Can Atmel Studio 6 Simulator simulate SPI?

Question

I am trying to do PAL composite video output with Arduino Nano. I am using Atmel Studio 6, not the Arduino IDE. I am sending out the picture data via SPI. On the TV I could not see the text I tried to produce, so I tried to run my program in the Atmel Studio simulator (to use it as a logic analyzer). But in the resulting stimuli file I also do not see the MOSI pin changing.

I am using the A0 pin (PORTC bit 0) to send out the sync signal, that appears correctly in the output .stim file: PORTC changes exactly at the right time. But PORTB does not change at all.

My program can definitely be buggy, but that is another topic... the question is, can Atmel Studio Simulator simulate the SPI at all?

• aaa: How is this even related to Arduino?
• Nick Gammon: An IDE doesn't simulate SPI. I don't understand your question. My program can definitely be buggy - without posting any code your question is very vague.

Answer 1

No Atmel Studio cannot simulate SPI.

The fact that you are using SPI makes me think that you are using the MAX7456 IC or even the SparkFun On Screen Display Breakout which uses this same IC.

You can generate composite video just by using a few resistors and an Arduino.

I have found a number of sites on Google who have used the Arduino to output PAL composite video to display the Pong game on an old TV.

• http://searle.hostei.com/grant/AVRPong/index.html
• http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-recreate-the-classic-pong-game-using-arduino/
• http://www.instructables.com/id/2-player-Pong-using-Arduino/
• http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=8708.0
• http://apcmag.com/arduino-project-7-build-a-retro-gamebox.htm/
• http://electronics.divinechildhighschool.org/Home/electronics-spring-2012-1/arduino-pong

• Avamander: Arduino PAL output is bad, takes a LOT of processing power and doing overlays is even harder. Using MAX7456 is just a lot of easier, although you might have a few other problems with it.