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Where can I find the complete circuit diagram for PIC pgrogrammer?

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Hi,
As already mentioned you may have damaged your parallel ports or still have some damage or incorrect wiring on your programmer board or possibly even blown your pic chip.
You also have to check the programmer software that all the options / parameters are also correcly specified -its easy to miss them.
Well, There are finite No. of things I could check.
1. The parallel port seems O.K, Voltage reading are fine and Hardware Check feature works.
2. The wiring on the programmer board is checked one by one. Its all O.k. I can be sure of this. The Hardware Check supports this.
3. Virtually Tried with every parameters of the software. Even changed the Bios settings.
4. Tried with another PIC. No success.
Thats about it.

I Just made the LVP cable and tried with it. No success there too. I think the Ic-prog software din't match with the LVP cable. The hardware check feature don't show the PGM pin, but shows 'Master Clear' Instead.

I have started getting bored, and gaining negative attitudes to electronics.
 
I just connected the respective pins of the Com port to the Respective Pins of The PIC through Resisters as shown here. **broken link removed**
Then I used the settings: JDM programmer, Windows API, and the only available comport, COM 1. Then I programmed using Program All, command.
The software is little Awkward, in that It took about 1.5 minute to program (my small program). Then it took another 1.5 minute to verify. Since It kept verifying without issuing an error, I at first became quite hopeful but quite cunningly at last it threw out: "Verification failed at address 0000". lol.
 
From that very page

For reading and writing program memory using this adapter, you also have to apply power to the PIC (+5V at Vdd) and tie MCLR to high level (Vdd) (Microchip suggests to use a resistor for MCLR because of latch-up risk). An oscillator circuit doesn't have to be connected. Of course, connect the three lines PGD, PGC and PGM to this adapter, too.

And then he gives you a picture showing the 5V line. You have to provide that 5V supply and tie its gnd to gnd from the serial port.

board.jpg
 
Hi
I have come to the conclusion that there are just too many variables in getting most programmers working the first time.

Yes agree, and there are always so many beginners looking for such a device, I'm sure a lot fail like The Critic and soon loose interest in what is a rewarding hobby or profession

Have never tried the LVP method or been able to get results with the couple of JDM programmers I tried - might have been my PCs serial ports ..?
Always thought the PIC16Pro or Tait Classic parallel designs were reasonably simple, I have had a few folk use that pdf of mine to build and program their own chips ok.

The Critic
Well, There are finite No. of things I could check.
1. The parallel port seems O.K, Voltage reading are fine and Hardware Check feature works.
2. The wiring on the programmer board is checked one by one. Its all O.k. I can be sure of this. The Hardware Check supports this.
3. Virtually Tried with every parameters of the software. Even changed the Bios settings.
4. Tried with another PIC. No success.
Thats about it.

Well have just changed one of the parallel port pins to make my programer compatible with the Oshonsoft software which I loaded and ran on all the default settings apart from the chip type.
As you can see it the program is almost 8k and it burnt in 30secs and verified in 20secs.
Seems their software is really very simple with mininal settings to change or confuse folk.

It still sounds as if something is not right with your build, as mentioned earlier a new strip board or pcb built 'tightly' with all new parts and using a short shielded parallel cable should work ok.

If you were a pure hobbist I would almost offer to post you out one of these boards, but as you are a EE student with resources available to you that would not seem the right way to learn.
 

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Have never tried the LVP method or been able to get results with the couple of JDM programmers I tried - might have been my PCs serial ports ..?

I suspect JDM programmers have done more AGAINST PIC's than anything else - as I've always seen it, it was purely an attempt to show how clever the designer was, and never really intended as a serious programmer. It's certain though that there's been more problems with JDM's than any other programmer out there - which was why I specifically didn't add serial port capability to WinPicProg, even though it would have been trivial to do so.
 
