I have used Atmega32 in the past with FTDI USB-serial connector from PC with virtual com port. Now I am looking at a new project with Atmega32u4. I see boards like Olimexino-32u4 with built-in FTDI chip but I don’t quite understand how Arduino fits into things. I don’t want anything to do with Arduino.
All I want to do is port my existing Atmega32 C code to the Atmega32u4 and use (perhaps) LUFA code to act as a USB CDC device to communicate with the PC. Hopefully the PC code can still talk using COM API via the FTDI virtual COM port driver. The tools I used for the existing projects have been Atmel Dev Studio 4.x with WinAVR.
I presume now I would use Atmel Studio 6.x with LUFA extension. Still WinAVR?
Again, is there anything Arduino-specific in the bootloader or whatever for these boards? I am frustrated that I can’t ask a better question. I don’t want to buy a board to find out it is constrained to some other IDE or development environment.
I don’t see an FTDI chip on that board; the 32u4 has built-in USB. You can always load a 6-pin header in the ICSP pads and program it with any AVR programmer, if you don’t want to use the existing bootloader.
Actually, any AVR-based Arduino can be used as a standalone development board without needing the Arduino environment or code. Either use the pre-loaded bootloader with AVRDude or a standard ICSP-based programmer like a Dragon or AVRISP
I don’t see an FTDI chip on that board; the 32u4 has built-in USB.
Sorry, my mistake. I was thinking of a different board. There is no FTDI chip involved.
Actually, any AVR-based Arduino can be used as a standalone development board without needing the Arduino environment or code. Either use the pre-loaded bootloader with AVRDude or a standard ICSP-based programmer like a Dragon or AVRISP
Ok, so I believe I can use a board like the Olimexino-32u4, and develop with Atmel Studio and program it via USB (using the supplied/loaded bootloader) with AVRDude.