Proton BASIC Community

Good afternoon all,

I recently purchased the Positron Ide and I am very happy with it, because no more usb-key is needed.
Only today I ran into a problem with the PICkit3 programmer when installing it to the compiler, after going trough
the steps: View, Compile and Program options, Install new programmer, Create a costum programmer entry. I put the name there,
next the Filename: PK3CMD.exe, then I pointed to the path and I used the follwing parameters: -P$target-device$ -F$hex-filename$ -E -M -B
It works fine on desktop but on both my laptops I get that after compiling it states "Device not found" in the black window.
Does anyone has a suggestion, I'll be very happy te resolve this since I'm really stuck with this.

First thing to check is that your lapstops "see" the Pickit3 as a valid usb device. If not, do you see and error when you plug it in? If you do it could mean that you don't have the drivers installed if not it probably means that the USB port is broke or disabled.

No, I don't get an error when I plug the PICkit3 in, I also try all the usb ports on two different laptops. When I look in device manager it says that the drivers are installed and the device works.
I did try it with Mlab also and at first it said that here was no device database, so I did a manual download from the settings in Mlab and that was solved. After that I tried again in Positron, but still no luck.

Pickit3 has a basic issue in plug and play windows auto detection in my Windows 8.1 Laptop. I have to unplug and plug multiple no. of times for proper usb enumeration.
I still don't know the reason.

I had similar problems on laptop , so I use a cable with double USB inputs , working with no errors.

Quote from: midali on Jan 13, 2022, 10:56 AMI had similar problems on laptop , so I use a cable with double USB inputs , working with no errors.

What do you mean by double USB inputs? Separately powered?

Cable has 2 male ends so you double up on the power like a lot of older USB HDD drives had.
Like this   https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Cables-Adapter-Female-Extension-Black/dp/B01N0VBH63/ref=asc_df_B01N0VBH63/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=205235603981&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3323261844470169983&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006907&hvtargid=pla-347681718902&psc=1

Bob

One side cable have a 2 male ends for usb input from Laptop (like's Bob's link) and on the other side it has a miniusb .

First, make sure the PICkit3 is actually operating on your PC by downloading a Windows GUI program for it and programming a device with it. I think it was MPLAB 8.92 that used it as a programming tool last. It's a pain, but it does work (sometimes).

Once you know the programmer is working, it is time to look at the command line parameters sent to the "PK3CMD.exe" file, because these can cause all sorts of problems and the error messages can be vague and misleading. I always used .bat files to call the "PK3CMD.exe" file, and a couple are installed with the compilers in the "C:\Program Files (x86)\ProtonIDE\Plugin\PICkit3\" folder.

All the PICkit programmers were, and are, an absolute disgrace in design and functionality, and had no thought put into them at all. I've had two PICkit3 types brick up when they constantly upload new firmware for a different device being programmed, and it is hit and miss whether they will work when programming one device after another, without having to unplug the unit from the USB and start all over again connecting to it. They should win an award for being so dreadful. :-)

I never understood why they did not use a HID interface for them, then no drivers are required and it is very reliable and very suitable for all O/S versions. It's not as if they transfer data too fast for HID, because other programmers use it very reliably, and is what I was going to use when I started designing a programmer about 10 years ago, but dropped it when Microchip kept bringing devices out that required very different programming settings, for some inexplicable reason!

I agree Les... there is something wrong with the Pickit3 drivers/hardware/both which causes it to drop off frequently. Though I will try the double USB cable to increase the power handling capability as suggested by midali, I have doubts..
Presto had always been rock solid reliable but my old warhorse presto has recently started to hiccup..

I don't have a double end USB cable at hand, but I do have a power supply, which I tried because you got me thinking about the weaker power output on laptop USB ports, but it did not solve the problem.  It still says; Device not found.

   I had a problems only on laptops machine with PK2 and PK3 clones , said "Device not found" . After I increase a power supply from 2 usb's , all work well . With my own made PK2 I haven't any trouble on usb laptops . On PC machines does work.
  If you have right database PKDevicefile.dat with pic type edited and PK have enough power ,  I say then sounds like something is wrong with the your Pickit3 hardware , even if works well on PC .

Finally solved it, got rid of Mlab ide 8.33 and downloaded MlabX.6. Pointed at the path from the IPE to the pk3cmd.exe and it worked. Only thing now is that is starts up so slow that it's irritating. Guess that's the next thing to tackle.

IPE is execrable, how mc managed to make something run sooo slowly is a mystery, avoid it like the plague (the real one not Covid).

What would be a good alternative for IPE? The Mlab ide 8.33 didn't do the job, I tried 8.92 or something close too.

The problem with them is that they are written with interpreted languages. i.e. Java and Python, which are dreadfully slow and bloated, and the third party code writers that Microchip contract too, are usually not users of the programs themselves, so they "serve a purpose", but are dreadful at doing so. :-) I've worked with several coders with that type of attitude. :-)

We are now back to the stage of the 1980s, with the interpreted BASIC languages that were on every single machine built then. Easy to work with, but horrendously slow and bloated. And now they use the false term "compiled" to mean the language creates byte code, which then goes to the interpreter, but it is still a slow and bloated interpreted language. LOL. And some do actually interpret the program's text itself which is even slower and more bloated!

I think PICKIT PLUS may resolve many of your issues.  I've been very happy with it. If you try it, there's some setup information HERE.

-Rick

Thanks Rick, I'm certainly going to look into it, for now I got an old serial programmer, the Wisp648, out of the closet with a serial to usb converter cable. Only I miss a lot of the chips I could program with the PiCkit3.

I use Pickit3 stand alone programmer, it is free and It works all the time.

Yves

Quote from: Yves on Jan 15, 2022, 08:22 PMI use Pickit3 stand alone programmer, it is free and It works all the time.

Yves

Can you post the link please?