I suspect JDM programmers have done more AGAINST PIC's than anything else
That's for sure This is 2010 why would you want to use a over 20 year old programmer idea that will not work on most computers made in 2000 when you could make a good pickit2 clone for less then 10 dollars that can program any 5 volt part
and any 3 volt part if you power it at 3 volts for about 12 dollars you can build the read deal voltage adjustment and all. If it's because you don't have a 18f2550 you pay postage I'll send you one ready to go and I give you L1 to
and here a link to the most simple pickit2 that works that you can find **broken link removed**

ElectronicsADvices: Full featured Pickit2 Clone.
 
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I am not sure if it is fair to lump LVP in with JDM. As I understand it the problems with JDM are due to the generation of VPP. That does not exist with LVP.

To be safe/sure one would need to check the voltage on the programmer side of the resistors. Size them to get 5V.

Rant on
I can understand why people who can not buy a pickit2 because of location would want to build something. But there is little excuse if you can. For many people shipping a few hours or raking leaves, flipping burgers or parking cars will get you one. While electronics is not an expensive hobby it costs money. Buy less booze etc. If you are too poor to buy the programmer you can not afford much else so it is rather pointless. Spend you money on food and rent.

If you really want a JDM programmer sprakfun sells them for under $10. And if they do not work out of the box you can bet that the problem is your serial port.
 
I started programming PICs with a JDM programmer purchased from ebay. I'm fortunate that it worked, but it was still a pain to use. Program the chip. Pry the chip out and put it in my dev board. Then pry it out and put it back into the programmer. IT leads to a very slow development process. Any change in the code requires a minute or two of screwing around to get it into the chip.

Then I graduated to a USB programmer from Sparkfun. It made life easier ICSP but it had some nasty habits. Its power supply and the dev boards power supply weren't happy playing together, so the ICSP cable had to be disconnected and the board's power supply reconnected for any code change. And the programmer's USB interface was flaky. Any time it hadn't been used for a while, I'd have to reboot the computer a few times before it would be recognized. Usually, deleting the drivers, rebooting and re-installing made it work.

Finally I got the PICkit 2 from Microchip. Plugged in the USB cable and it just worked. Learned about the magic red button. Load the hex file, press the red button, and the PIC is programmed. Change the code, re-compile, press the button. Fast. Simple. Easy. I could do this 5 times in the time it took to program the PIC once with the JDM.

Somewhere before the PICkit 2, I tried bootloading too. That works ok, except you need a different loader file for a different clock speed, and in a few rare cases, the bootloader somehow interfered with my code. But once I got the PICkit, it was easier than even the bootloader, so it's what I always use now.

I agree that getting a programmer to work is a real hurdle to programming. It's not much fun to invest a lot of time and energy with no results! You need to get quickly to the point where you can make a LED flash. control a motor or make some noise. Once you have a foot in the door, you can have some fun seeing how things work or solving the problem you set out to solve. That's why I made the original recommendation. The original poster is not the only guy who's been down this path.



Jon
 
Here you go LVP as simple as it gets
 
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Hi,

be80be
If it's because you don't have a 18f2550 you pay postage I'll send you one ready to go and I give you L1 to

Well I have often though about doing that when you see the genuine frustration some beginners go though - but I think you will be amazed how many would take you up on the offer !!

I did my little parallel programmer pdf back in 2006 because I had several requests for a simple programmer as in many countries Microchip 18Fs were not available to the ordinary guy - Brazil and Argentina were two counties to name a few.
Also I think you have to be fair to say that in some counties the cost of certain chips, for some, can be prohibitive as well.
Still not sure why ' common' Microchips are not so easily available in certain areas, possibly lack of trade demand or political ?

Have often thought if there was a list of one or two people in each country who the beginners could send a 2550 chip to by local post for programming would be a good idea ... ?
Supplying a chip for money from other countires would I doubt be practical.

Still if ET can come up with the sure-fire simple pic prgrammer that was able to program up a 2550 so they could make the PK2 then great.:)
 
Let me tell you a funny thing you can program a 18f2550 serially with **broken link removed** software. Use it to load the
firmware for a pickit2. The programmer **broken link removed**

I don't have a pic hooked to but you can see it found the programmer it a JDM like ICSP That I made three year ago for some one on this forum
 

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I fixed it it's here **broken link removed**

I forgot index.html part LOL
 
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