N4148	DO35-10	DIODE
D5	1N4148	1N4148	DO35-10	DIODE
D6	BZV55C5V1	BZV55C5V1	DO41Z10	Z DIODE
D7	BCV55C5V1	BZV55C5V1	DO41Z10	Z DIODE
D8	BZV55C5V1	BZV55C5V1	DO41Z10	Z DIODE
D10	6.2V	Zener Diode	DO41Z10	Z DIODE
LED1		LED5MM	LED5MM	LED
Q1	BC337	BC337	SOT54A	NPN TRANSISTOR
Q2	BC337-40	BC337	SOT54A	NPN TRANSISTOR
Q3	BC546B	BC546B	TO92-EBC	NPN Transistor
R1	10K	R-US_0204/7	0204/7	RESISTOR
R2	4.7K	R-US_0204/7	0204/7	RESISTOR
R3	4.7K	R-US_0204/7	0204/7	RESISTOR
R4	33K	R-US_0204/7	0204/7	RESISTOR
R5	10K	R-US_0204/7	0204/7	RESISTOR
R6	1.5K	R-US_0204/7	0204/7	RESISTOR
R7	10K	R-US_0204/7	0204/7	RESISTOR
SV1	ICSP-AVR	ML10	ML10	HARTING
SV2	ICSP-PIC	MA06-1	MA06-1	PIN HEADER
X1	Serial Fem	F09H	F09H	SUB-D
X2	Serial Fem	F09H	F09H	SUB-D

Assembly

As for assembly, I would recommend starting with the AVR section of the programmer. First install the DB9 female connector, then, proceed with the pin header and then the rest of the components. After testing repeat the same with the Pic section. The schematics could also be distributed to help locate the components and the values. If the board is built using the SILK screen, the assembly will be easier; however, the price of manufacturing will increase.

The following screen capture is of the board with all the layers turned on:

Schematic:

Supported devices (some others may also work):

AVR:

AT90S1200	AT90S4434	AT90S2333	ATmega8	ATmega161
AT90S2313	AT90S8515	AT90S4433	ATmega16	ATmega163
AT90S2323	AT90S8535	AT90S4434	ATmega64	ATmega323
AT90S2343	AT90S2323	AT90S8535	ATmega103	ATtiny12
AT90S4414	AT90S2343	AT90S8534	ATmega128	ATtiny15

PIC:

12C508	12F629	16C66	16C77	16C712	16C781	16F77	16F676	16F876	18F452
12C508A	12F675	16C67	16C505	16C715	16C782	16F83	16F818	16F876A	18F458
12C509	16C61	16C71	16C620	16C716	16C923	16F84	16F819	16F877	18F1320
12C509A	16C62A	16C72	16C620A	16C717	16C924	16F84A	16F870	16F877A	18F2320
12C671	16C62B	16C72A	16C621	16C745	16CE623	16F87	16F871	18F242	18F4320
12C672	16C63	16C73A	16C621A	16C765	16CE624	16F88	16F872	18F248	18F4539
12CE518	16C63A	16C73B	16C622	16C770	16CE625	16F627	16F873	18F252	18F6620
12CE519	16C64A	16C74A	16C622A	16C771	16F73	16F628	16F873A	18F258	18F6720
12CE673	16C65A	16C74B	16C710	16C773	16F74	16F628A	16F874	18F442	18F8620
12CE674	16C65B	16C76	16C711	16C774	16F76	16F630	16F874A	18F448	18F8720

NOTE:

This project hasn't been tested/build, but “it should work” since the schematics were taken from designs that work; the layout was modyfied to meet the design challenge rules.

References:

YA-µCP

a PIC and AVR Programmer!