AVR8-Burn-O-Mat

AVR8-Burn-O-Mat is a lightweight Windows application whose purpose is to help you program the Atmel microcontrollers by adding a GUI to the functionality of the AVRDUDE (command-line utility).

It makes it easy for you to read and write fuses, EEPROM and program memory without having to write a series of time-consuming command-line options.

The program offers support for several microcontrollers, such as ATmega8, ATmega16, ATmega32, ATmega64, ATmega128, ATmega48, ATmega88, ATmega168, ATmega162, ATmega8515, ATmega8335, ATmega164, ATmega324, and others.

This is a Java-based tool, so you need to previously install the working environment on your computer.

AVR8-Burn-O-Mat doesn’t impress much in the visual department as the layout looks quite plain. However, it is not crowded and the features are well organized.

A log is revealed at the bottom of the main window which records information about all initiated processes and possible errors. You can change the looks of the application by selecting between several GUI themes.

The application gives you the possibility to specify the location where the AVRDUDE program and configuration file are stored. What’s more, you need to choose the correct programmer and port where the programmer is connected to.

You can disable the auto-erase option for Flash, deactivate fuse check and enter several custom options in a dedicated panel.

AVR8-Burn-O-Mat allows you to pick the AVR type from a drop-down list, select the Flash and EEPROM, as well as write, read and verify Flash and EEPROM.

The utility gives you the freedom to import data about fuses from XML file format, and you may export it to the same format. You are allowed to read, write and verify fuses, reset the current settings to default values and switch between two view modes (normal or expert).

The built-in Fuse Editor enables you to check out information about the name and description, and program the selected fuses. Plus, you get to play with a Fuse Hex Editor, Brown-out detection (BOD) parameters, as well as several clock settings (external RC oscillator, calibrated internal RC oscillator, external clock, external crystal or ceramic resonator, external low-frequency crystal).

To sum things up, AVR8-Burn-O-Mat provides a handy GUI for the AVRDUDE application and comes with a decent configuration pack of features. On the downside, the program hasn’t been updated for a while so several errors may appear especially if you run it on newer operating systems. We experienced some bugs on Windows 7. The Close button from the configuration settings panel doesn’t work, and you need to press ‘Cancel’ in order to exit the current window.