Introducing ATTiny10IDE

The idea behind ATTiny10IDE is to create an easy way to write code for the more popular ATTiny series microcontrollers, such as the the 6 pin ATTiny10, the 14 pin ATTiny84 and the 8 pin ATTiny85. These micros can do many of the same tasks as the popular Arduino boards, but can be purchased for as little as 34 cents in the case of the ATTINY10-TSHR This makes them perfect for use in simple projects, such as controlling LEDs, relays, RC servos, etc. They also can be programmed to function as preprocessors for sensors and specialized I/O in more complex systems, or even used to implement "glue" logic in some cases. Here are some ideas to consider:

• Relay Delay Timer (relay stays on "one" for 1 second, or turns on after a 1 second delay, etc. when triggered)
• Serial to RC Servo Controller (control the position of 2 RC servos by sending serial commands)
• Blink LEDs in Programmable Patterns (Blink a Message in Morse Code, or build an LED Chaser Pendant)
• Pushbutton Keypress Encoder (6 Button to Serial Encoder)
• Generate 'ChipTunes' Music (ChipTunes Fun with NoisePlug)
• MP3-based Sound Playback (The Useless Machine and the Sonic Grenade)
• Analog to Digital Signal Processing (Bell 202, 1200 baud Demodulator)

Of course, these ideas are just the tip of the iceberg for what's possible using these inexpensive little powerhouses. And, as this project continues the goal is to make developing code these micros even easier and by also building up a library of additional example projects that you can download and customize just by changing a few parameters in the code.

If you have any ideas, or suggestions for ATTiny10IDE, please post them here and, when time permits, I'll try to respond to your suggestions and see which can be implement in future releases. As a starter, here are some ideas that are currently in development, or being considered for addition to ATTiny10IDE:

• Allowing MarkDown-style comments (with encoded images) to be embedded in source code comments to provide richer, easier to read documentation.
• Support for Additional ATTiny processors.
• Additional Code Libraries that are specially tuned for use with ATTiny series micros.
• Hardware-based debugging using the debugWire Interface that's supported on ATTiny micros.

Wayne Holder (Developer of ATTiny10IDE)