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Pickit 3 for $18, new

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Possibly not! Microchip were handing these things out like toffies once over..

You could buy a dev board complete with pickit3 for £25... So I should imagine you could buy them in quantity and sell the dev board and programmer separately...

Even so.. £12 with free delivery isn't a lot to pay for a non original anyway!!
 
Presumably the MicroChip ones are made in China?, so it's probably exactly the same from exactly the same factory :D - with the aforementioned minor cosmetic changes.
 
Hi,

Was about to buy a Pk3 but with that at just 1/3rd of the typical UK price, before carriage, think I might just take a punt.. what say you ...?
 
If it isn't genuine Microchip, then it is counterfeit. Whether it is made in the same factory or has cosmetic changes doesn't affect that.

Does it work? It may work, maybe not. What probably burns Microchip is when someone buys a counterfeit device and then expects a warranty replacement. Showing links to counterfeit products on this site is little different that posting links to cracking Windows security and asking "does it work?"

Many people complain about China's violation of IP, yet when faced with a counterfeit bargain, they go ahead and buy it. There can be benefit in discussing why IP theft is theft, but I think a direct link to the product should be removed, just as a link to a code crack or an IEEE copyrighted paper would not be allowed here.

John
 
If it isn't genuine Microchip, then it is counterfeit. Whether it is made in the same factory or has cosmetic changes doesn't affect that.

Does it work? It may work, maybe not. What probably burns Microchip is when someone buys a counterfeit device and then expects a warranty replacement. Showing links to counterfeit products on this site is little different that posting links to cracking Windows security and asking "does it work?"

Many people complain about China's violation of IP, yet when faced with a counterfeit bargain, they go ahead and buy it. There can be benefit in discussing why IP theft is theft, but I think a direct link to the product should be removed, just as a link to a code crack or an IEEE copyrighted paper would not be allowed here.

John


Hi,

Yes, understand your point but its a two way affair, the big companies really rip uk customers off, for example, just look at the prices Microsoft and Apple charge for their product here in the uk, its often 30 to 50% dearer than the US and even a lot dearer than other EU countries.
Of course they say its because of the UK dictionary is expensive,or that its PAL, or the extra freight cost, or the tax laws are different, any old bull****.

Give us a fair deal and there will be little need to go elsewhere...
 
I miss the point between "cost" justifying "theft."

The UK is not unique in having some products cost more there than elsewhere. In the US, some drugs and medical devices are very expensive compared to the same drugs/devices in other countries. It is still illegal to import and use those drugs. Patients, of course, can go to other countries ("medical tourism") and seek the cheaper therapies, but then they also give up some of the benefits of being treated in the US. One cannot legally buy drugs overseas and resell them at reduced prices in the USA.

A less clear case has to do with the "second sell" of books. Wiley sells books (e.g., textbooks) overseas at substantially less than in the USA. Those are genuine Wiley books. An entrepreneur decided to buy a lot of them overseas, import them into the US as "used," and resell on college campuses. Wiley believed that violated its copyrights. The case is very complicated and has finally been decided at the US Supreme Court. Here is a link to the decision: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/11-697_4g15.pdf

I won't spoil the fun of reading it by giving the answer.

John
 
Hi,

Yes, understand your point but its a two way affair, the big companies really rip uk customers off, for example, just look at the prices Microsoft and Apple charge for their product here in the uk, its often 30 to 50% dearer than the US and even a lot dearer than other EU countries.
Of course they say its because of the UK dictionary is expensive,or that its PAL, or the extra freight cost, or the tax laws are different, any old bull****.

Give us a fair deal and there will be little need to go elsewhere...
Not always the case.

A few years ago I bought a Saleae logic tool, cost about £130 iirc. Now there are clones of it all over eBay and elsewhere for £5, including the site selling that W branded PICKit3.

Saleae were a small start up, not a big company ripping any one off.

It's a difficult one to call, we love a bargain, and it's easy to say the big companies are ripping us off. But you're not comparing like for like. The big company does all development, quality control and product life cycle support - the cloners do nothing so sure they can sell it for next to nothing too; the OEM will never be able to be competitive with this.

And don't even get me started on how I can buy something from China shipped to the UK, for less than the cost of the postage to send it back.
 
