Has anyone used this? If so, please comment on its strengths/weaknesses.
http://www.mcumall.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=4457
http://www.mcumall.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=4457
Oops I mussed that. Maybe not so bad then. I would still be worried about compatibility issues. It says it works with those chips but who knows for sure? And when you have an issue then where do you go?There *is* an in circuit programming inferface. They make their own pin outs and provide jumpers.
Yeah, that's what I'm concerned about. I'm also concerned about the issues some of our members have had with Pickit3, and I don't anticipate using the PIC32s , etc., that aren't supported by Pickit2. Pickit2 seems more user friendly and stable, but it apparently will not be supported by Microchip much longer.Oops I mussed that. Maybe not so bad then. I would still be worried about compatibility issues. It says it works with those chips but who knows for sure? And when you have an issue then where do you go?
Microchip still has Pickit2 for sale.it is true that official pickit2 or pickit3 are about $50. i don't think you can buy pickit2 any more. there is tons of clones for pickit2 because microchip released schematic and frimware so anyone can build one if they like. in my spare time i decided to do just that and made my own based on this:
http://www.micros-designs.com.ar/pickit2-clone-5v3-3v/
the only thing i had to buy is usb connector and crystal, everything else came from my collection. pic was obtained as free sample from microchip. it worked right away. neat... later on i flashed it with firmware from microchip website.
There are a number of the 8bit family not supported by the pickit2 also.Yeah, that's what I'm concerned about. I'm also concerned about the issues some of our members have had with Pickit3, and I don't anticipate using the PIC32s , etc., that aren't supported by Pickit2. Pickit2 seems more user friendly and stable, but it apparently will not be supported by Microchip much longer.
Meanwhile, some say that 2 and 3 are basically identical at the human interface level.
I'm in a quandary.
http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1406&dDocName=en023805Microchip still has Pickit2 for sale.
If I decide to buy a Pickit2, what are the benefits of the Starter Kit vs Debug Express?
Initially, I just need to create several pulse sequences, as in the attachment. Period is on the order of 50mS, adjustable up to maybe one second. Pulse widths are from a few milliseconds down to tens on microseconds. I envision using a timer interrupt to control the period, and some simple code to generate and adjust the pulse widths. I was thinking that assembly would be the best the best way to create this. Can it be done in PICC Lite C? How about PIC Basic?And the two have lessons in assembler not C. The 18F starter kit has C lessons.
Others will argue but I fail to see the need to learn to program in assembler.
I used C lessons that came with the PicKit 3 and they were pretty decent.
Yeah, I started drawing it up with 555s. Too many parts. That's how I concluded I needed to use a microcontroller.It can be done in any of those. I have not done assembler in about a century myself. But back then it is all we had except for maybe slow interpreted BASIC. So you pretty much had to know assembler. On some chips there was no choice but assembler. And I coded on a 6502 too except I had a PET and Atari.
Now there are all kind of tools so I say use them. While a really good assembler programmer can probably beat a C optimizer, no way can a mediocre programmer beat it, So really (IMHO) there is no reason for the hobbyist to bee programming in assembler except for maybe because they want to.
You might want to check PWM. Some chips have dedicated pins for PWM. You can use microchip's parametric search to find your chip. Of course it can be bit banged too.
This could probably be done with some 555 timers BTW but a pic would be more flexible.
I did a lot of Basic programming in bygone days, and was pretty proficient. I never needed to learn C, but I guess it's time for this old dog to learn some new tricks.any language would allow you to do this.
ASM will allow you get most out of hardware. the problem is that it takes some time to get used to and some more to be good at. also does not translate across platforms. so time invested to learn it on one platform is next to useless when you work on another (different brand microcontroller or CPU). if you only need to do basic things like counters etc, this is fine, try doing anything with match and you will quickly realize how cumbersome things can get. this is where high level languages come in handy.
C syntax is a bit awkward sometimes but it has huge following on any platform. results in good optimization, often matching hand optimized ASM code (unless the ASM programmer was a true expert).
there are free compilers for any platform but there are also the fancy ones that cost top dollars. some of them are offered as demo or lite version or have other type of restrictions such as max code size etc.
another major advantage of C is that it easily translates to other platforms so you don't have to worry about hopping from one platform to another. the only things that change is list of things under the hood of particular chip. rest is all the same.
BASIC has syntax that is claimed to be easier to learn for younger people or those with no programming experience. i don't see much basic in embedded world. also the friendly syntax comes at a price, it is less efficient in terms of resource use
smaller PICs have very little memory and ugly memory paging. due limited resources, they are usually programmed in ASM.
The 2 comes with a logic analyzer and serial port debug terminal ability but the 3 will support any chip , the 2 will only support newer chipsI did a lot of Basic programming in bygone days, and was pretty proficient. I never needed to learn C, but I guess it's time for this old dog to learn some new tricks.
Does anyone have any comments on my post #6 regarding Pickit 2 vs 3?
C can be used to write horribly complex statements (sometimes called "write only" code as only the author could even understand them) but it can also write very simple & elegant code too. After several years using C I far prefer it to Basic.I did a lot of Basic programming in bygone days, and was pretty proficient. I never needed to learn C, but I guess it's time for this old dog to learn some new tricks.
Does anyone have any comments on my post #6 regarding PICkit 2 vs 3?
by Duane Benson
by Aaron Carman
by Aaron Carman