For some of you this may be not big deal, but for me it is like that, and for all who helped me to reach this (early) stage in this forum, I would like to say thanks. Special thanks to Nigel Goodwin for his tutorial soft and hard wares.

After lost of one LCD module last month. I ordered a new three units, received them and spent one week of attempts to get it work and failed to do so. Today I've good news, my LCD is working.

The reason is me and my Programmer, I'm using DIY K128 PICmicro Programmer, v141204, it sets the Oscillator to IRCIO, so when I press program button, Error massage appears says: " Fuse error 0x2007, Good 0x3D18, Bad )xF18). I used to change the Oscillator into IRCCLK and does not receive any message.

This seem the problem with LCD tutorial, when I left it as it is IRCIO, received the error message but got the LCD working fine.

Attached are some photos of the occasion.

Thanks.

I've posted some related reply somewhere else,

LCD and 16f877a interface Help ?


Later, decided not to take somebody's else space then opened this separate page.

That is a lot of money for a programmer with no debug ability. If possible I would send it back and get a unit with debugging. A good choice would be the PICkit2. They were on sale in the UK through EPE recently. I am not sure if that offer is still good.

While I fully understand "buyer be ware" I have little good to say about a company that is selling obsolete equipment and calling it professional. They should at least offer the good stuff too but then the junk would not sell.

Sorry for the rain.
Welcome to the forum

Originally Posted by ahydra

I have just got a PIC programmer (the 3128 from Quasar Electronics) and am getting the same problem trying to program my 16F628. However the only difference between 0x3D18 and 0x3F18 is the state of bit 9, and on reading the datasheet this bit doesn't actually do anything. This is probably why your circuit still works [I'm hoping that mine will too, but currently don't have a supply with suitable voltage ]

ahydra

If you stick any PIC into a solderless breadboard and run a few wires to a pin header you can program it. I made a PCB with an ICSP header and several differnt sized sockets to save time. But 99% of programing is done in circut these days. It saves wear and tear on the chip's pins (if it has any).

It is nice to have another PIC person here. What language(s) do you program in?

3v0

Originally Posted by ahydra

Thanks 3v0. I did actually check out the Pickit 2 originally, but couldn't find it sold with (what I could 100% verify was) the ability to program your own chips (only ones presoldered into boards etc). Hence I got this 3128 which seems to work. It does have a ICSP connector so I might be able to get a Pickit 2 later and use its debugging feature.

ahydra

Microchip has a very good free student version C compiler. It is about the same as their commerical version execpt some optimization stops working after 90 days. BoostC is another good C compiler and reasonably priced.

The 18F's are a bit easier to work with and tend to have more memory. Price is about the same.

In time the fear will pass. You can distroy them but they are fairly tough.

Check to be sure you disabled the WDT on your code (other thread)

3v0

Originally Posted by ahydra

Well being completely new to PICs in general, I was most put off by the fact that Pickit 2 only appears to have a female connector for ICSP so I have no simple way of wiring that to my breadboard...

Connect ICSP like this:


The PICkit 2 end is built like this.

The breadboard end is built from some 2-row pin connector and a shrouded 2x5 male IDC connector:

I'm sure I could figure out how to do ICSP but I'm very scared of damaging the chips

Don't be scared. PICs are pretty tough. You really have to do something quite wild to damage them.

If you do opt to move up wait for the PICkit3 to come out in January. It will be the latest greatest....

You can get pickkit2 For $10.00 if you use EPE you get a number that you use to order it from microchip.com it in jan epe just got done reading it.

Originally Posted by be80be

You can get pickkit2 For $10.00 if you use EPE you get a number that you use to order it from microchip.com it in jan epe just got done reading it.

I fear It is !) Briitish Pounds and Not $.

All the best and !MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Originally Posted by mvs sarma

I fear It is !) Briitish Pounds and Not $.

All the best and !MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Still a good buy. At that price you I would buy one just to have it around to use the Logic Analyzer Tool and UART Tool functions.

3v0