needing to buy a pic usb programmer

[jeanninemtv]

hello

could you suggest me one vendor to buy a cheap cheap usb programmer like pickit clones ?
i need to have again a pic-programmer at home ... or someone sells one ?

[HeliEye]

I bought PicKit2 from Farnell, at the moment on promo >> http://uk.farnell.com/microchip/pickit2promo/development-programmer-promo-w/dp/9945350
£24.07 +vat

Steve

[bbarney]

Absoulutley buy the the real pickit3 or  pickit2 instead of a cheap pickit clones which in most cases cost as much as the real thing only not near as good or have the support of microchip.why settle for a clone when the real thing is so cheap?

[jeanninemtv]

ok

i will buy pickit3 orig. but i have to wait 15 days more to have it .. coz its not in stock at microshit direct.com  but offers a nice begginers board to work with   55 euros  aghhhhh  i will not eat for more than a week

[bbarney]

Wise investment,for what you recieve and the amount of pic's supported it's the best programmer out there for pics at that price,there's not to many chips it doesn't support and there is always firmware upgrades being made to support new chips as they arrive not like the clones where your always reading it doesn't do this chip or that chip won't program right,try digi-key if you need it quicker
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=DV164131-ND

[jeanninemtv]

uhm  18 euros for shiping is shi..ping :[  ok next month i think i will be able to buy that toy

[flyback]

I strongly recommend the original PicKit2:
if you use the 10Fxx or 12Fxx, and assign the /MCLR pin as output, with some programmers (per example the more expensive Microchip ICD2) you can only program the first time !!! after that the chip was no longer recognized by the programmer.
Pickit2 have no such problem. I found that, to enter the programming mode, Vpp must be applied BEFORE Vdd, and Pickit2 nicely implements this feature. On the ICD2, the Vdd is always present.
I don't have experience with a pickit clone.

[Diecilis]

What programmers do you guys recommend for 28-40 pin PICs ? Are there some 28-40p adapters for pickit 2, because I can't seem to find them, at least not in my country.

[jeanninemtv]

i think i would demand to buy it to my chief and discount the price , this way i will save 18 euros for transport because it will be commanded with another order of components

[flyback]

for Diecillis:
You don't need 28-40 pin adapter with pickit2, assuming your pic supports In Situ Programming mode (Any newer PICs support ISP). You just connect these pins to your pickit2:
vdd, vpp, gnd, mclr, RB6, RB7

[Diecilis]

Stupid me, why didn't I think of that. Thx mate.

[bbarney]

If you really need an adapter this one is as cheap as you'll fin and work's with pickit

High quality Universal Programmer Development Board

http://cgi.ebay.com/High-quality-Universal-Programmer-Development-Board_W0QQitemZ230344152744QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a194d6a8&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A30

[Diecilis]

Interesting, instead I'll use this: http://www.sure-electronics.net/mcu,display/DB-DP101.pdf to make one myself. Thx, for the link.

[bbarney]

You wanna tell me where your going to get 3 ziff sockets for less ? just 1 ziff socket cost the same as the whole board,not to mention time & material to make your own
Each to their own I guess but even with the cost of shipping it's cheap

[pickit2]

As a programmer Pickit2 or Pickit3, I would say go for Pickit2 as it is more user friendly.
The stand alone GUI is far easier to use than MPLAB. The Pickit3 has no GUI
The Pickit2 has ProgramtoGo option, The Pickit3 can't use this function yet.
The error codes for the Pickit3 are not fully explained, when I got a Pickit3 it took an age to find you have to click power on to use sample board. just read Pickit3 user manual and there is no reference this needs to be done.
Then there is the anoying thing, you have to download new OS for every change of pic your using.
Then as to usage in the last month the pickit2 was used every day, Pickit3 only used to learn how to use it, and that was finding problems, not in the manuals.

[milan]

The BEST in Europe:
http://www.mikroe.com/en/tools/easypic5/
Excellent tool




Milan.

[jeanninemtv]

LOL  80euros wow.... maybe this month... it will be easier to adapt if i migrate to dspic

[bbarney]

If your looking for a development board than yea the easypic5 is great but if it won't program your dspic the pickit2 will, heres a list if you want to see what it will program
http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1406&dDocName=en027813

[flyback]

Pickit2,
Thank's for the head up on the pickit3. I was about to buy a pickit3, hoping that's better. I will stick with the pickit2. The GUI is well done, and even supplied in full C# source code. I'm planning to modify it to support SQTP files to serialize targets.

[jeanninemtv]

important:

farnell has a open wish list prize of 10 pickit3 ... check website, maybe one of us can win one freeeee

[mabd]

There are some universal programmers, really universal
that can program many many (+20 000) stuff
pic, avr, arm, altera, xlinix ... etc
I have seen some chinese for  120 $
have you any suggestion !!!

[pickit2]

My boss bought one and the manual listed loads of devices, that could be programmed with it.
The power supply for programming devices failed in the first month, and he could not get the supplier to issue a return address.
I found it in the stores and opened it up, on the pcb I seen a device was blown, by looking at the components used by the now melted device I was able identify and replace this ic.

The manual was in poor english as was the gui the programmer used.
I only ever used it for eproms and eeproms, the support for pic, atmel and other micros was very limited and poor.  

my thoghts are some of the univeral programmers that cost a lot of money, that money would be better spent by dedicated programmers that you would use.
In my place of work most devices are microchip, so we have access to Picstart Plus, ICD2, Pickit2 and Pickit3, and in use I would say the pickit2 is the most used, and the cheapest programmer.
 

[BMOE]

Hello.

I really can recomend melabs U2 Programmer.

It costs a bit more but I have used one daily for about 2 years now and it's awsome.

http://www.melabs.com/products/usbprog.htm

[flyback]

In my (humble) opinion, the universal programmer is more or less a tool of the past.
I have a Xeltek 3000U supporting practically 50K of devices, but I find myself using it just to duplicate some old EPROMs... for repairing test equipment.
Most, if not all, modern processors are now flash based, and supplied in SMD packaging, so you have to solder directly it to your PCB (the cost of the socket is more than the price of the prcessor). They are often programmable in situ, by a kind of Jtag, biwire ... So a dedicated programmer is a much better solution, since you can not only program your device, but also you can debug it, something the universal programmer simply cannot.
for my work, I use Pickit2 for PIC, TI-Fet-USB for MSP430, Jlink for ARM..
My 2 cts

[mabd]

no wonder, pickit2 likes pickit2.
i am using dedicated programmers for pic, avr, arm and finally psoc.
and i would like to play with some fpgas. so, i thought a universal
one might be handy to try different chips before deciding
which one is the best. as you know, fpga boards are expensive
and not easy to find in my country. do you have any suggestions
thanx

[pickit2]

Atmel do some nice data books for fpgas, with circuits for programmers. some times in docs as mod's to xxx-programmer.
here is a link to start you off.
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/tools_card.asp?tool_id=2749

Edit: just had a quick look there and I think you need the Atmel Data book for circuit, I think I have a copy in my workshop and will look for it.

[milan]

Universal Development system?
OK.

http://www.mikroe.com/en/tools/unids3/

UNI-DS3 development system is a full-featured development board
for the PIC, AVR, 8051, ARM, PSoC and dsPIC microcontrollers.

Milan.