PIC Programmer.

[Hero999]

I've just finished building the PIC programmer on Nigel's site.
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2007/06/p16pro40.pdf

Here are some pictures of the PCBs.

I've put it into a box; I'll post some pictures of that when I get round to it.

 

[Hero999]

All I need now is some software to use with this.

I'd prefer it if it's for Linux or will at least run under WINE as I am slowly moving away from Windows and I would also prefer it if it's open source. I've checked out Nigel's site but it all appears to be Winwoes only although I will check to see if some of it will run under WINE.

Then I'll set about building an LED flasher.

I also have a project planned for a PIC, it's a bathroom extractor fan timer. The idea is you pull the switch once and it turns the fan on for 10 miniute, pull it twice and it stays on continuously and pull it again to turn it off. I did origionally design it using a 555, a dual flip flip IC and a quad NAND IC but now I've finally decided to get into PICs I've decided to abandon that approach.

What PIC should I start with?

I want something with a built in oscillator, a minimum of two IO pins (one for the switch and one for the output) and that comes in a small DIL package with minimal pins.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Check the PICList, there is a small amount of Linux stuff out there!.

 

[3v0]

For the bathroom fan check out
PIC12F609-I/P 8 pin 1.75KB Flash 64B RAM 6 I/O 8MHz internal oscillator

For general learning I like the PIC16F88

• 8-Bit Microcontroller IC
• 7K bytes Flash
• 8 MHz Int Oscillator
• Number of I/O Pins:16
• Clock Speed:20MHz
• Package/Case:18-DIP
• EEPROM:256

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

For the bathroom fan check out
PIC12F609-I/P 8 pin 1.75KB Flash 64B RAM 6 I/O 8MHz internal oscillator

For general learning I like the PIC16F88 7K bytes Flash

I makes a LOT more sense to specify program memory in words, because that's how it's used (and the only way it can be used).

So the 12F609 has 1K words of memory, and the 16F88 has 4K words.

 

[Hero999]

Thanks for the replies.

Wow there is a lot of choice, I suppose as there are no special requirements for my application then would I be wise just buying the cheapest PIC possible?

I can't find the thread be I remember Nigel suggesting a PIC in place of a 555 awhile ago and I can't remember which one he suggested.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Thanks for the replies.

Wow there is a lot of choice, I suppose as there are no special requirements for my application then would I be wise just buying the cheapest PIC possible?

I can't find the thread be I remember Nigel suggesting a PIC in place of a 555 awhile ago and I can't remember which one he suggested.

Any 8 pin one would do, the 12F609 mentioned above would be fine.

 

[bananasiong]

I'm not very sure about this, but I've faced this problem among my friends and I myself: The hardware and software have to be synchronized, i.e. not all the programming software support all type of programmers. Let's talk about parallel port programmer, some uses an inverter and some uses a buffer as the logic. So the programming software are different. But I'm not sure whether there is any way to make them to be universal. It is because some programming software doesn't support some new PICs.

 

[3v0]

I makes a LOT more sense to specify program memory in words, because that's how it's used (and the only way it can be used).

Best to know both. Both have value.
Machines with larger instructions GENERALY require fewer instructions.

Data is stored in bytes.

No big deal. Why are you giving me guff ?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Best to know both. Both have value.
Machines with larger instructions GENERALY require fewer instructions.

The ONLY reason is as an advertising ploy, to make it appear larger than it is!, there's no value in splitting the words into bits and reassembling them in bytes.

Data is stored in bytes.

Not in PIC program memory it's not!.

No big deal. Why are you giving me guff ?

No guff, just making the point - it makes much more sense to specify the size of the memory as you use it.

 

[Hero999]

So I take it that all PIC instructions are the same size on a specific device?

I've done some assembler programming on both an x86 PC and a microcontroller (can't remember what type) and different instructions required different amounts of memory.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

So I take it that all PIC instructions are the same size on a specific device?

On the low and mid range devices they are, for example the 16F series use all 14 bit words, and all instructions are just one word in length - so the 14 bit word can contain an eight bit data 'byte' and a six bit instruction (such as RETLW 0xFF - the RETLW is the first 6 bits, and the 255 the next 8).

