PIC question from a PIC Virgin

[bigal_scorpio]

Hi to all,

Can anyone solve this puzzle!

My problem is this, I have a PICStart 16B1 programmer that I know is working ok (I have programmed a 16c55 and got a working circuit) and I was given 20 odd 16c54 OTP ICs with the PICStart from a mate.

The thing is that all the 16c54 chips I have plugged in so far say "Not Blank", and if I ignore this message and program them they come up with the Good and Bad boxes and the chip seems unaffected ( I am using MPS16B.exe to program them, as I used for the 16c55) and I wondered if the OTP chips need a different method to program them even though the PICStart 16B1 recognises the chip!

Could ALL my 16c54 chips be bad? Maybe all used already? They came from a reputable dealer when my mate got them and he has Never got round to using any of them.

So any suggestions would be welcomed and also if anyone has any Ideas on the best Programmer to build myself, bearing in mind that most I have found on the web seem to need a programmed PIC chip as part of their circuit, since my programmer is so old it does not support any of the PICs that are in the homebrew programmers so I can't build one of the PIC based ones - is this a paradox? hehehe

Anyway I await your suggestions and hope I will be able to build a Programmer or Debugger/Programmer of some type soon.

Thanks for looking and being patient enough to read what probably seems like inane drivel to the PIC gurus out there.................Al

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Does the 16B1 support the 16F54, 16C84, 16F84 or 16F84A based PIC?
All those are re-programmable, as for your 16C54 you could try reading them and putting the hex file through a disassembler (if the code isn't gibberish they were probably programmed)

 

[3v0]

I was programing Motorola chips back in the days of the 16c54 so I do not know anything useful about OTP PICs.

You can buy new 16F54 chips for 55 cents from Newark or £0.58 from Farnell in the UK.

This is not a good chip to learn anything but assembly on because of the limited memory.

-I/P 8-Bit Microcontroller IC
Controller Family/SeriesIC16F; Memory Size, Flash:768Byte; Memory Size, SRAM:25Byte; Number of I/O Pins:12; Number of Timers 8/12/16/32 Bits:1 / 0 / 0 / 0;

Put these things in a drawer and keep them for when you have just the right app for such a chip. I suggest you do your learning with a PIC16F88 or PIC18F1320. Either will work for assembly and the 18F has a free C ompiler from Microchip.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

I'd never recommend a 54 or 84 to anybody, the ancient PICStart B1 is no longer supported by Microchip so the chip support is very old. I've got and old C1 around here somewhere (40pin ZIF)
**broken link removed**

 

[3v0]

Anyway I await your suggestions and hope I will be able to build a Programmer or Debugger/Programmer of some type soon.

All the programmers with debuggers will require a programmed PIC.
You can find the schematics for two good ones you can build on Bill's site Blueroomelectronics.com. Bill sells kits (with a programmed PIC) and assembled units.

The ICD2/Inchworm has RS232 com so it is not great for use for chips with a lot of memory like many of the 18F family. It is mostly the PIC and a few common transistors. Fairly easy to build if you have some electronics experiance.

The Junebug is a great tool and uses USB so it is much faster then any RS232 based programmer. It uses a few more transistor types and an inductor which are not as common as the parts for the Inchworm. I have generated a list of Junebug parts and where you can find them. The list is for US suppliers but it provides some real part numbers you can use to help find them elsewhere.

**broken link removed**

You can either build a simple programmer to program the first chip or perhaps if you ask nice, get a nearby member to send you one.

You may try searching for suppliers using the octopart.com search engine.

 

[bigal_scorpio]

Hi Bill,

Does the 16B1 support the 16F54, 16C84, 16F84 or 16F84A based PIC?
All those are re-programmable, as for your 16C54 you could try reading them and putting the hex file through a disassembler (if the code isn't gibberish they were probably programmed)

As to What it supports its 16c54 to 16c84 but no "f" types at all

As to reading the device seems to be filled with 000 unless this is because I am trying to read whats hidden by the Code Protect which the programmer says is ON ?

Also to further my purpose for using the 16c54, its because I have 20 odd laying around and have a project in mind that would only require a simple PIC, and its an opportunity for me to maybe learn something, I hope

Is there a way to see if a device is written when the CP is on, or does anyone want to volunteer to be sent one of my 16c54s to test for me?

Thanks again.........Al

 

[bigal_scorpio]

PIC Programmer - PIC Needed?

All the programmers with debuggers will require a programmed PIC.
You can find the schematics for two good ones you can build on Bill's site Blueroomelectronics.com. Bill sells kits (with a programmed PIC) and assembled units.

The ICD2/Inchworm has RS232 com so it is not great for use for chips with a lot of memory like many of the 18F family. It is mostly the PIC and a few common transistors. Fairly easy to build if you have some electronics experiance.

The Junebug is a great tool and uses USB so it is much faster then any RS232 based programmer. It uses a few more transistor types and an inductor which are not as common as the parts for the Inchworm. I have generated a list of Junebug parts and where you can find them. The list is for US suppliers but it provides some real part numbers you can use to help find them elsewhere.

**broken link removed**

You can either build a simple programmer to program the first chip or perhaps if you ask nice, get a nearby member to send you one.

You may try searching for suppliers using the octopart.com search engine.

Hi 3v0,

Would this programmer be any good to use, it doesn't seem to need a PIC to work, but I may be on the wrong track?

Thanks again...............Al
https://www.instructables.com/id/JDM2-based-PIC-Programmer/

 

[blueroomelectronics]

JDMs are very popular because they're cheap and simple. They can be temperamental on modern PCs.

 

[3v0]

If I am not mistaken Nigel has a link to a parallel port programmer that would not have the JDM problems.

EDIT: the URL

 

[kchriste]

If you have a computer with a parallel port, you could try this programmer:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2008/03/p16pro40-2.pdf
Which works with free software from Nigels site:

This is what I used when I started with PICs and it supports some of the common chips like the 16F628, F84, F877, etc. I never made a PCB for it either; I just built it on a breadboard and plugged the PICs in as I needed to program them. Now I use an ICD2 because it supports a much wider range of chips. I've heard that the PICkit2 is also a very good programmer but again it is a catch 22 and you need a preprogrammed PIC for it to work.
A PICkit2 clone: