Microcontroller Downloading Interface

[Electroenthusiast]

Downloading Program to Microcontroller:
All i knew was that the program written in Keil was downloaded to kit using RS 232, but just yesterday, i came across downloading the program using USB...
How is it possible?
And they had provided me a USB driver for this.
I want to know Different ways(like USB, RS232, etc.,) used to download program on KIT.
Can i use the same kit to download on any microcontroller?



Edit:

Why somany different application is required for various Microcontrollers?
Like 8051 requires Keil, whereas Atmag16 requires AVR Studio.
How do i know which Programmer(Application) to use?
Any application(programmer), where i can do it for all microcontroller?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Programmers are mostly specific to the device in question, although the same programmer will often support many of the devices in the same manufacturers range.

Programming via serial (real serial) or USB requires either a programmer with a processor on board, or a bootloader in the target chip.

 

[Electroenthusiast]

Why somany different application is required for various Microcontrollers?
Like 8051 requires Keil, whereas Atmag16 requires AVR Studio.
How do i know which Programmer(Application) to use?
Any application(programmer), where i can do it for all microcontroller?

Programmers are mostly specific to the device in question, although the same programmer will often support many of the devices in the same manufacturers range.

Programming via serial (real serial) or USB requires either a programmer with a processor on board, or a bootloader in the target chip.

hi,
can u substantiate the explanation?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

You can buy EXTREMELY expensive 'universal' programmers, but they are extremely poor value, and aimed at the professional (more money than sense) market.

Buy a programmer for the specific chips you're wanting to program, and the software for assembling or compiling programmes for that device.

 

[Electroenthusiast]

You can buy EXTREMELY expensive 'universal' programmers, but they are extremely poor value, and aimed at the professional (more money than sense) market.

Buy a programmer for the specific chips you're wanting to program, and the software for assembling or compiling programmes for that device.

Ok

Programmers are mostly specific to the device in question, although the same programmer will often support many of the devices in the same manufacturers range.
Programming via serial (real serial) or USB requires either a programmer with a processor on board, or a bootloader in the target chip.

I did not understand this part...
Can you elaborate it?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Ok



I did not understand this part...
Can you elaborate it?

In what way?, you use a PIC programmer to program PIC's, an AVR programmer to program AVR's or an 8051 programmer to program 8051's.

 

[Electroenthusiast]

Programming via serial (real serial) or USB requires either a programmer with a processor on board, or a bootloader in the target chip.

processor and bootloader on Board, Board on which the Program is Downloaded?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

processor and bootloader on Board, Board on which the Program is Downloaded?

A bootloader is a program that runs in the processor, that allows it to receive another program and program itself - so all you need is a serial or USB interface, and to transfer the program from the PC. The processor does the rest - so no programmer.

But the obvious drawback, is that you need a programmer to get the bootloader in the chip in the first place.

Programmers like the PICKit2 have a processor on board, and this is programmed via a bootloader for the specific target device you're programming. This processor then receives the data over serial/USB (USB in the case of the PICKit2) and actually does the programming itself - so (in a similar way to bootloading) the PC is only used to transfer the data, NOT to do the actual programming.

Conventional programmers do the actual programming directly, by 'wiggling' port pins up and down, either the parallel port (preferred) or the handshake lines on a serial port (much more troublesome).