PICkit 2 loses bandgap settings

[geko]

There is an interesting thread over on the Microchip Forum regarding the well loved PICkit2 programmer and devices with a bandgap value.

It would appear that the PICkit2 erases the value and sets it to 0, if you didn't make a note of it you've lost it and even if you did, you can't reprogram it with the PICkit 2.

This affects some of the popular PICs including 12F629, 12F675

Microchip Technology User Forums

I had a little play with a couple of 12F629 I've had lying around that have never been near a PICkit2 and sure enough, once they've been through the PICkit2 the bandgap value is cleared.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Presumably, now it's been identified as a bug, it will be corrected in a software update?.

 

[geko]

Suggestion over on the 'other' forum is that as the PICkit2 is end-of-life there will be no further updates for it.

Be interesting to know if the PK3 works correctly

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Suggestion over on the 'other' forum is that as the PICkit2 is end-of-life there will be no further updates for it.

It's not 'end of life', new devices are still been added to it, and no doubt updates will continue, as they have for a number of years on previous MicroChip programmers.

 

[Funny NYPD]

Microchip doesn't recommend PK2 anymore just like the aged ICD2, no new device will be added officially under MPLAB, nobody under Microchip will work on PK2 unless there is a serious bug on parts previously supported. (One of the most important PK2 designer left Microchip around April-2009) It may get more and more open-source community events and supports on PK2 own PC software. Especially many PK3 users are mad of the poor design and performance after one year of PK3 release.

 

[geko]

I'm not sure where the problem lies. I did edit the PK2DeviceFile.dat to unmask the bandgap bits in the config word. I could then change them but when I programmed the part they still read back as 0. I couldn't really see anything else to change so I don't know if the problem is in the program rather than the configuration file.