PIC programming

[Elkaid]

Yeah, I got surprised too...
However, Microchip aren't offering samples since a long time.
(The fact that Atmel's AVR microcontroller market's share increasing quickly with time is probably one of the reason motivating Microchip sample program...)

I'm very impatient to try my hand on DSPic but it seems that they're not available yet... Microchip are announcing them for several months and still nothing..

[till]

they say dsPIC in late 2003... but you may even take a look on MSP430 from TI, samples, very cheap programmers, and more power than PIC.

For the PIC programmer i would try one of these very cheap improved tait programmer around the web.

[future]

I cant get any samples because they dont deliver to Brazil

[future]

Ok I think I will mostly use 16F84 and 16F877... I found this programmer called JDM, it's easy to build and can program
these two PIC's.
I joined two schematics in one picture to make things easier. They are the same, but I can't think a way to join them in one to build the circuit in a prototype board, with two rows of sockets 40 and 18 pins, one inside other so I dont have to use adapters.

Does anyone can help me?

[future]

Sorry, this is the right picture.

[mhennessy]

Originally posted by future
Ok I think I will mostly use 16F84 and 16F877... I found this programmer called JDM, it's easy to build and can program
these two PIC's.
I joined two schematics in one picture to make things easier. They are the same, but I can't think a way to join them in one to build the circuit in a prototype board, with two rows of sockets 40 and 18 pins, one inside other so I dont have to use adapters.

Does anyone can help me?

It's easier that you think - to programme a PIC, you just need to connect GND, +5V, RB6, RB7 and /MCLR

Build one programmer circuit, and connect these 5 signals to the appropriate pins on the 18 and 40 pin sockets.

An important hint here: While this isn't so bad with the smaller 16F84, you'll soon get really fed up with removing the 16F877 from your circuit, inserting it in your programmer, then replacing it in the circuit. You'll probably bend pins or wear your socket out. So, consider making an adaptor lead like I did. You just need to put a 4 or 5 pin Molex connector on your board, then plug it in to your test system when you want to programme the PIC...

The other end of the adaptor lead is soldered onto an IC socket that fits into my programmer. Easy!



This adaptor lead doesn't bother with +5V - the 16F877 gets its power from the rest of the system... The cable is just a standard internal CD-ROM audio lead, complete with neat heatshrinking and 4-way connector - recycling rules

[jackinnj]

I find a ZIP socket is helpful for programming -- this is what Microchip uses on the little programmer PICStart Plus -- also, if you are going to do a lot of prototyping it's a good idea to use a carrier for the PIC -- as the pins will bend and break after a while -- you can use a "machined" socket for this. You can also mount an SMT PIC or AVR on an adapter board -- sometimes the SMT versions are dirt cheap.

of course, one of the reasons folks use STAMPS and BX24's is that you can program these devices on the fly.

[future]

What I don´t understand is why the original JDM design uses almost all pins of the 16F84 if only 4 pins are needed.

[till]

future, before you build this one, please use a DMM and check the voltages at the PC´s serial port. It may work with 16F8xx in case voltage from PC is high enough, but cause problems with 16F84 type. The voltage from PCs serial port spreads very wide, and if it is not enough PIC will not go in programming mode. Programmers with external powers supply will be safer.


this diagramm shows required programming voltage :
http://www.sprut.de/electronic/pic/brenner/vpp.htm


this works with different external power supplys an parallel port

http://www.sprut.de/electronic/pic/p...r5/br5_sch.gif

and this i would like to build, but PCB is not so easy to make. If you want to make it i can send you the requred Pic, (i ´m strongly interested in making a PCB for me):
http://www.piclist.com/images/com/mu...ree_icd_en.htm

[janneman]

... and then there's www.piclist.com where I learned my PIC tricks.

Jan Didden