Jeff Murchison

490 orders since Aug 03, 2012

Toronto, ON, Canada

Ships from Canada.

Custom Work Available

View Store

Overall Rating:

Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Product: (5.00)

Documentation: (4.47)

Shipping: (4.84)

Communication: (4.89)

All Reviews

Michael | Dec. 16, 2019

Fun kit -- easy to build but difficult to play

For Simon Says Game Kit

Fun kit! Came promptly with all parts. Didn't come with docs but they were easily found on tindie.com Easily assembled in about 30 minutes, but much more difficult to play.

Michael | June 18, 2019

Great beginner project

For Simon Says Game Kit

Friendly customer service and excellent instructions for anyone new to DIY kits. Game functions well to boot.

Scott | March 30, 2018

Awesome device

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

Great little programmer, my only real complaint at first is that it seemed a little slow.

That's easily fixed by changing the value of default_bitclock down from 2.5 to 1.0 in your avrdude.conf. Makes a big difference.

Louis S. | July 2, 2017

Excellent Product!

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

I had found several ATtiny2313 projects on the web that I wanted to build, however, not being adept at programing , I shied away in favor of the easily programmable PIC with PICKit2.

But with this ingenious and easy to use devise, I can program the ATtiny just as easily as PICs !!!

Another bonus is that I found a free AVRDude GUI, which functions much like the PICKit2 graphical user interface. All I had to do was point it toward the proper avrdude.exe, and I now have programmed microprocessors!

The quality of this product is first-rate and shipping was instant! I highly recommend this seller!

Nicholas | June 29, 2017

Great product! Highly recommended

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

This is a great purchase for anybody who wants to program AVRs. It's much easier than breadboarding each chip individually, and the ZIF socket allows you to program all sizes of chips. I've had this product for 2+ years and it still works as well as when I received it.

Pierre | April 7, 2017

Great kit

For Simon Says Game Kit

I bought two of these kit for my daughter and one of her friend, both 9 years old, and they both were successful building this kit. It is almost as simple as it could be, both worked perfectly and they really enjoyed the result.
On my side, I find these kits really great, the instruction are nice, the price for complete kits is pretty great, overall I'm really happy.
Just one suggestion for the store owner:
If you make a new revision of this, could you revise the silkscreen? reading the resistor number is not so easy with the resistor drawing on top of the letter, enlarging the resistor to avoid having the lines over the text would be great.

Many thanks for these kits!

Thomas | March 21, 2017

Very happy with the programmer

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

Jeff did a great job with this product. I did have a rocky start getting the correct USB drivers. Found out it works only through a USB hub on my machine for some reason.

Am using it to program up my ATTiny45s for my own production product.

Thanks Jeff.

Dale | Feb. 27, 2017

Quick shipping, excellent packaging and documentation

For Simon Says Game Kit

Very quick to ship, well packed and easy to follow instructions! Excellent kit! Thank you very much.

Jerry | Jan. 9, 2017

A fun student build.

For Simon Says Game Kit

Received the kits in good shape and in a reasonable time frame. Shipping ended up being more than indicated - apparently due to import duties.

Build instructions involved a series of links from the Tindie site. Other kits have a one click link to assembly instructions from Tindie. I know - bookmark it for easier reference.

The students had fun building the kits (second kit for them) and they enjoy the results of their efforts.

Learned real fast to teach them how to use "silent mode" at school!

Response from Jeff Murchison | Jan. 10, 2017

Glad you and the students enjoyed building the kits! If you have any more feedback on them as you / the students use them more, be sure to let me know.

I will definitely consider changing the product documentation link to make it easier. It currently goes to a page where you just have to select the version of the kit to reach the actual instructions page. This was to help others who had purchased previous versions of the kit, so they wouldn't get linked to the wrong instructions.

Regarding import duties, I charge as close to cost as possible for shipping fees but sometimes (especially with larger value orders) you may be required to pay import duties (essentially, taxes and brokerage fees) to your local delivery carrier. Unfortunately these are out of my control as they're charged by the local government / carrier.

Arnoud | Sept. 27, 2016

Perfect AVR Programmer with ZIF socket

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

I was using different kind of programmers for the ATMEGA8, ATMEGA32P and ATTINY85. Mostly bought in China (usbtiny, microusbtiny, usbasp and a self built STK500). Chip on breadboard and wiring to the programmer.
It works, but you wish it could be easier.
And it can. The breadboard is replaced by a ZIF socket and a jumper. Set the jumper according to the processor-family and of you go. Works perfectly and I am extremely happy with it.

