Rich said:
Problem is, that's not a programmer. It's a cable. To make a
programmer, you need both the development board, or actual
programmer, and the applicable software driver, which the seller
gives a list of, but no indication that any of it is included.
It is not just a cable, It is a cable, a few resistors, a
d-sub-connector, and a connector for the processor board.
It is enough hardware to program an AVR processor.
It is so easy to build that there is no reason to buy one.
The schematic is widespread and well known by AVR users. For example if
you download the BASIC programming program and look in its help file,
there are schematics for this "cable".
The connector used at the processor end is, of course, up to yourself
to choose. The most lightweight solution is no connector at all. Just
solder the wires to the processor circuit during the programming. This
solution takes a minimum of board space on the processor board you are
building/programming.
It is correct to call this "cable" a programmer, as it is the only
hardware necessary.
The programmer software is free to get from the manufacturer and users
of AVR processors.
