1.a. Supported Operating Systems

The Orangutan SVP’s USB connection works under Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Linux, and Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) or later. The Orangutan SVP’s USB connection can be used to program the AVR, communicate directly with the AVR from a computer, or communicate with TTL-level serial devices from a computer.

In Linux, the three virtual COM ports created by the SVP should appear as devices with names like /dev/ttyACM0, /dev/ttyACM1, and /dev/ttyACM2 (the numbers depends on how many other ACM devices you have plugged in) and you can use any terminal program (such as kermit) to send and receive bytes on those ports.

In Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) or later, the three virtual COM ports created by the SVP should appear as devices with names like /dev/tty.usbmodem00022381, /dev/tty.usbmodem00022383, and /dev/tty.usbmodem00022385 and you can use any terminal program (such as screen) to send and receive bytes on those ports. The lowest number found in the device names is the Orangutan SVP’s serial number.

Mac OS X compatibility: we have confirmed that the Orangutan SVP’s USB connection works on Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) and we can assist with advanced technical issues, but most of our tech support staff does not use Macs, so basic support for Mac OS X is limited.

Note: You may not need to use the Orangutan SVP’s USB connection. If you have an AVR ISP programmer, then you can program the AVR on the Orangutan SVP by connecting your programmer to the 6-pin AVR ISP header located near the SVP’s USB connector. In that case, the operating system of your computer does not matter as long as it is compatible with your programmer.