RE: [avr-gcc-list] Re: [avrdude-dev] [RFC] avrdude Feature RequestandCall for Volunteers

[Eric Weddington]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: 
> address@hidden 
> [mailto:address@hidden
> rg] On Behalf Of Bob Paddock
> Sent: Friday, March 09, 2007 4:13 PM
> To: address@hidden
> Subject: Re: [avr-gcc-list] Re: [avrdude-dev] [RFC] avrdude 
> Feature RequestandCall for Volunteers
> 
> On Friday 09 March 2007 16:47, Eric Weddington wrote:
> 
> [I combined a couple of your messages to make this reply.]
> 
> > > I generally agree with your idea to allow setting the 
> fuse values from
> > > within the source code.  I've tossed that idea around on 
> the avrdude
> > > list a couple of years ago already.
> 
> We also discussed trying to port the PonyProg script files.  Something
> that is still on my far to long To Do list.
> 
> I'd rather not see non-source code data in the source code,
> that just adds to the validation burden.

How?

> > This causes further
> >hassle especially if the place that does the automated programming is
> >separate from the engineering. Multiple hex files need to be 
> sent with the
> >programmer software, and this can be error prone. It is less 
> error prone if
> >a *single* ELF file can be sent with the programmer software
> 
> I deal with the Big Name Distributors etc for getting volumes of AVRs
> programmed,  they *want* .hex files, and they are *not* going to be
> installing avrdude on their computers.  Take a look at
> some of the high end equipment, for example:
> http://www.bpmicro.com/ to see why.
> 
> Yes, I find the way the do the fuses annoying myself, a check list,
> but that is what they want.

And I have other requests, from people who do volume programming, that want
such a way to reduce errors.

In the end, having this feature available, does not make this feature
*required*. It is still up to the designers decision to do it this way, or a
different way.

> > I'm certainly open to ideas to further enhance this feature 
> request, or if
> > I've missed something. However, I don't want to expand the 
> scope of the
> > feature too much to make it difficult to impelement.
> 
> PonyProg's source code and documentation is available to base
> some avrdude scripts on.

How are these scripts any different then using batch files on Windows or
shell scripts on *nix? What makes them advantageous over other methods that
can be done right now without modifying avrdude?

Eric