About PIC programmers

[colin mac]

I got a pickit 2 clone lately which I programmed my PICs with. Then one day it stopped programming my 18F4520 and 16F876A chips. It gives me invalid device id. I tried new chips and same thing. But the programmer still programs my 18F2520, 16F877A and the rest of my PICs. My question is, can I rule out hardware failure of the programmer?

In the manual it also says that if the USB port can't supply enough current.
external power is needed. I haven't tried this yet because I need a DC jack to do so which i haven't got.

 

[eng1]

I got a pickit 2 clone lately which I programmed my PICs with. Then one day it stopped programming my 18F4520 and 16F876A chips. It gives me invalid device id. I tried new chips and same thing. But the programmer still programs my 18F2520, 16F877A and the rest of my PICs. My question is, can I rule out hardware failure of the programmer?

In the manual it also says that if the USB port can't supply enough current.
external power is needed. I haven't tried this yet because I need a DC jack to do so which i haven't got.

If you can program the PIC18F2520 and the PIC16F877A with no problem, I would say that your programmer does work. Are you programming the microcontrollers in-circuit? or into an adapter with no parts connected to the clock and data pins? if the PICs are powered by the programmer, are you using Vdd=5 V?

 

[colin mac]

I'm using the programmer's zif socket just.

 

[OY2L]

The Pickit 2 is a in-circuit programmer and have no socket at all.

 

[Krumlink]

he said it is a clone, indicating that this clone has a ZIF socket in it. That also suggests that he is programming it out of circuit. I suggest unplugging all unnecessary USB items. My Junebug would do that to me sometimes but once you unplug a couple things the voltage is fine.