Has anyone used a TEAClipper?

[DSGarcia]

Has anyone used a TEAClipper http://flexipanel.com/TEAclipper.htm for programming PICs or have any thoughts on it? Would this be all I would need to program PICs?

I am planning on developing a board with a PIC and then produce it in batches of about 10 boards per batch every few months. Once the code is developed, I wouldn't need to make changes and so I want to keep my PIC programming process as simple as possible.
Thanks,
Dale

 

[blueroomelectronics]

It's for controlled firmware releases, you can limit the installs. Claims to be secure but IMO would not be difficult to sniff the data if you needed to.
What do you plan on using it for?

 

[donniedj]

Just another another way for the middle man to edge his way into the market. Very clever never the less. Otherwise use a bootloader.

You can design a built-in programming port into your boards just like the TEAclipper port but just use a regular programming cable.

Below, my board has a 5-pin port for programming the PIC. I usually use SOIC test clips to do programming into boards, but the boards below use SSOP parts. Notice the port is not to standard 0.1 inch pitch. Since I had no space, I just put the holes as close as possible without violating the DRC from the board house. One end of the cable is a regular PICkit2 plug and the other is my own special ingredient. I pushed 5 header pins (great for many usages) into the holes, glued the pins together, solder on a cable, and heat wrapped the termination.

**broken link removed**

My simple solution to my "The worlds gone SSOP and QFN on me!" no longer existing problem.

 

[DSGarcia]

I am interested in a simple method to program small lots of boards every few months (or perhaps even less frequently) in a small production environment. I will probably only do one or two small PIC board designs and perhaps one more in the future.

Designing boards (particularly with PICs) is far from our core business and I would like to push aside as much as I can once the design is complete. My thought is if I used something like the TEAClipper, I would not have to drag out a programmer, hook it up to a computer, and run a program that I do not often run. It would also allow me to farm out the task if I wanted. Does the TEAClipper do everything I would need or is there something I am missing?
Thanks,
Dale

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

It doesn't sound like the TEAClipper doesn't anything you want? - it's for sending updates to people to upgrade their existing systems, which must have been specifically designed for this purpose.

The TeaClipper also isn't magic', you presumably require a programmer to load the code in the first place.

Get a programmer, you need one in order to write and test the code anyway, something like the Inchworm+ or Junebug.

 

[Mike - K8LH]

Hi Dale,

If the TEAClipper is indeed an ICSP programmer then it will probably do what you want. I can't check because their site is down.

I'm curious if you know which PIC devices you'll be using in your products? I've built several programmers of my own design, the smallest for 18F' target devices using an 8 pin 12F683, and it would be fun to design a simple and small stand-alone programmer.

Regards, Mike

 

[bananasiong]

Hi donniedj,
Some questions for you
Is your board originally green in color?
Do you tin on the pads before soldering, how? Are you using solder or some solution / liquid?
Where do you get the via? I couldn't find any from the farnell website in my country by searching via. Or is there any other name for it?

Thanks

 

[BeeBop]

You can design a built-in programming port into your boards just like the TEAclipper port but just use a regular programming cable.

Very nice solution!! Thanks!

 

[DSGarcia]

Thanks everyone for your comments--which have been quite helpful. I guess I still have a little more homework to do. I would like to approach this question in a slightly different manner.

I have used a BS2 in the past, but not PICs. I would like to develop a new board as well as converting to SMDs, so I thought this would be a good time to change horses and look at the PIC. With the BS2, I would simply plug in a serial cable and download the program each time I want to program a new board. The TEAClipper looked even simpler and I wouldn't even need to start any software on a PC for programming once the TEAClipper was loaded from a USB adapter.

I am not opposed to using a normal programmer, but when I am done with the project, I would rather push everything aside including the development tools.

I have not yet started any PIC development (note, I will look through the tutorials posted and mentioned on this forum), so I do not know all the methods available for programming a PIC. The TEAClipper just looked like a novel solution if it does work. If a normal programmer is the best solution, that is fine. I was just looking for what would be simplest in the long run for small batch production programming.
Thanks,
Dale

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

The TEAClipper is a specific unit for a specific purpose, that of sending updates to units out in the field. As a programmer it would be VERY slow and clumsy to use - much easier and faster to use a PIC in a ZIF socket on a programmer, and faster still to use ICSP and program it in circuit (which is all the TEAClipper is doing - but it's a 'middleman' - adding extra time and money).

 

[Diver300]

I think the TeaClipper is a very useful device, for what it is designed for. I was thinking of designing such a device before the TeaClipper became available.

I make vehicle trackers, and if I want to update one, it has to come back to me or I have to get a PC to it, with an ICD2 or similar in the way.

Or I send out a TeaClipper.

If I design with a bootloader, I have to get the data to the tracker in some way, and I have to check the data integrity before I flash it. With P18F24J10s, the self programming is a bit of a pain, so there would need to be quite a lot of space.

So the TeaClipper is a good solution for our application.

 

[donniedj]

Hi donniedj,
Some questions for you
Is your board originally green in color?
Do you tin on the pads before soldering, how? Are you using solder or some solution / liquid?
Where do you get the via? I couldn't find any from the farnell website in my country by searching via. Or is there any other name for it?
Thanks

This board is not my usual home grown boards. I am done with home grown self made except for prototypes or personal usage. This board is professionally made from a PCB house.

 

[bananasiong]

Oh, thanks I was wondering how is done. Especially the dual 'L' connectors, it's impossible to solder the inner line without using via.

 

[Mike - K8LH]

Dale,

If you put bootloader code in the devices then the "update device" is even simpler as it simply would need to store hex code via usb connection to your PC and then issue the correct command to initiate the bootloader in your product boards and transfer the hex file via RS232 (or perhaps some other means).

As a side note, my series of home-brew bootloaders simply use HyperTerminal to download the hex files via RS232...

Mike

 

[Funny NYPD]

The bootloader and TEAClipper ICSP both are very clever method.