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New to PIC... What should I use?

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Lol, I was hoping to get a price!
Hopefully i can get bill back on here and help me with explaining parts...
Also do the parts go with it?
How does the 18 pin 16f628 plug into the zif socket?
Where is teh zif located?
What is a microcontroller (40pin thing doing there?)
 
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Maybe I can save Bill a few keystrokes.
Souper man said:
Lol, I was hoping to get a price!
Hopefully i can get bill back on here and help me with explaining parts...
Also do the parts go with it?
The kit comes with all the Inchworm parts.
How does the 18 pin 16f628 plug into the zif socket?
The inchworm is setup to use ICP (In Circuit Programming)
Where is teh zif located?
You can make another board with an ICP connector and a ZIF socket and connect it to the inchworm. Or better yet just put a ISCP connector on your target board so you do not have to pull the microprocessor to program it. Bill has another kit called the FireFly that does this and more, it is an experimenter board.
What is a microcontroller (40pin thing doing there?)
This is a very capable tool. The 40 pin 16F877(A) runs the code that programs and debugs your target processor/board. The 16F877(A) in the kit comes programmed. If you build an inchwomr without the kit you will need another programmer to program the 16F877(A). In you case may be best to buy the kit.

All the processor support for ICD2's come directly from Microchip. It is a clone of one of their products.

In addition to programming you can also use the Inchorm/ICD2 with MPLAB (Free) and debug your programs using breakpoints. etc
 
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Thanks steve (oops :) )! I think I am going to buy it. My next question is what version of the 16f628 should i get? the supplier of where Im getting it has 2 versions:
16f628-20/p
16f628-201/p

Note the extra 1 on the lower model. I do not know if one has a internal oscilliator or if one doesnt, but they are identical chips as far as I/O pins, ram bytes, rom words and everything else. Any help?
 
Also, i dont like the DIPmicro site. Paypal and all that crap
is there any where else where they sell the inchworm+ kit?
 
Souper man said:
Thanks steve (oops :) )! I think I am going to buy it. My next question is what version of the 16f628 should i get? the supplier of where Im getting it has 2 versions:
16f628-20/p
16f628-201/p
...
I think you are seeing an I as a 1. Perhaps this what you want.
PIC16F628A-I/P Newark 92C4532 . It is a plastic DIP.
It is $1.73.
If you buy the older non A version you will end up paying twice that.

DIPMICRO takes credit cards and possibly money orders.
 
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Souper man said:
Also, i dont like the DIPmicro site. Paypal and all that crap
is there any where else where they sell the inchworm+ kit?

I'm working on it. Trying to get a US and a UK vendor, anyone come to mind?

Did you build Nigels programmer?
 
3v0 said:
DIPMICRO takes credit cards and possibly money orders.

Yes, we do. I am not sure about money order, but all major credit cards and whatever PayPal merchant account allows - no need to sign-up with PayPal.

Inchworm+ will be available very shortly, I just placed a next day order with my favourite distributor for the EG1224 switches and BS250. Finally perhaps Wednesday will be the day when Inchworm+ will be sold online.
 
The EG1224 are optional, you can use jumpers but the EG1224s look nicer. I don't find a need to change the jumpers very often, MPLAB seems very happy with a 13V VPP.

PS dipmicro, do you have a source for MMC / SD connectors. I'm thinking of using one in the Ladybug design.
 
blueroomelectronics said:
The EG1224 are optional, you can use jumpers

Oh well, I already ordered 100pcs and hopefully people will appreciate them.

blueroomelectronics said:
do you have a source for MMC / SD connectors

Only the surplus parts I have already listed in the store. Did you consider microSD using mechanical adaptor insteaod of connector?
 
blueroomelectronics said:
I'm working on it. Trying to get a US and a UK vendor, anyone come to mind?

Did you build Nigels programmer?

Why not try jameco?
Mouser
Solarbotics (ooh thats a good site!)

Dipmicro, explain to me how to order inchworm without paypal, because i read site and it says paypal or check mailed. I personally would rather give credit card number over site, and do a order like that.

