Picstart Plus working OK for years and then...

I've been using this Picstart Plus for the last 3 or 4 years, duly upgraded. Today I was programing a 16F84A which had been programed many times in the previous hour.

After starting a new project, I tried to enable Picstart Plus again. This message showed up instead:

This device requires firmware version 02.01.00 or higher.
This may require purchasing a PICSTART Plus upgrade kit.

I selected diferent devices and MPLAB just changed what version I need even for a 16C57!

PC & Picstart Plus were duly reset but no change. So many days working expecting to have a free day for this!!

What could I do?

deja vu -- maybe. I use PicStart Plus, firmware 04.30.03 with MPLAB 8.30. Several years ago, I got a similar message that I needed to update firmware for some new chips. I tried the online update and it trashed the PicStart Plus. Called MicroChip. Spoke to a service person in Arizona and they sent me a new accessory board with the current firmware that just plugged in and a power supply. It had something to do with the chip in the older units. The incident was long enough ago that the details are a bit foggy in my mind now. Cost was minimal, if any, except for shipping. Surprisingly, MicroChip wanted the old items returned.

My suggestion is to call MicroChip's representative before trying to do anything online to update it.

John

Re-install MPLAB.

If u Re_install MPLAB
and the problem remains,
I think back_dateing your pc date and time will
tell if microchip made an expiration date for it.

Mr RB said:

Re-install MPLAB.

Click to expand...

atferrari upated his MPLAB to the latest version of MPLAB with "no joy".

Yes but the latest version of MPLAB is most likely expecting the latest (or a very recent) PICstart firmware.

Re-installing the older MPLAB (or an older MPLAB) should fix it. I keep a couple of MPLAB versions installed, if they are in differently named directories they don't seem to conflict with each other.

Replacement

jpanhalt said:

My suggestion is to call MicroChip's representative before trying to do anything online to update it.

John

Click to expand...

I did. It seems that they accept that the thing has failed. A replacement is in the way.

Sometimes is good to have the oportunity to tell about good things: yesterday I received a replacement sent by Microchip with the compromise of sending the defective one back to them.

Good service.

I guess we had pretty much the same experience. What I can't understand is why MIcrochip wants the old chip back. It cannot be the value of the chip.

Anyway, glad it worked out for you.

John

In fact the whole thing; they sent a brand new complete PicStart Plus.

Happy New Year John.

They probably want the old one back so that no-one else hears about it and tries to get a free one out of them.

You have to give microchip a lot of credit for replacing these old defective programmers. Not only is it not required but it is quite unexpected. Kudos for Microchip !