Horses for courses.
If you are a hobbyist whose pocketbook governs what you can do, then a clone programmer permits you to spend more money on Microchip parts.. Maybe even make a product that eventually Microchip will profit from.
If you are a company doing R&D and wanting service/support from Microchip....you can afford to and should buy 'original' as a policy.

Microchip doesn't make $$ from programmers. It makes $$ from chip sales. Thus clone programmers benefit their bottom line and can hardly be considered a rip off like photocopying a book or duplicating their microcontrollers for less.
Therefore I stand by my posting the link as beneficial to ALL, OEM, retailer, cloner & end user.
 
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Hi,

Out of interest have you purchased one of them or actually know anyone who has and can say first hand if they are good ?
 
Therefore I stand by my posting the link as beneficial to ALL, OEM, retailer, cloner & end user.

I don't believe you are in a position to make that business decision for Microchip. There is no argument from me or Microchip that others can make PIC programmers completely legally and sell them for whatever price they want. Microchip even tells the world how to do it. However, copying the Microchip design, package, color and name PICkit3 is what constitutes theft, if it is done without agreement from Microchip. (We have not ruled out that Microchip may have a license agreement that allows this clone to be produced and sold; although, that is probably unlikely.) Not a single one for the reasons you give to justify the cloning would justify the copying of the color, shape, or name. A clone made in a purple square box would work the same.

One very important business consideration you have not mentioned is protection of Microchip's trademarks, such as "PIC," "PICkit3," and so forth. While I agree that the loss of income from PICkit3 sales is probably insignificant, loss of those trademarks would not be insignificant. To illustrate that, there used to be a series of tutorial books called "Easy PIC'n" or something like that. Microchip sued and settled in its favor to protect its copyright/trademark. A company must act to protect its trademarks, or it stands to loose them.

It is probably extremely unlikely that Microchip will send legal notice to DWR regrading this matter; however, that does not make it correct to do.

John
 
I am not required to make Microchip business decisions nor am I required to argue their case. I share information that is freely available. The purchase decision is up to the buyer.
I won't go into whether big corporations operate ethically or pass along reasonable or unreasonable costs to the consumer. It is up to the consumer to make an informed decision thereby allowing a free market to control price gouging.
There is no evidence that they have infringed anything. Thus your position to strike my posting is quite premature.
 
I am not required to make Microchip business decisions nor am I required to argue their case. I share information that is freely available. The purchase decision is up to the buyer.
That's obvious.
I won't go into whether big corporations operate ethically or pass along reasonable or unreasonable costs to the consumer. It is up to the consumer to make an informed decision thereby allowing a free market to control price gouging.
Of course.
There is no evidence that they have infringed anything. Thus your position to strike my posting is quite premature.
Same package, same color, same name -- all infringements. What don't you understand about that? I think the matter has been brought to the attention of DWR. Let's see what it does, if anything.

John
 
You must represent the IP office I guess....judge & jury at the same time...amazing.
Perhaps they have PERMISSION....but then you seem to have made up your mind before hearing both sides.

I am weary but I'll say one more thing: that without knowing for sure that there is infringement you cannot assume so....justice 101. Thus demanding that the post be struck is premature and offensive.
 
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so we must wait for a trial? lol

Of the pic kit 3 pictures below only one said it is from "Microchip". And it is made by WVSHARE.COM. They make a number of programmers/debuggers that look like they are the original. Like "ST Micro". When I was in China the same people that had these also has MS-Office for $10.00 us. Windows for 5 to 10. Most any CAD program was 5 to $10.

Who wants to email Microchip and ask if the PICKIT3 from Wave Share is the real thing?


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mxxKP2SHPyxWwUepO1_uxHw.jpg

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mM215LSsNYyC_zQWPipFFBA.jpg

mTPIXuIRLJOy64-HJg423sg.jpg

m-BrVVPSoXP6Ri7UVDzcwkA.jpg
 
I know as a hobbyist myself we have limited budgets and if you can buy a clone for (a lot) less money it leaves more to spend on other things. Microchips PK programmers are a bit of an odd one because they do publish the hardware design, firmware and all and as has been said earlier, cheap programmers result in chip sales for them which is where they make their money..

I think this statement from Saleae sums up the problem though, in many cases the hardware is just a front end to the software that makes it work.

**broken link removed**
 
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