EDIT:I just walked through the purchase, and I understand how to order without paypal. I think i am going to order bills awesomely cool kickbut programmer inchworm+
Hope you hurry up and get them in stock...
ITS MEH BIRTHDAY SOON!!!
want it as present...
 
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souper man said:
Dipmicro, explain to me how to order inchworm without paypal

Most people know PayPal personal accounts but PayPal is also a credit card gateway. There is two options - PayPal and Print Form. Select PayPal, it forwards you to their site where you type your CC information.

souper man said:
Hope you hurry up and get them in stock...

Today I received the MOSFET and switches from DigiKey, so we will make a set of 20 tonight. I just added them to stock, but if you order, they might ship on Thursday because I need to complete assembly of one unit as a last sanity check.
 
cool! I will attempt to order and hopefully get mine and start programming!

of course i will need a very basic program to write, aka a flashing LED
 
Wow, I applaud Nigel and Roman's excellent way of dealing with such a picky (and rather rude) person! You keeping 'yer cool after that chain of double posts and attacks is amazing.

Hope you get your Inchworm soon, Soup.
 
...

I also thank Nigel and Roman for their help on my microcontroller questions.

Advice to Omar: you dont need to say anything rude yourself. If I was rude, which I believe I wasnt I appologize. As for picky, I wanted a simple and easy to program chip, which at first I had no clue about PICs. any term I said, for example:
I hope you hurry up and get them in stock...

I thought he had to order them through a supplier, aka blue room.

Also, if you dont have much of anything to contribute to a conversation, dont jump in!
 
Yeah yeah. Sorry. But from where I was sitting it seemed like all of those things. Anywho, I'll jump out while I can, didn't mean to start anything with you.
 
I looked at the Inchworm +, and I am going to order it today. There is only one question: How do i hook up the ZIF socket?
 
Souper man said:
Where is teh zif located?
You can make another board with an ICSP connector and a ZIF socket and connect it to the inchworm. Or better yet just put a ISCP connector on your target board so you do not have to pull the microprocessor to program it. Bill has another kit called the FireFly that does this and more, it is an experimenter board.

Souper man said:
How do i hook up the ZIF socket?
The exact pins depeneds on the PIC pin count. Quite easy just 5 pins/wires.

Vpp-->Vpp
+5-->+5
Gnd-->Gnd
PGC-->PGC
PGD-->PGD




 
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So i just have to look at the chip (16f628) and connect the pin from my target board to where it has the ISCP socket, and hook up the vpp to vpp? is this printed out/ indicated on the actual PCB?

Edit: I looked at the inchworm +, and it appears to have the pins marked out. I also noticed it has 2 rows for a socket. Does this mean i can de bug and program 2 microcontrollers at the same time?
 
Souper man said:
So i just have to look at the chip (16f628) and connect the pin from my target board to where it has the ISCP socket, and hook up the vpp to vpp? is this printed out/ indicated on the actual PCB?

Edit: I looked at the inchworm +, and it appears to have the pins marked out. I also noticed it has 2 rows for a socket. Does this mean i can de bug and program 2 microcontrollers at the same time?
You looked at this

**broken link removed**
You can see the signal name to the left of the ICSP connector. It is the 10 pin socket on the right. It can only connect to 1 target at a time. The signals use pairs or pins. VPP is on the top pin of each row. +5 is on the next two down etc as marked.

**broken link removed**

You can see here that
VPP --> pin 1
+5 --> pin 14
gnd --> pin 5
PGC --> pin 12 (program clock)
PGD --> pin 13 (program data)

How you do this is up to you. You can wire up a board with a ZIP socket and a connector that is wired correctly. Then hook that to the Inchworm with a cable. Several ways to go.

Does this help ?

EDIT: In the inchworm+ assembly manual Bill has info and images of what the cable between the inchworm+ and the target can look like. Note that a board with a ZIP socket is just another board to connect to as far as the inchworm is concerned.

As long as all 5 signals end up on the correct PIC pins it should work but keep the cable to under 6 inches.
 
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