I’m a big fan of the ATtiny 0/1-series microcontroller. For less than the cost of a candy bar, it’s faster, has better control, communication and power management than any 8-bit MCUs that came before.

A nice bonus is that the expansive Arduino libraries for all manner of lighting, sensors, displays, mechatronics, etc. are available, thanks to the work of Spence Konde. But when you’re ready to move from prototype-to-production and want to verify in Microchip’s ecosystem, Atmel Studio’s ‘Arduino import’ won’t work because of the new architecture. If you have a UPDI programmer that works in Atmel Studio, I found a workaround:

1) Export the binary files from Arduino IDE

2) Open Atmel Studio

3) Bring up the chip programmer dialog

4) From ‘Memories’ import the binary file.

5) From ‘Fuses’ copy the fuse settings to the relevant Excel file on Microchip Direct’s programming services page.

6) Program the chip to verify everything behaves as it should.

7) If everything is good, use these binary and Excel files with Microchip Direct for pre-programmed production units.

As with any library you use, verify the EULA allows for your intended application.