SparkFun Electronics Forum

Hello all, first post here.
Let me start by saying that I am TOTALLY new to chip programming, so please forgive me if I ask a dumb question. I searched the forum for other posts but was not able to find an answer.

I was curious to know how well/if the Tiny AVR programmer board works with C language. I realize its main purpose is use with Arduino, but the code that I am intending to use is already written in C.

Also, the code makes a point to say that since the reset pin is being used as an I/O, use of ISP is not possible. HVSP is required.

So I guess my question is whether purchasing and using the Tiny AVR programmer to program an attiny85 in C language using HVSP is my best option.

Thanks for the help!

My suggestion is to get a real programmer to start with, AVRISP MKII. It costs more than other programmers, but, it will be the only one you buy.

If you want to use C programs, you'll probably want to go with something more general-purpose. I use the Adafruit USBTinyISP, and SparkFun has a similar product: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9825

HVSP is a difficult way to start off - if you are comfortable building your own emitter-follower circuit from a +12V supply, then you could substitute that in place of the normal reset line. Alternatively, the very first time you program the chip, you won't need HVSP, because the _RESET_ pin has not yet been reassigned as I/O.