Setting up the PICKit 3 Lesson 01

I just purchased the PICKit 3 ... I already had MPLAB IDE installed and the Lesson PDF asks me to install MPLAB C Compiler for the PIC18 v3.13 - so I donwloaded and installed the latest ... mplablc18 v3.43 (lite version).

Part of lesson 1 navigates to C:\MCC18\lkr to include some linker files - but I don't have that directory. I am supposed to include the following files ...

• 18f45k20.lkr
• 18f45k20_e.lkr
• 18f45k20i.lkr
• 18f45k20i_e.lkr

I did a global search in my system and I found two places that have

18f45k20_g.lkr

Here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\MPASM Suite\LKR
and here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\mplabc18\v3.43\bin\LKR

Did I install the wrong program? How do I find the files the lesson wants to use?

Thanks,
-Luther

 

Use the lkr file "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microchip\mplabc18\v3.43\bin\LKR" and you should be fine

 

Thanks.

I also learned that, since C18 v3.40, no linker files are required

-Luther

 

Just a recap:

Running Windows 7, the MPLAB 8.* software can't seem to get past this stage of trying to recognize the PICKit 3:

----

Connecting to MPLAB PICkit 3...
Firmware Suite Version.....00.00.00
Firmware type..............Unknown Firmware Type

Downloading Firmware...
Downloading RS...
RS download complete

----

At this point, the PC IDE just freezes. It flashes that it is connecting in the bottom left corner of the IDE. A progress bar keeps filling up and starting over. 10 minutes of nothing. So I shut it down and reset the PICKKit3 (holding down its button while giving it power.

After a bit of deliberation, I download MPLAB X and try it. No luck. This time, the whole app just shuts down after the "RS download complete" line.

I wondered if it was my PC ... so I installed MPLAB X and the compiler on my MAC ...

---

Connecting to MPLAB PICkit 3...
Firmware Suite Version.....00.00.00
Firmware type..............Unknown Firmware Type


Downloading Firmware...
Downloading RS...
RS download complete
Downloading AP...
AP download complete
Firmware Suite Version.....01.28.07
Firmware type..............PIC18F

Target device was not found. You must connect to a target device to use PICkit 3.

---

Ok - so after getting this message (I've got two PICKit 3 Debug Express kits) I plug in the other Debug Express target card. No luck. Same error. Since I'm farther along now, I decide to pop the PICKit 3 back into the PC and see what happens.

And great, the IDE works much better (doesn't attempt to download or install firmware) but it reaches the exact same final error: Target Device was not found.

I finally thought about "power" ... and turned that on in MPLAB ...

and it worked. I can see the moving LEDs on the card!