Olimex ICD2 Broken!

[HerbertMunch]

Hi all,

It would appear that my olimex ICD2 is broken !
I have changed the 16f877a for another, and used the hex from blueroomelectronics. This has not fixed the problem.
It connects to the icd2 fine, but when you try and program, or debug it fails to verify. Strangely enough, i can successfully download the new operating system through mplab with no problems.

Has anyone else had any problems with the olimex clone, if so did you manage to fix them?


Many thanks.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Does Olimex provide a schematic?

 

[3v0]

ICD2 clones in general.

You changed the processor so it is should not be the problem.

Check the ICSP signals. PGD PGC and MCLR pins. PGC and PGD are not difficult but MCLR can be.

From **broken link removed** Lothar Stolz's site.

The Voltage of target's MCLR is controlled by RC0, RC1 and RC2 (all active low). When RC0 goes low, Vpp is enabled, and RC1 low enables Vdd. RC2 pulls MCLR to GND on demand - this is necessary if there is a pull-up resistor at the target's MCLR pin.
The target processor gets connected by the three wires TARGET PGD, TARGET PGC and TARGET MCLR. Of Course, for ensuring equal potentials a ground connection Vss to the target board is required, too.

You can remove the processor and apply gnd or +5 to the socket pins to test the circuit with a volt meter.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Does it look like this one? If so the output stages are the 74 series chips. Lucky its not that Cypress chip, tough beast to rework and no longer commonly available.
**broken link removed**
Olimex ICD2 clone, so what does the big pink resistor do?

 

[HerbertMunch]

Hi thanks for your replies.

They dont seem to provide a schematic.

3vo thanks for your tips, ill look into that.

Does anyone own the real ICD2?

Is it better than the clones? Ive had several icd2 clones, and they are allways dissapointing. Im gutted anyway, I could have bought the Microchip offering for the total price I paid for the olimex one. I bought it 'cheap' from sparkfun in america, and the ******* uk customs took more of my money!

If the real icd2 is more stable than the clones, i would probably have to go out and buy one. Life is too short to constantly have to mess around with ones development hardware. It just adds another variable, which is never good.

Ive not had this olimex one for very long, and allready its broken. To be fair, it had always been a bit rubbish. for instance, if i plug the cables in the wrong order, it freaks out and demands that i restart mplab. It prefers the power cable first for some reason.

 

[HerbertMunch]

Does it look like this one? If so the output stages are the 74 series chips. Lucky its not that Cypress chip, tough beast to rework and no longer commonly available.

bill, thats the one. I dont quite understand what you mean. how do you know its not the cypress one?

Thanks,
chris

 

[HerbertMunch]

I suspect that the big pink resistor is somehow linked to the part of this clone that emitts an ear piercing squeal! Does the microchip icd2 squeak?

 

[blueroomelectronics]

The Cypress chip is a USB to parallel IC much like the 18F4550 version that's used in the newest ICD2s your USB wouldn't work at all if it failed.
Your Omlex is as far as I can tell a copy of the original Microchip ICD2. I've attached a schematic for a clone, it should be close to your design.
The squeal is probably the inductor, my ICD2 clone does not squeal. What part # is VR2?

 

[HerbertMunch]

thanks bill.

I cant seem to see a VR2!

 

[blueroomelectronics]

The voltage regulator (upper right near the pink resistor) is it 3 or 5 pin?

 

[HerbertMunch]

The voltage regulator (upper right near the pink resistor) is it 3 or 5 pin?

Ah.. hiding behind the reg itself.

3 pin LM7805.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I bought it 'cheap' from sparkfun in america, and the ******* uk customs took more of my money!

You mean you were trying to defraud the UK tax man? - and you got caught!

 

[HerbertMunch]

I would happily defraud them! I have bought from ebay in america a few times, and The people generally do not declare the contents on the outside. This is the way forward!

I dont see how they have the right to tax me over and over again. Income tax, car tax, counsil tax (when im no longer a full time student), import tax, value added, etc, etc ,etc. If i get the opertunity to side-step some tax, then thats what ill do

 

[HerbertMunch]

Anyway is the real icd2 more stable?

 

[futz]

Is it better than the clones? Ive had several icd2 clones, and they are always disappointing.

Try an Inchworm+ with or without Unicorn USB board (picture of both in the Dragonfly link in my sig below). Mine has been great. No problems whatsoever.

Or a Junebug (PICkit2 compatible). Also works great.

You'll still have to deal with those gubmint bandits though. Don't steal! The gubmint hates competition.

 

[Pommie]

I've recently had problems with the pickit2. Some things don't work such as "set PC at target" and "Step over(f8)". This appears to be a software issue and may be fixed with a new release.

I have an original ICD2 and an Inchworm+ clone. They are for all intents and purposes identical.

Mike.

 

[bryan1]

Hiya Herb,
I had a problem with my ICD2 clone from olminex, it turned out I had pullups on the pgc, pgd and when I tried to program I blew the 3 transistors right below the yellow 20K pot in the pic Bill put up. The one right next to the pot and the 2 underneath it. I did a post on the sparkfun forum and both Sparkie and olimex chimed in to offer help. fortunatly by simply replacing those transistors got the clone working again and its been perfect ever since

now the fun part what did you do right before it stopped working ?

hope this shed's some light on the problem

Cheers Bryan

 

[HerbertMunch]

Hi futz, thanks for your advice.

I was trying to avoid dealings with 'legit' foreign companies.
I refuse to pay the man any more money.

It also delays the delivery of the item (which allready takes ages). When the package arrives at the depot in england, they send you a letter through the post informing you of the customs charges that have been applied to your package. This makes the entire process take at least 3 days longer than needed. They wont let you pay over the phone, until you recieve the letter.
This means that in the end, you have to go to the depot yourself (and pay more for delivery!).

 

[HerbertMunch]

Anyway, here is an email i have just received from Olimex, the patronising fools:

Dear Chris,
The information you provide is not enough to make any speculations what happened with your ICD2.
It worked but now doesn't work may means anything: broken cable, power supply problem, burned ICD2, how could we help you based on this information?
Tell us what you did when the ICD2 stopped working, does it connect to USB when you plug it, what selftest show?
Verify failed may also mean just weared PIC on the target i.e. broken PIC which can't be programmed anymore, why blame the ICD2 for this?
Changing the onboard PIC with the firmware is the worst thing you could do if you have no glue what to do. What did you put as replacement: blank PIC? How do you expect ICD2 will work with the new PIC?
Best regards
Tsvetan / Olimex

 

[HerbertMunch]

I particularly enjoy the following:

Changing the onboard PIC with the firmware is the worst thing you could do if you have no glue what to do. What did you put as replacement: blank PIC? How do you expect ICD2 will work with the new pic?