Two remarks for the future user/buyer:
- the installation of the drivers on Windows systems can be painfull. Use the zadig installer.
- if you are able to solder, solder pin headers (male or female) in the holes next to the zif socket. This way you can keep the processor in the zif socket and still connect it to you project (which probably has a normal socket, not a zif one).

Great product, if you're into AVR programming, buy this one.

Anthony | April 21, 2015

Simply Perfect.

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

The TinyLoadr is a flawless piece of equipment. Not only does it function well and fast, but it supports multiple micro controllers without any issues whatsoever. Worked on MyAVRProgTool with just simply selecting tinyUSB as the hardware. This product is more than worth its cost.

Peter | Jan. 23, 2015

Very good product

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

I bought this programmer for programming with the Arduino IDE
it works perfect, I use attiny 84 , 85 and 2313 without issues.

It programs faster then the arduino program shield I already had,

so I am very satisfied,

greetz

Steve | Jan. 14, 2015

Best Programmer ever for Arduino Enthusiasts

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

Got my unit in the mail and it works as described!
ATTiny 85's were textbook perfect! ATTiny 84's had a small issue which after emailing support I found there are two Arduino cores you can install on the chips. So once I understood there were two competing cores I was able to make the needed changes and got them up and running easily as well. The ATMega 328p's I had some initial difficulty which I attribute to having a strange bootloader on the chips from where I purchased them, but once I was able to completely reset the chip and upload my own bootloader those work perfectly as well now too!!

It was awesome I was able to take my ATMega 328p's and get them to run on internal 8MHz clock instead of having to wire in a 16MHz crystal to the chip.
So I'm completely satisfied with the programmer and it's abilities, and contacting support was easy, fast, and excellent!

I only gave 4 stars on documentation because I think it's needed to post a message in the instructions/documentation about the competing ATTiny 84 cores on Arduino and how depending on which core you use will affect the pin number assignments and could cause the blink code to not work on the programmer thus making a user think something is wrong, when it's just the pin assignments are moved around. :)

George | Jan. 10, 2015

Great little tool for increasing productivity

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

I have used the Arduino Uno as an ISP for my ATtiny devices and it was a pain setting up a breadbord and checking wiring diagrams every time. I considered a shield but for the same price this unit eliminated the need for the Uno and made everything a breeze. I have used it successfully with the ATtiny85 and ATtiny2313 using AVRDude for hex files and the Arduino 1.6 software for sketches. Windows makes configuring the software a bit finicky, but in the end it works like a charm.

Geoff | Jan. 2, 2015

Useful and professionally constructed programmer

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

This is a great product. If you're using ATTiny to create standalone Arduino projects should probably grab one of these. I made a socketed Uno shield for this purpose, but this standalone board is far more convenient. So far I've burned a heap of ATTiny85s but I think it will be my go-to programmer for ATMega too in future.

Leopoldo | Dec. 28, 2014

Great Item.

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

Everything works great. I only have some issues with the driver in windows 8.1. But the Programmer works great!

Response from Jeff Murchison | Dec. 28, 2014

Have you tried the latest drivers from Adafruit? You can grab them here:

https://learn.adafruit.com/usbtinyisp?view=all#drivers

If you're having issue with those drivers then shoot me an email / message and we'll get it sorted out.

Geoff | Dec. 28, 2014

Very easy to construct, and rewarding once done

For Simon Says Game Kit

A bit of an impulse buy thrown into the cart at the last minute, but I am really glad I grabbed this.

Raj | Nov. 24, 2014

very well made, very professional creator

For TinyLoadr AVR Programmer

Love it!

Mathias | Sept. 10, 2014

Essential Shield - must have

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

I just played with a board using an attiny84. This shield is a vital tool to burn bootloader and sketches to the attiny. I certainly can advise anybody working with the arduinos to get this shield. You will not regret it.
In addition, it is a small shipping charge for Germany, the documentaiton is excellen and when I had a problem, I got a response within an hour (!!)

