Possible to bootload the ATMega2560?

[mikstur]

Hi,

Awesome bootloader. Thanks for taking the time to build it.

I am wanting to bootload my Arduino Mega 2560 with this bootloader so that I can provide updates OTA via xbee. Is it possible to burn this bootloader onto the Arduino Mega 2560?

I have tried burning the xbeeboot_atmega328.hex via Arduino IDE to the mega 2560, but after trying to upload source via USB, I am getting a timeout error. Should this have worked?

Additionally, is there a way for me to easily test this through software like XCTU? You have also built a patch for avrdude, I am planning on using another mechanism of uploading hex to the arduino (via node.js, for example) - is this possible? Any tips on how I would go about doing that?

[davidsainty]

Hi,

I've never played with a 2560. What should be true is that if optiboot can be made to work with it then so can xbeeboot. However, it looks like there might be a bit of work required to support the 2560.

My reason for basing my work on optiboot is that it directly led to having full access to all the bootloader functionality of optiboot. The down-side of that approach is that talking to the bootloader is rather involved.

Nonetheless, it works, and it fits into a quite cramped space. If you really are keen on bootloading without avrdude, I think perhaps reimplementing the xbeeboot protocol would be reasonably sensible. You would have to obtain an implementation of some of the XBee API protocol, the xbeeboot protocol, and some of the stk500 protocol. They are all pretty simple protocols - so I tend to think that's the path of least resistance.