Editing AVR microcontrollers (section)

=== STK600 starter kit ===
The STK600 starter kit and development system is an update to the STK500.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://qaswww.atmel.com/tools/stk600.aspx?tab=related|title=STK600|work=Atmel|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130215131336/http://qaswww.atmel.com/tools/stk600.aspx?tab=related|archive-date=15 February 2013|access-date=13 January 2013}}</ref> The STK600 uses a base board, a signal routing board, and a target board.

The base board is similar to the STK500, in that it provides a power supply, clock, in-system programming, an RS-232 port and a CAN (Controller Area Network, an automotive standard) port via DE9 connectors, and stake pins for all of the GPIO signals from the target device.

The target boards have [[Zero insertion force|ZIF]] sockets for [[Dual in-line package|DIP]], [[Small-outline integrated circuit|SOIC]], [[Quad Flat No leads package|QFN]], or [[Quad Flat Package|QFP]] packages, depending on the board.

The signal routing board sits between the base board and the target board, and routes the signals to the proper pin on the device board. There are many different signal routing boards that could be used with a single target board, depending on what device is in the ZIF socket.

The STK600 allows in-system programming from the PC via USB, leaving the RS-232 port available for the target microcontroller. A 4 [[pin header]] on the STK600 labeled 'RS-232 spare' can connect any TTL level USART port on the chip to an onboard MAX232 chip to translate the signals to RS-232 levels. The RS-232 signals are connected to the RX, TX, CTS, and RTS pins on the DB-9 connector.