Back in 2009, I became aware of the existence of Arduino(through TuxRadar Podcast). The idea of open hardware and open software platform aroused my interest in electronics.
I got myself a kit and built a Serial RS232/DB9 board. That was my first soldering experience and really started my relationship with electronics as a hobbyist. Soon after, I got a counterfeit Arduino Mega from China and my Serial one was put aside.
This weekend I was testing a sketch and it was incompatible with Arduino Mega. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the right drivers for my serial adapter. Enough story, I ran into a few issues and here is a checklist to avoid them:
- Don’t forget a 10μF cap between Reset and Ground.
- External PSU, don’t rely on the programmer’s 5V.
- Check USE_OLD_STYLE_WIRING constant on ArduinoAsISP sketch (when not using the ICSP header).
- Install MiniCore boards on your Arduino board-manager (Check MiniCore GitHub for more information)