Program PICs without a PC! Isn't is so cool?

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Funny NYPD

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The recent released Microchip PICkit 2 programmer V2.50 finally supports the programmer-to-go feature, which also clears the confuse why there is two 24LC512 on board.

We did some quick test and cannot say enough how much we love this feature.

Finally, we can Program PICs without a PC with a very low cost tool. Isn't it so cool?
**broken link removed**
 
Very nice. I tested it just now. But is there a feature to Power the device after programming as it does when connected to the PC? Still figuring this one out because I use the PICkit2 as my main source of board power.
 
With my enhanced PICkit 2 design, the BB0703 (PICkit 2) has a dedicated power regulator and power connector to generate a +5V supply.

If you turn off the "programmer-to-go" feature on your PICkit 2 and your target chip/board consume small current (e.g. <20 mA), you should be able to use it to power the target chip/board directly.

When I developed the PIC12F508, I did use the regulated +5V from BB0703 (PICkit 2), and the PIC12F508 chip drives 5 running-LED directly, it seems working fine.

If your target board consume large current, I strongly recommend use an external power supply.
 
This is a nice little feature, you can build yourself a mini programming line, sort of.

BTW the program you want to 'burn' to the PICs has a length restriction, some 100 thousand bytes (2*512 K of onboard EEPROM ), but there is an official guide how you can extend this two times by changing the EEPROM chips and patching the PICkit2 program's ini file...
 
True, you can hack the EEPROM system to about 256K bytes. And Microchip has a document to teach you how.
 
Here is a step by step guide for PICkit2 "programmer-to-go" feature.
https://www.auelectronics.com/UserManual-PICKit2ProgrammerToGo.htm

An Au Group Electronics BB0703 (Enhanced version of PICkit 2) has been used as a demonstration, any other versions of PICkit 2 (compatible with Microchip recommended schematic) can be used too.

A pdf version will be loaded to this forum under electric books section too.
(I am having some issue to get it attached. Hope some forum Moderator can help.)
 
Sure, a DIY board is possible. It would be the addition of one or two 24LC512 or 24LC1024 EEPROMs. I could draw up a PCB layout that would go in the long top connector if anyone wants it. Maybe add a 5V (4xAA NiMH) connector for power instead of USB or AC adapter.
By far the most portible if you use the feature alot; would be a Genuine PICkit2 as they are really small.
 
I was going through this and saw two possibilities.

1. Something to plug in off the top connector (as you indicated)
2. Pop the 18F2550 and put in a board that would "sandwich" in between the 18F2550 and the socket. Given the small size of the 24LCxxx's, the board might just fit with a mild canti-lever over top of the caps/etc that are there.
(but not far enough to overhang the LED's and buttons)
This would leave the top connector un-touched, AND create a generic solution that could be added into any 18F2550 circuit looking to expand with some i2c flash.
The down side: the need to use something like a wire-wrap socket to get pins long enough to extend down into the JuneBug.


Thoughts?

Oh yeah.. I already picked up a pair of 25LC512's from Digi-key..
 
LOL, well the cost of adding the EEPROMs to the Junebug as a finished kit would make the kit larger. But I'll layout a single sided PCB for anyone wanting to try their hand at etching a PCB. Did you get DIP or SOIC?
 
Perhaps I wasn't clear. I was talking about an expansion board that would plug into the existing 18F2550 socket, and have the 18F2550 plug into "it".
See the PORTB Expansion discussions for the JuneBug. Looking at it the chip head on, so that you would see only two pins with the rest lined up behind them...

Code: 
   18F2550
   |Socket|            Teeny tiny  Expansion board
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~
   |      |
   |      |

Plugs into 18F2550 socket of the JuneBug.

Ok.. my ascii graphing capabilities seems to have faded with time.
 
A board between the processor and the junbug is way too much work to hang a pair of eeproms on it. Take a look at the pickit2 schematics. I built a single EEPROM version on bit of perf board in no time flat. It was so easy I did not make a PCB and I hate point to point. This is very easy to do.
 
24LC512 It was the largest I had at the time. I wish microchip tried just a bit harder to make the numbers easier to read...
 

Our CB0703 (PICkit 2) PCB (2.84" by 1.26", about 72mm by 32 mm) is slightly smaller than Microchip's design.

Though we got more components and extra big parts, e.g. a RJ12 Connector, a Power Jack, and dedicated Power Regulator circuits etc.

Also our design support both USB type B and USB miniB connectors.
 
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