Stand alone programmer

[TimB]

Does anybody know of a good / cheap standalone programmer. Ideally it would have the ability to supply a few V to power the board via an external powersupply. e.g a 2 pin plug that I could connect to dedicated sockets for the power.
Also the ability for it to store hex files so I can just rummage through a file system or such like.

Currently I have to leave the workshop to get to my PC and use my pickit2 plus

Before you say just uses a spare laptop. I'm ridiculously restricked for space so a box aI can store on a shelf until needed would be what I'm looking for.

Perhaps a mini pc could be an option.

Tim

[tumbleweed]

I've used some of the Softlog Systems products before and they were pretty good.
Not necessarily cheap, though. They're available through mchip's website.

http://www.softlog.com/

If you go that route, be sure to fully check what devices are supported...
they have a bunch of different models and some don't do the 16-bit parts.

Probably cheaper to get a tiny laptop.

[okmn]

Could there be such a thing you need?

RASPBERRY PI AS A PIC PROGRAMMER
http://holdenc.altervista.org/rpp/
https://techmeology.co.uk/rpipic/
https://github.com/WallaceIT/picberry

http://picpgm.picprojects.net/
https://wiki.kewl.org/dokuwiki/projects:pickle

[tumbleweed]

The trouble with almost all of those is generating the programmable VPP voltage.
Most of them use a fixed voltage, if they support it at all, and that won't work for many devices these days.
They also have a multitude of different programming protocols now.

Plus, that last thing I'd want to do is spend my time debugging the darn programmer.

[Gary Scott]

This will cover the cheap part of your quest  http://www.newsdownload.co.uk/pages/RPiPIC.html

[tumbleweed]

...except that it will blow up most modern parts that require VPP=8-9V for HV programming

[top204]

For a, small, fixed set of devices, it would be capable to do it all on a single PIC18F device. i.e. Read the HEX file from and SD card, parse it and send the commands and timings to the device being programmed, with a small buck booster for the VPP voltage.

I did something similar to that back in the early 2000s, but then, all the devices used exactly the same programming method, unlike now, where Microchip cannot make their mind up what the hell is going to be required for the next device. :-( Yet they all use the same flash memory, the same as an EEPROM? Yet an EEPROM has one programing protocol and can be erased and written a byte at a time, but if required can be programmed a page at a time. Why don't Microchip do that, as they used to do? All other microcontrollers do it that way! OK.... It is slower a byte at a time (14-bit or 16-bit or 24-bit "word" in the case of a microcontroller), but that way it is guaranteed to be safe and straightforward, then implement a page mechanism if required, just like an SD card, with with a "fixed" page size.

I still remember, the 16-bits sent to the 16F devices back then had to have a left shift of 2 for the value, because they are 14-bit devices and MSB first. :-) The initial rising of the VPP pin, then grounding etc, then the initial commands to erase and start programming, and where to program etc...

[tumbleweed]

Why don't Microchip do that, as they used to do?

Les, surely you're not asking Microchip to stop changing everything every chance they get!

It's just not The Microchip Way. I've come to accept that for every new device I look at, there's going to be something done completely different than last time.

I think they do it on purpose, and take bets back at the factory.

[Tenaja]

MELabs has a stand-alone programmer that takes an SD card. I've used it for low volume production, because it takes no real training to use it.

[rick.curl]

Like Tumbleweed, I've used the Softlog programmers with good results. I use them any time I need to have multiple HEX files stored in the programmer.  If I just need one HEX file I use the Pickit 2's "Programmer-to-go" feature.

Also, the Pickit 4 has an SD slot, but the last time I checked it was for "future" functionality.

-Rick 

[top204]

The problem with the meLabs "everything" now, is that there are very, very few updates.

I used the meLabs programmer for many years, but they simply do not support the newer devices, and have made a statement that they will not support any of the new dsPIC or PIC24 devices.

I now use a Presto programmer and it supports "all" the old and new 8-bit and 16-bit devices.