4.1 Troubleshooting Guide

Table 4-1. Troubleshooting Guide
Number	Problem	Reason	Solution
1	Can't connect to Atmel AVRISP mkII from PC, the green USB status LED is not lit.	USB cable is not connected.	Connect an USB cable between Atmel AVRISP mkII and PC.
2	Can't connect to Atmel AVRISP mkII from PC, the green USB status LED is not lit, and point 1 is OK.	USB driver is not installed properly.	Install USB driver as described in USB Setup.
3	AVRISP mkII status LED is blinking orange.	ISP cable is not mounted correctly.	Check that the red stripe on the cable is mating pin 1 on the ISP header. See more in Target Interface.
4	AVRISP mkII status LED is blinking orange in spite of correct ISP cable connection.	There is a problem on the reset line.	Check that the reset has a proper pull-up. Read more about Reset Line.
5	AVRISP mkII reports short-circuit on the target.	The ISP cable is not mounted correctly, or some of the target pins are shorted to GND or V_CC, or they are too heavily loaded.	Check point 3, and check for short circuits. Also check that the pull-up on the target lines are not to strong. See further details in Target Interface.
6	Can't detect target.	The SPI interface on the target is disabled because the SPI fuse is not programmed, and/or RSTDSBL or DWEN fuse is programmed.	If the ISP interface is disabled by fuse settings, one have to use another programming interface to reset these fuses. Check the device datasheet for further details on fuse settings and programming interface. Atmel STK500 and Atmel STK600 can be used for High Voltage Parallel Programming, and JTAGICE mkII can be used for JTAG programming.
7	Detects target, but can't enter prog mode or programming fails.	The ISP frequency is high.	Lower the ISP frequency. The ISP frequency is dependent on the target clock. Read more about this in the Atmel Studio user guide.
8	AVRISP mkII will not work correctly with STK500.	Pull-up on STK500 is to strong.	The pull-up on STK500 is too strong. Remove the reset jumper on STK500.
9	AVRISP mkII reports that the ISP cable is not mounted correctly, and the LED is blinking orange.	A parameter is not set in the AVRISP mkII firmware.	Upgrade to firmware revision higher than 01.06 if production date of AVRISP mkII is from 20071012 to 20080130. The production date can be found on the bottom side of the AVRISP mkII enclosure as shown in February 8th, 2008 - AVR Studio installation package - FW 01.09.

1

Can't connect to Atmel AVRISP mkII from PC, the green USB status LED is not lit.

USB cable is not connected.

Connect an USB cable between Atmel AVRISP mkII and PC.

2

Can't connect to Atmel AVRISP mkII from PC, the green USB status LED is not lit, and point 1 is OK.

USB driver is not installed properly.

Install USB driver as described in USB Setup.

3

AVRISP mkII status LED is blinking orange.

ISP cable is not mounted correctly.

Check that the red stripe on the cable is mating pin 1 on the ISP header. See more in Target Interface.

4

AVRISP mkII status LED is blinking orange in spite of correct ISP cable connection.

There is a problem on the reset line.

Check that the reset has a proper pull-up. Read more about Reset Line.

5

AVRISP mkII reports short-circuit on the target.

The ISP cable is not mounted correctly, or some of the target pins are shorted to GND or V_CC, or they are too heavily loaded.

Check point 3, and check for short circuits. Also check that the pull-up on the target lines are not to strong. See further details in Target Interface.

6

Can't detect target.

The SPI interface on the target is disabled because the SPI fuse is not programmed, and/or RSTDSBL or DWEN fuse is programmed.

If the ISP interface is disabled by fuse settings, one have to use another programming interface to reset these fuses. Check the device datasheet for further details on fuse settings and programming interface. Atmel STK500 and Atmel STK600 can be used for High Voltage Parallel Programming, and JTAGICE mkII can be used for JTAG programming.

7

Detects target, but can't enter prog mode or programming fails.

The ISP frequency is high.

Lower the ISP frequency. The ISP frequency is dependent on the target clock. Read more about this in the Atmel Studio user guide.

8

AVRISP mkII will not work correctly with STK500.

Pull-up on STK500 is to strong.

The pull-up on STK500 is too strong. Remove the reset jumper on STK500.

9

AVRISP mkII reports that the ISP cable is not mounted correctly, and the LED is blinking orange.

A parameter is not set in the AVRISP mkII firmware.

Upgrade to firmware revision higher than 01.06 if production date of AVRISP mkII is from 20071012 to 20080130. The production date can be found on the bottom side of the AVRISP mkII enclosure as shown in February 8th, 2008 - AVR Studio installation package - FW 01.09.