Using PICkit 2 from within MPLAB to program PIC16F84A

Thread Starter

tracecom

Joined Apr 16, 2010
3,944
Google finds all sorts of conflicting information.

Is it possible (and if so, how) to use a PICkit 2 to program a PIC16F84A from within MPLAB IDE (ver. 8.89)? (I know that the Pickit 2 will program the PIC16F84A from PICkit 2 v. 2.61; my question pertains to MPLAB.)

Thanks.
 

t06afre

Joined May 11, 2009
5,934
No I think you can not program the 16f84A from MPLAB. You have to to use the PICKIT2 seperate programming tool. Which can be downloaded from Microsoft. Then I come back to my office I can give you the details.
 

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
No I think you can not program the 16f84A from MPLAB. You have to to use the PICKIT2 seperate programming tool. Which can be downloaded from Microsoft. Then I come back to my office I can give you the details.
Microsoft or Microchip? Ithink it is easier to just but a pickit3 or get a chip compatible with the 2 . That way you get debugging too as well as full integration to mplab.
 

takao21203

Joined Apr 28, 2012
3,702
Microsoft or Microchip? Ithink it is easier to just but a pickit3 or get a chip compatible with the 2 . That way you get debugging too as well as full integration to mplab.
The PICKIT2 can be ruined just by using it. The PICKIT3 has better protection. I would not recommend the PICKIT2 at all only for Windows XP computers it is an option. Used the PICKIT3 here on a WinXP laptop- also possible.

Or eventually it did not work, and I needed my RS232 PIC writer.

I think both worked but not sure.
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
Is it possible (and if so, how) to use a PICkit 2 to program a PIC16F84A from within MPLAB IDE (ver. 8.89)? (I know that the Pickit 2 will program the PIC16F84A from PICkit 2 v. 2.61; my question pertains to MPLAB.)
The easiest way to check that is to open up MPLAB and on the menu select Configure | Select Device... Scroll the list and select the PIC you are interested in, and you get red and green circles to show you what hardware tools can be used.

I'm running MPLAB v8.86, and for the PIC16F84A it says a PICkit 3 is needed.
 

Thread Starter

tracecom

Joined Apr 16, 2010
3,944
The easiest way to check that is to open up MPLAB and on the menu select Configure | Select Device... Scroll the list and select the PIC you are interested in, and you get red and green circles to show you what hardware tools can be used.

I'm running MPLAB v8.86, and for the PIC16F84A it says a PICkit 3 is needed.
I did that, got the same results you did, and that is what precipitated my question. I am tempted to ask why the 16F84A is supported by the PICkit 2 directly, but not through MPLAB, but that would be unproductive, I suppose.
 

t06afre

Joined May 11, 2009
5,934
You will not notice much difference. The PICkit 2 Programmer Application v2.61 has a nice property. Then it detect that the hex file has been updated. It will automatic load and program the new hex file to your pic. So then you start open both the PICkit 2 Programmer Application and MPLAB. Load the hex file once. And you will have one click compile/program action from that point
 

tshuck

Joined Oct 18, 2012
3,534
I remember teaching a friend of mine about microcontrollers using a 16F84A, and I don't remember ever having to use the stand alone program. Perhaps this changed with newer versions of MPLAB?
 

skusku

Joined Aug 9, 2009
80
I have MPLAB v8.2 and using the pickit 2

Edit: Im using a 16f628a

Cant believe that F84a isnt compatible with mplab v8 and pickit 2
 

Markd77

Joined Sep 7, 2009
2,806
As a side note you can also use the command line PK2CMD program on Windows, Mac and Linux. I know that programs the 84A fine along with most PICs apart from the very recent ones - in fact I've seen discussions on Microchip forums about modifying the .dat file to allow programming officially unsupported chips.
 

thatoneguy

Joined Feb 19, 2009
6,359
...and this is with the 16F84A, specifically?
The 16F84 is old, so Microchip gently pushes users of those chips towards new chips and development tools.

The PICKit 2 can program the 16F84 just fine, integrating debugging, I've never done with the 84, though.

Perhaps the new MPLAB only supports programmers that can also debug the PIC? I know there's some reason I've not upgraded MPLAB in quite some time. I mostly stick with BoostC + Standalone PICKit 2, sometimes PICKit 3, but I hate the LEDs on the 3.

The PICKit 3 is tolerable now that they have a standalone app for it, like the PICKit 2, so you don't need to load the full MPLAB to simply program a chip.
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
Perhaps the new MPLAB only supports programmers that can also debug the PIC?
I doubt that. I've run some PICs that don't have the debug module but they get supported fine for programming.

One of the best tools I use is the in circuit debugger. It gets to problems damn fast, even better the problems I did not even suspect I have.

All code should get single steped several times (to walk all the branches) before considering it "good."
 
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