I've had it with my old EETool's chipmax programmer that works through the parallel port. Parallel ports are dead! And I've been having a hard time finding desktop computers with that capability every time I hit the road. Besides, even if I find a computer with a parallel port, the thing has to be running on a 32-bit OS, otherwise it won't work!

So finally, after doing lots of searching, I stumbled upon these guys:

http://www.mikroe.com/mikroprog/8051/​

The thing is far cheaper than what EETools has to offer on this regard. It only cost me $78.00 dlls, including DHL's S&H in less than a week. It's small, slick, and very portable.

It will allow me to program my devices while they're still attached to the PCB. Of course, I'll have to include the proper connector header in my designs from now on. But that's a small nuance.

For those who found this thread interesting, I'll get back here later on and report my experience with that device.

 

I have all the mikroE programmers and also many mikroE development boards and modules and all the mikroE softwares. mikroProg for 8051 doesn't support much chips.

 

mikroProg for 8051 doesn't support much chips.

It supports the AT89 - which in this case is important.

@cmartinez
Congrats on you new purchase. I think you'll spend a lot of time using it, and not looking for parallel port drivers.

 

Check PM.

 

It's finally here!

​

Looks real nice and slick ... I know, I could've just followed atmel's instructions on how to build this device, but they're not clear and complete, and I could've never been able to build it with such a thin, clean-looking enclosure.
Already plugged it in, and the drivers detected it just fine. It's going to be at least a couple of weeks before I actually use it.

And btw .... yes, the glass on the right is my celebration beer for the occasion.

 

How much you paid for import duties ?

 

How much you paid for import duties ?

The equivalent of about $20.00 USD

 

That's cheap. Here we have to pay 50% of the shipment value as import duty.

 

That's cheap. Here we have to pay 50% of the shipment value as import duty.

Ouch!

 

I found these.

https://researchdesignlab.com/development-baord/programmers/atmel-atmega-programmer.html

https://researchdesignlab.com/development-baord/programmers/8051-programmer-usb.html

1 USD = Rs.70.

 

And btw .... yes, the glass on the right is my celebration beer for the occasion. [/QUOTE]

Drunk in charge of an AVR ?
That's your license gone for 12 months.

You could have got a PICKIT3 for £25.

 

Drunk in charge of an AVR ?
That's your license gone for 12 months.

You could have got a PICKIT3 for £25.

That's not an AVR, is an 8051 ... and don't worry about me losing my license, 'cause I ain't got one anyway ...
And I don't use PIC MCU's either!

 

Update:

I'm sooooooo pleased with this programmer that I've now bought a second one! ... one for my workshop, and one for the road ... life is good!

 

I've had it with my old EETool's chipmax programmer that works through the parallel port. Parallel ports are dead! And I've been having a hard time finding desktop computers with that capability every time I hit the road. Besides, even if I find a computer with a parallel port, the thing has to be running on a 32-bit OS, otherwise it won't work!

So finally, after doing lots of searching, I stumbled upon these guys:

http://www.mikroe.com/mikroprog/8051/​

The thing is far cheaper than what EETools has to offer on this regard. It only cost me $78.00 dlls, including DHL's S&H in less than a week. It's small, slick, and very portable.

It will allow me to program my devices while they're still attached to the PCB. Of course, I'll have to include the proper connector header in my designs from now on. But that's a small nuance.

For those who found this thread interesting, I'll get back here later on and report my experience with that device.

I've always had the feeling that one of these days you would figure out that your time is worth something, and lowering your stress level can be even more valuable.

 

I've always had the feeling that one of these days you would figure out that your time is worth something, and lowering your stress level can be even more valuable.

You're right... I have two things in my personality going against me: I'm a perfectionist, and I'm stubborn... pretty bad combinations for time management... But I've been working on them, and doing a little progress. God willing, I'll be able to transform perfectionism into pragmatism, and stubbornness into wise perseverance.

 

You're right... I have two things in my personality going against me: I'm a perfectionist, and I'm stubborn... pretty bad combinations for time management... But I've been working on them, and doing a little progress. God willing, I'll be able to transform perfectionism into pragmatism, and stubbornness into wise perseverance.

Well, we're very much alike. It's too bad we didn't know each other sooner. You would have been a great colleague to be in business with.

 

I've built a small PCB, with a zif ic socket, a UB232R module, a crystal oscillator and the proper header connection to interface it to the programmer. And now I can program my chips and test run them at the same time without removing them from the board.

This is a huge advantage, since a lot of the hard part of the programming that I do has to do with logic and number processes. And the MCU chips don't have to be installed in the intended machine for that. Now I can do a lot of realistic simulations and tests directly from my computer or laptop, without even having to leave my workbench!

​

Yeah, I know. I accidentally splintered the device's plastic cover while drilling it... that hurt... ouch... that plastic thingy turned out to be more fragile than I expected it to be. Fortunately, I didn't completely ruin it, and a little glue here and there was perfectly capable of holding it together.