PICkitPlus - new Turbo mode

[EvanVenn]

Even more great news from the PICKitPlus team. Sharing as soon as I could across the various forums.

We now have improved the performance of the PICKitPlus Software. We have upgraded the software, and the parts database, to decrease the programming/verification time. We have reduced some programming operations from 40 seconds to 3 seconds! Programming is fast for specific use cases. An amazing improvement. We call this Turbo Mode.

We also recently updated software that made it possible to support the PIC18FxxQ10, PIC18FxxQ40, PIC18FxxQ41, 16F152xx and add corrections for the 1F16184x microcontrollers.

Over this weekend we provided this new software to all the existing users. So, if you are an existing user please look out for the email.

We have recently released PICKitPlus for the Linux and Raspberry Pi. You can try PICKitPlus for the Linux or Raspberry Pi! Just contact us. We can provide a trial license. Try it before you buy it.

Next... PICKitPlus software for Mac OS and our own unique programmer solution.

Please support this project and get the software via our website www.pickitplus.co.uk

Evan

[rick.curl]

Turbo mode is GREAT!

Thanks Evan!

-Rick

[okmn]

i hope it has direct connection support for poroton(new name positron)
i dont know sure , may be has support currently

[GaryC]

Thanks for keeping up the improvements.

Gary

[towlerg]

Hi Evan, "...our own unique programmer solution." care to expand on that?

[TimB]

Hmm I purchased the latest update but not yet tried it out.

So Rick's enthusiasm has me intrigued. I need to program something. 

 

[LeonJ]

I purchased Evan's latest update of this great product and it does seem faster for flashing, but reading all of a 128kb Pic is still pretty slow.
Fortunately not needed often.

I've got the Pickit3 on a USB2 port.

Will try the Pickit2 later.

[towlerg]

FWIW LVP is much quicker and has no downside, deicated PGM pins being done away with 20 years ago.

[EvanVenn]

Everyone - thank you. 

Re the unique programmer solution.  We are developing a new programmer based on the new Pi.  All new software but we will maintain the PK2/PK3 database to ensure we continue support.

And, we have been appointed as a Microchip Development Partner.  This is huge recognition for us and the work we do.

[top204]

And, we have been appointed as a Microchip Development Partner.  This is huge recognition for us and the work we do.

Be careful with that Evan, and I mean that with past experience to fall back on.

The compilers were in that situation with Microchip and it amounted to nothing! As soon as they bought Hi-Tech C for the 8-bit devices, so they could sell it with microchip as its name, and started selling "open source" GCC compilers for the 16-bit and 32-bit devices, as their own, any other compiler is classed as competition by them!

Quite a few years ago, I had a meeting with one of the head men of microchip when I first developed the Amicus18 board to see if they would be interested in promoting it and maybe have me develop it further, or them have some of their article writers to write about it and write some C programs and libraries etc, to promote PIC microcontrollers over AVR types. I showed him the Amicus18 board, which was the first of its kind with a PIC microcontroller, and the Amicus18 compiler (Proton) and showed how smoothly it worked with single button clicks to program the board and how easy it was to write programs with the compiler etc... They were not aware of the Arduino starting to gain popularity, and the head man didn't seem interested at all in what I was showing him, in fact he was actually rather ignorant and arrogant and was surrounded by "yes" men, virtually on their knees around him, which even at the time, rather sickened me.  Then a short while later they developed their own Amicus type board and I heard nothing else from them. Then a few years after that they made the moves to buy Atmel!!!

IMO, microchip are now "buyers of companies" and "pilpherers of ideas" they are not a development company, so they will not think twice about pilphering your ideas because they have the money behind them, and lots of Lawyers, so there will be nothing you can do. :-(

I even got a legal letter stating that in the compiler manuals, I "must" place the "tm" beside the mention of PIC, so I dropped the word PIC from the compiler and manuals as much as possible and use the word "microcontroller" instead.

In a few words! "Do Not Put Too Much Trust In Them"!

I know it seems harsh, but it is something I have been through with them. Anything that can effect their sales of compilers, devices, dev boards, or latest, "dreadful", programmers etc, will be looked at with distain by their lawyers! Or when they find out what you have done is better than their, hired, program writers can do, but it doesn't have the word "microchip" on it, they may take the idea for themselves and develop it themselves! I've personally seen them do this, and seen them do it with other projects that have been around, and there is no recognition to the original creators of the ideas! It is all of a sudden "a microchip product"! They are now a company of "money makers", "sales persons" and "lawyers", not semiconductor developers. They buy companies and get rid of the bits, and people, of the company they do not want, and keep the bits they want.

[Frizie]

I agree 100% with Les.
It is purely business for them, which is a shame. 
If your product threatens to be successful, Microchip will attack.

[GERARD]

It's really sad.

[m.kaviani]

In a few words! "Do Not Put Too Much Trust In Them"!