OOOh....You dare to ask the folks on here..... GHOSTMAN!!! (sore topic)
You need pickit 3 to program the latest chips from microsoft... The pickit2 is better though...... (There has been a release, on the microchip forum, for up to date firmware to support these new chips, but it's not official)
You WILL need pickit3 to program the majority of PIC32's.
I've got both, they work pretty well identically - the PICKit3 has the advantage of support for more recent devices - the PICKit2 has logic and serial analyser facilities.
If buying NOW, it makes sense to go for he PICKit3.
I'm just going to reiterate what Ian and Nigel have said. I have a PICkit2 and it works beautifully with most of my PIC16s and the early PIC18s. However, I have heard that Microchip has stopped updating the support information and software for the PK2 since they've moved on to the PK3. If I were you at this point, I would consider most what kinds of chips I would be programming. I find the PK2 very user-friendly for the older chips, but if you plan to program larger PICs (PIC24 or PIC32), I'd suggest going with the PK3.
I wasn't saying the PK3 was any less friendly. I have not actually used the PK3. I was just going by what I have heard from people who have tried both, and from my experience with the PK2. To be honest, if I was buying one of them right NOW, I'd buy the PK3.
I wasn't saying the PK3 was any less friendly. I have not actually used the PK3. I was just going by what I have heard from people who have tried both, and from my experience with the PK2. To be honest, if I was buying one of them right NOW, I'd buy the PK3.