Ciao, Mathias

Marc | July 16, 2014

Useful Tool : )

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

I had read about this on a blog and liked the idea of making use of ATTinys in some projects. The assembly instructions were clear and it works as advertised. The ZIF socket is a nice touch and is a lot easier on the pins than the breadboard I was using. Great product if you need something like this.

Jim | July 7, 2014

Worth every penny!

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

This is the best programmer that I have ever used. Covers all the bases, excellent quality, fantastic price. If you want an all-in-one programming solution, then this is what you must buy.

Dustin | July 4, 2014

This is a great item!

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

I bought this in kit form. The packaging was nice, and I appreciated how the DIP switches came in foam, and the LEDs were even taped with color coded pvc tape, such detail. The board is solid at about 0.065" thickness, the pad sizes are nice for easy soldering/wetting, and the hole sizes provide decent flow-through. It was an easy build (though I swapped out the included female headers for male ones I had on hand, as I use this shield stand-alone and don't attach other things to it). Even the layout is aesthetically pleasing.

The online assembly instructions help the neophyte in identifying the resistors based on their color codes, and were invaluable for the correct orientation of the LEDs and the electrolytic capacitor (the latter of which I almost installed backwards as I was confounded by that one square pad). Even the ZIF socket, do I close it or open it before soldering was addressed. The online build instructions (if followed) are flawless.

The online usage tutorial explains everything you need to know to use this shield with the Arduino and the IDE concisely. Using the shield I first programmed an ATTINY85. The tutorial also states which specific pin definition to use in your sketch to blink the on-board LED for whichever device you are programming. Of course in my excitement I didn't read that far and went straight for a sketch example which suggested a different pin, the wrong pin, prompting me to look at the (found it) board schematic in Fritzing to figure out which was the right pin (which was already mentioned in the tutorial had I simply read further). Lesson learned, pay attention to the usage tutorial.

The price is exceptional for what this shield is, it's very well designed and packaged, and is of great quality and potential usefulness. The convenience of not having to procure your own parts and roll your own PCB to plug into an ICSP programmer (done that) is evident, but where this product really shines is in the clever use of DIP switches and just a few shunts to configure it for the range of chips that it supports (neatly delineated on the silk screen). I am very pleased with this purchase, and would highly recommend this shield to anyone else who wishes the program the ATTINY85, ATTINY84 etc using the familiar Arduino IDE.

Paul | June 26, 2014

shipping was fast & hassle free

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

Have yet to assemble it. first impression is good.

Alex | June 19, 2014

Awesome

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

Totally awesome

Gary | June 16, 2014

Works for me

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

The TinyLoadr Shield was everything I expected it to be -- it made programming my first ATTiny85 to do the "blink test" a snap. The price was fair (actually better than that, it was on sale). The ZIF socket alone was worth half the cost for convenience factor alone. The kit only took about 45 minutes to build, and I'm a little slow (experienced but careful). I used a Diavolino for the ISP Programmer, and it worked fine using Arduino 1.0.5. Of COURSE, everything TinyLoadr can do CAN be done on a breadboard -- a breadboard which could take 15 minutes of plugging wires and parts and double-checking diagrams, if you don't mess up! This shield saves all that work -- it's ready-to-go right away. The real payoff happens when you want to burn several in a row, because of the ZIF socket. Now, if only PROGRAMMING for ATTiny was as straightforward as using the shield... Review Image

David | June 3, 2014

This is the BEST !!

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

I have a few different ATtiny85 Programmer's but since I bought and built this one I have put all of them to one side, and I only need this one for all my ATtiny and Atmega chips, the ZIF socket is the cheery on the cake, so easy to insert/re-insert chips!!!!! This programmer is absolutely chuffing marvellous. WELL DONE.

Martin | March 28, 2014

Great little programmer

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

I have tried a variety of programmer shields for different ATtiny and 382's. Having just one allows my to work with just one programmer and easily move the chip. WIth the ZIF no more bent pins moving back and forth.

Barry | March 25, 2014

Thanks

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

Thanks received the product in a timely manner.

Ron | Feb. 22, 2014

mr. ronald wright

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

This is a great little loader.
Easy to build and use. Recommend for newbies like me.