The 18F series etc. have a small number of double word instructions.

 

[Gayan Soyza]

I think for Hero999 its better start from windows & assembly language until you get descent knowledge in PIC programming Due to several reasons.

*Easy to understand
*More resources software’s (IC Prog, WinPicprog / Serial Port Emulators etc……)
*More supported programming hardware’s
*More debugging tools (simulators)
*Plenty tutorials (microchip application notes)
*More supported forum friends

After that you can shift to any other OS or Higher Level Language or 18F series.

All the best

 

[Hero999]

I don't mind sticking with some Windows software for now but if I do then I still want the option of being able to take all my code and move to another piece of software on the the Linux platform without modifying it. I don't want to get locked into using a certain piece of proprietary software that I only origianlly intended on using temporally.

By the way, here's the completed article.

Now all I need to do is buy some PICs to program.

 

[bananasiong]

Hi Hero999, the chassis looked nice

 

[Hero999]

What do you mean chassis? I think you're probably takling about the box?

The great thing about this project is it didn't cost me much in terms of personal time and money. I only payed for the ZIF socket (pretty cheap off ebay, I can't remmeber how much) and the copper clad board and etching materials, everything else was borrowed from either work or college . I've not been busy at work for the last few weeks (we're in between projects and I have been booking to waiting) so I could assemble the whole thing at work, the only bit I did at home was etching the PCB!

The box was slavaged from an protoype the company had destined for the bin. It already had a few holes drilled in it but this was no problem as, for the most part, I needed to drill bigger hole in the same places, there was one hole where that wasn't the case so I just filled it with resin and as I've painted the whole thing with spray paint you can't see it anyway.

 

[Hero999]

Right, I have installed WinPicProg and the program driver under WINE and it loads up with a couple of error messages.

"WARNING - Loaded file has changed do you wish to reload?"

How can the file have changed I haven't used it before?

"DLPORTIO.SYS device driver has not loaded.

Port I/O will have no effect."

Apart from that, the user interface appears and it appears to be fully functional.

I've still yet to get my hands on some PICs but I assume this error message means that it won't work under WINE as the driver hasn't loaded. This is no surprise to me, I wasn't expecting it to work but I just wanted to have some fun trying.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Can't say I've ever tried it?, but I wouldn't expect it to work under WINE.

 

[Hero999]

I've reasearched the most common suppliers in the UK:
RS PIC12F508-I/SN £0.62
RS PIC10F200-I/P £0.62
RS PIC12F509-I/P £0.69
RS PIC10F202-I/P £0.71
RS PIC10F204-I/P £0.71
Maplin PIC12F629-I/P £1.45 (Web Only)
Maplin PIC12C508A-04/P £1.51
CPC PIC12C508-04I/P £2.20!
All prices include VAT.

I've realised the the biggest cost will be shipping, Maplin charge £2.99 (free for orders >£35) and RS charge £7.50 (free for business account holders). Now as I don't have a business and I don't plan to spend more than £35 I think I'll probably end up picking it up from the store.

I'll probably end up going to RS and buy 10 PICs at £6.20 rather than being ripped off at Maplin even though it is further to travel. The question is as which PIC is generally better, the PIC12F508-I/SN or the PIC10F200-I/P? Are either of them going to go obsolete soon?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

The question is as which PIC is generally better, the PIC12F508-I/SN or the PIC10F200-I/P? Are either of them going to go obsolete soon?

PIC's don't really go obselete very fast, they even still make antique OTP devices!.

But most PIC's are pretty interchangeable, with only very minor changes required to the code, as there's only a fairly small number of PIC cores.

Are you looking for particularly tiny devices?, all those you list are 8 pin or less?. It really depends what you're wanting to do?, for learning purposes I would suggest the 16F628, or 16F88, or 16F819 - all easy to use 18 pin devices, all using the same 14 bit core - as do the 12F629 and the 12F675, which are 8 pin versions you could port to.