Programming ATtiny85/84 with Arduino Uno (ATTinyCore)

Learn how to program ATtiny micocontrollers by turning your Arudino into an ISP programmer. This tutorial covers the ISP programmable ATtiny versions like the ATtiny84, ATtiny85, etc.

These microcontrollers are tiny and cheap so it’s easy to use them in any project you can dream of. No need to buy a dedicated programmer or learn a new development environment – just use your Arduino!

You will need to download a compatible set of cores. ATTinyCore appears to be well-maintained and I strongly recommend it for ATtiny Arduino programming:

Boards manager url:

Components I used in this video:

ATtiny 84 (any ATtiny that programs with ISP will work)

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you found the video helpful I’d love to know! Comment below (and subscribe if you want more such tutorials).

Disclaimer:
I am not an electrical engineer. Use this information at your own risk.

#attiny #arduino #makers

[RossAWaddell]

Excellent tutorial - exactly what I needed to see!

[thanedarley]

Thanks for pointing out the ICSP/SPI header, it's the only thing that worked for me.

[kenc]

Brilliant. The key point with Matt's video is that it is up to date: so many videos are not. MATT, please keep this posting checked over. Two points: the Arduino RESET 10microfarad capacitor is probably an electrolytic with polarised ( + and - ) terminals. It is important that the capacitor's negative ( - ) terminal is connected to 0V or GND. : I connected the test LED to a pin not used to programme the chip (ie. not pin0 - PB0), in my case pin3 - PB3 (physical chip pin 2) on an ATTiny85. Thus the LED can be left connected while code is flashed into the chip. Don't forget to change all coding from pin0 to pin3. Hope this helps someone?

[billy-joemurphy]

AWESOME TUTORIAL. I spent the day trying to upload on to my 85 and your video took me to success. thanks a lot!

[gurnamsingh]

Very well explained! I watched other videos but couldn't get it to work. I followed your guide and it worked first time. Thank you.

[BuildandTinker]

Great tutorial, well presented and very clear. This is all quite new to me but you helped me understand this so much better.

[muhammadabubakr]

after doing a lot of tries for months finally found this video and at last i was able to use attiny85 now. thank you so much

[hcdebey]

Well done tutorial. I tried two other YouTube tutorials and they only frustrated me. Your tutorial worked the first time I tried. it. Keep it up.

[jeanhuguenin]

Thanks Matt. I have tried with a ATtiny 25 and it works perfectly.

[gmigliarini]

Thank you very much Matt you are the first person who really helped me. CONGRATULATIONS

[AhmadNader]

AMAZING! This is the only tutorial that worked for me, many thanks. Flawless, informative, and to the point.

[ClaudeDufourmont]

*Good work, I like the ATtiny85 and ATtiny84 too*

[BuildWealthCanadaPodcast]

Great tutorial! Well explained. Looking forward to seeing more.

[xzadeh]

It is 3 July 2023 and still works! Thanks, good job.

[aangelbaunino]

thank you so much for this tutorial! was very hepful, best regards

[alwoolhouse]

Thank you Matt - that was super on point and the right kind of pace to follow along (I've never used an ATTiny85 before but it's definitely on my agenda). You took the mystique out but left the magic smoke in - proper job. :-)

[chrisleech]

Thanks for taking up the Arduino tutorials !
Just subbed you in hopes that you might bring some applications for the AT84 or any of the line up, that might push the boundary beyond "Hello World" and Blink.

[JayHanley]

"Huh, no smoke, that's a good sign" :D

[reshairo]

Good, clear tutorial, very easy to understand. Thanx

[zetaconvex]

I'm thinking of buying a few tiny84's. I have some 85's, but the pin count is very restrictive.