Dillon | Jan. 17, 2014

Best Atmel MPU programmer out there

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

It's really not that difficult to connect a few wires up to a chip on a breadboard and program that chip with an Arduino.. But if you're doing this over and over for different projects it's worth it to buy one of these Arduino shields. This one is probably the most expensive option out there but it's very well built and a ZIF socket sure beats a DIP socket. I like the option of DIP switches to select which MPU you're using. The kit is also very easy to solder yourself.
The documentation for this project can definitely be improved on though.. The board has the open source hardware logo on it, but I can't find the files for it anywhere. I finally found the Fritzing schematic for it on the maker's Github but that's hardly enough. There isn't a great description on what chips are compatible and the corresponding positions of the DIP switches to use them. Also, I'm always forgetting what pin the user LED is connected to on the various chips. It would be great to have this info on a silkscreen.

Response from Jeff Murchison | Jan. 17, 2014

Hey Dillon,

Thanks for the feedback. You said that the Fritzing file on my github are hardly enough - could you expand on that a bit? The Fritzing file is all there is really - Fritzing is what I used to design the board and what I use to export Gerber files every time I need a new run of boards. I've gone ahead and changed the github link to my blog to read "Open Source / Code" instead of just "Code." Hopefully this makes it easier for folks to find the source files for my open source projects like this (or if you have any other suggestions, lay them on me). There is also a source link on the product page here.

I looked over the documentation and you're right - there is no clear indicator of what microcontrollers are supported, except for here on the product page. The silkscreen on the board itself does outline most of the supported microcontrollers but I'll make it more clear in the documentation on my blog. Regarding the DIP switch positions, I thought that was at least fairly clear with the silkscreen on the board (or at least after one read through of the usage instructions) but I suppose not. I'd given that one quite some thought before but I'll noodle away on that for future runs of PCBs. Again, if you have any suggestions give me a shout.

For the LED, I absolutely agree - even I would have to look at a datasheet to see which pin was connected. I actually just recently made my own blink sketch which automatically defines the appropriate LED pin based on the board selected in the IDE. I'll make that available very soon, but I still like the idea of having the info on the silkscreen (probably on the bottom where there's more space for it).

Thanks for the constructive criticism / suggestions. I don't get much feedback from my customers so it's hard to know what I'm doing well and what I'm not doing well sometimes. If you need to get a hold of me at all, you can find my email address on my blog:

http://jeffmurchison.com/blog/contact/

Thanks again,

Jeff Murchison.

Mark | Jan. 13, 2014

Great Product and total experience

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

Being someone who works to make products for others I know how much work it is to deliver something complete. It's inevitable that you forget something, or overlook something that needs refining... but thats not the case here. Everything really has been very well thought out from assembly instructions, how set it up and use, and overall look and design. I am new to electronics but this programmer has worked for me without a hitch.... amazing product. Really would have expected to pay more. If your reading the comments and wondering if you should buy....DONT.... just go buy one you will be happy with your purchase.

Willem | Dec. 30, 2013

TinyLoadr Shield, great value

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

The package was send as Canada Post's "Light Packet" and I received it in four working day's!! Very fast!!

The shield is easy to build and works like a charm.

I did have some problems though:
1) Intuitive the switches on the 3 banks are "on" the wrong way around. So the first
programming did not went well although nothing broke or was burned out. Mind
you, this was my mistake not the shields!
2) The Arduino IDE and OSX (Mavericks) seems to have problems with the
USB.serial ports. They just disappear for no apparent reason and than only
restarting OSX will get the ports back. Also, not a problem caused by the shield!

I did have some (miner) questions about the Shield. They where all answered in no time and to my satisfaction, by Jeff Murchison.

If you want to shrink your project from an Arduino to a dedicated bourd or to a Tine AVR, this Shield is the way to go!

Zachary | Dec. 30, 2013

Way easier than a breadboard and jumpers!

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

In the past whenever I needed to program an ATtiny I wired up a breadboard to an arduino and looked-up pinouts, fiddling around til it worked. Over the years I've learned that 90% of design is getting the details right, so I appreciate that this board makes it easy and reliable to program these chips. Unlike my breadboard (which is usually occupied with half-finished projects anyway), the TinyLoadr Shield always ready to go and quick to reconfigure when I switch chips. Now I wanna use ATtinys for everything! Thanks!

Ronn | Dec. 9, 2013

Works Great!

For TinyLoadr Shield - ATtiny + ATmega AVR programmer

Worked the first time! This is about a 30 min build. I have used this programmer for 85, 2313 and 328 chips.
-Ronn Review Image

Page 1 of 2