This page describes how to download and program new games into your V2.0 Mignonette.

This page is under construction, and will be more thorough soon.

Your Mignonette Game comes pre-programmed with Munch and a program for testing the hardware. Descriptions of both of these are given in the assembly instructions. (see Step 41)

There is no need to program your Mignonette Game unless you want to change the game it comes with.

But, since you can see how fun it is to play Munch, why not try programming your own game, or program one of the games others have written for the Mignette?

Mignonette V2.0 is Arduino compatible, meaning it is designed to be programmed with the free, open-source Arduino software (that runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux).

We currently do not have our firmware working with the Arduino software, but will have this working in the future. -- Please check back soon.

To program an AVR microcontroller, you need to install software on your computer for the task. One of the nice things about working with AVR microcontrollers is that the necessary software is free and open-source, and is available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

For Windows, all you need to do is download WinAVR, double-click it, it installs, and it works.
(Step-by-step instructions are available on Ladyada’s website.)

There is a software package for MacOS that is just as easy, formerly known as AVR MacPack, but now called CrossPack.

To install the software on Linux takes some mucking around, but if you use Linux, you already know that (and you'll do fine). Step-by-step instructions are available on the Ladyada website: Ladyada's Ubuntu software instructions.

To program your Mignonette you can either use an AVR programmer or you can use an FTDI cable.

FTDI cables are available many places, including Ladyada. Though any AVR programmer should work fine, there are two that we have tested with the Mignonette Game:
      Ladyada’s USBtinyISP - kit, approximate cost US$22
      Atmel AVRISP mkII - pre-assembled, approximate cost US$34

More information on the Ladyada programmer is available here.
You can purchase it at adafruit.com.

More information on the Atmel programmer is here.
It is available at mouser.com and digikey.com (and other distributors).

Your Mignonette comes pre-programmed with an Arduino bootloader, which is required for programming your Mignonette with an FTDI cable (with or without the Arduino software).

If you do not need to program a bootloader, then you can skip ahead to the next section on this page to see how to program your Mignonette with in a new game.

If you need to re-program your Mignonette with an Arduino bootloader, then you will need to do so with an AVR programmer. (You can download a copy of the Arduino bootloader with its Makefile from our downloads page.)

Connect the AVR programmer to the AVR programming port, J2. Make sure the colored line of the ribbon cable is at pin 1 (marked on the board). The other end of the AVR programmer connects to a USB port on your computer.

If you are using the Atmel MKII programmer, then you will need to change line 44 of the Makefile (using a text editor) to:
      ISPTOOL = avrispmkII
If you are using the Ladyada USBtinyISP, then line 44 is OK as is:
      ISPTOOL = usbtiny

Using a command (or terminal) window, change the directory to the one where you saved the bootloader.

Then, to program the bootloader, turn on the power to the Mignonette, and then type the following:
      make atmega168_isp
This will perform all of the necessary steps to program your new bootloader.

Your Mignonette’s microcontroller comes pre-programmed with firmware for Munch (a PacMan-like game) and a test program (for testing the hardware). You only need to program the microcontroller if you want to program your own games (or any other firmware).

You can download our Munch game firmware (and our Mignonette Game Library) from our downloads page, and hack it to program your own games, or develop your own firmware. Though Munch is written in "C", you do not need to know "C" to hack your own game. First try programming Mignonette’s microcontroller with the unchanged Munch firmware (as described below). Once you can successfully program Munch, try making some simple changes to Munch and program the changed Munch into your Mignonette. Did it do what you expected? If so, make some more changes. If not, try some other changes to Munch and see it you can make it do what you want. This is an easy way to start learning how to program!

After hacking the Mignonette firmware to create your own games (or downloading another game from our website) you are ready to program it into your Mignonette Game.

First, connect one end of the FTDI cable to one of your computer’s USB ports, and connect the other end to the FTDI port, J4, of your Mignonette (the black wire goes to pin 1, and the green wire goes towards the top of the board). Then turn on the power for the Mignonette.

You may need to edit the Makefile for the firmware so that line 140 gives the correct serial port information. If you are using Windows, you will need to see what COM port Windows has assigned to your FTDI cable. You can find the COM port by looking at the "Ports (COM & LPT)" setting from the Device Manager. For instance, if it says that it is using COM7 for the USB port, then change line 140 of the Makefile to:
      SER_PORT = \\.\COM7
If you are using Linux or Mac:
      SER_PORT = /dev/tty.usbserial-FTDXRBEB

After you have changed the directory to the one where you saved your firmware and Makefile, you can type the following command in a command or terminal window:
      make sprogram
which will perform all of the necessary steps to program your new Mignonette Game.

Alternatively, you can program in your new firmware with an AVR programmer. But, be aware that if you do this it will delete the bootloader (so if you want to program your Mignonette with an FTDI cable, you will need to re-program the bootloader, as described above).

You may need to edit the Makefile for the firmware so that line 140 gives the correct serial port information. If you are using Windows, you will need to see what COM port Windows has assigned to your FTDI cable. You can find the COM port by looking at the "Ports (COM & LPT)" setting from the Device Manager. For instance, if it says that it is using COM7 for the USB port, then change line 140 of the Makefile to:
      SER_PORT = \\.\COM7
If you are using Linux or Mac:
      SER_PORT = /dev/tty.usbserial-FTDXRBEB

After you have changed the directory to the one where you saved your firmware and Makefile, you can type the following command in a command or terminal window:
      make sprogram
which will perform all of the necessary steps to program your new Mignonette Game.

Please feel free to email us if you have any questions.