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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Programmer Suggestions Please
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| ion507 Newbie  Joined: 05/12/2014 Location: AustraliaPosts: 14 |
G'day Everyone, I started with a Maximite and Micromite in a timer project a few years ago. I bought a couple of CGMMSTICK1's to make some more but that got put on the back burner. Recently I tried to add some features to the program in the Micromite but couldn't get it to reliably save. I tried one of the CGMMSticks in the circuit but it behaved similarly and was removed. I found the fix for saving program changes then looked at the LCD commands in V4.5 and decided that an update was needed. I downloaded V4.5 to the Minimite and with a bit of manipulation to the code, had it working well. Since I had the CGMMSTICK1s out and the need for more timers had arisen, I took the opportunity to update them from V2.something. After downloading V4.5 to them, neither one was recognised by TeraTerm or MMIDE. When I run "bootloader.exe" it see's the board and seems to copy and verify the update. I've looked on the forum for anything helpful but my problem appears the same as Grogster's "Half" dead micromite. 1. If I need to reprogram the chips via the ICD/ICSP connector, what are your suggestions for a low cost programmer? Getting these 2 boards working may be all the use it gets. I looked at the PIC-MCP-USB on Dontronics, price was right but it appears incompatible with MPLAB-X. I am not familiar with any versions of MPLAB so is that a problem? 2. Where do I find the firmware to re-flash the chip? Cheers, |
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jman Guru  Joined: 12/06/2011 Location: New ZealandPosts: 711 |
Hi and welcome the Forum I would buy a PicKit 3 with this you will have no issues programing the MX chips or any other pic for that matter PicKit 3 Firmware is here http://geoffg.net/ Regards Jman |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9063 |
Yes, you will need a PICkit3 as linked to by jman, if you want to reflash the MMBASIC firmware - you cannot do this through USB, if the chip has indeed got itself in a tizzy and corrupted the bootloader etc. The only way out of that, is to reprogram the device with the PICkit3 programmer. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2289 |
i would recommend a PICkit 2 (not a 3), coupled with pic32prog. it is a far more simplistic and user-friendly solution than needing to submit to mplab X. there a few more solutions out there leaning towards the 'homebrew' side of things, but many seem to require a degree of tinkering and/or deeper technical understanding. cheers, rob :-) |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9063 |
Rob - can you program all the PIC32 chips fine with a PK2? I thought that you HAD to have a PK3 to support the PIC32 hardware. I probably have that wrong though - would not be the first time... Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2289 |
the 'had to' part only applies if using mplab X, otherwise pic32prog is happy to talk to a PICkit 2. indeed, pic32prog instructs the user to reprogram their PICkit 3 with PICkit 2 compatibility firmware before it will proceed. rob :-) |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9063 |
That's interesting. Thanks for that information. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| mindrobots Newbie Joined: 21/05/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 32 |
A couple of us over here in the States have had real good luck with this "clone" from Banggood. I haven't had any problems programming MX150/250/170 chips with it using the Microchip software. IT is a lot faster than a PicKIT2 with pic32prog. PicKIT3 Clone Rick |
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atmega8 Guru Joined: 19/11/2013 Location: GermanyPosts: 712 |
I have made good experiences with the PIC-KIT 3 clone from Olimex. But if you want no risk, buy the original pickit 3. Dont see any reason to buy the older pickit 2 Didi |
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| matherp Guru Joined: 11/12/2012 Location: United KingdomPosts: 8582 |
Another vote for the PicKit3 or clone. This used to be clunky to use through MplabX but now with the standalone IPE application it is just as easy to use as the PicKit2 and supports all current processors. The PicKit2 can be used with Pic32prog but is much slower |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 3659 |
In case you've got a Raspberry Pi sitting around then you can use that. I posted the software on here. It's very fast (10-15 secs). You can also use any of the staggeringly cheap ways posted on here: 1. FT232R board 2. USBASP / USBISP boards (need 2) #1 is very slow but #2 is fast (about a minute). John |
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TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5905 |
You do not need a PICKIT to update the program on a CGMMStick. They are a Maximite and can be updates through the USB the same as a normal maximite. It is only the micromite's that always need the programmer. The only time I have had problems with a maximite of any type, it turned out to be a faulty USB cable. Jim VK7JH MMedit MMBasic Help |
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| TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5905 |
Did you remember to remove the bootloader jumper? Jim VK7JH MMedit MMBasic Help |
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| ion507 Newbie Joined: 05/12/2014 Location: AustraliaPosts: 14 |
Bootloader jumper was removed. Mono Maximite V4.5 software used on all with the same USB cable: MaxiMite - reprogrammed and works OK miniMaxiMite - reprogrammed and works OK 2x CGMMSTICK1 - reprogrammed but don't work Both Maximites were in circuit with their own independant power supply. The bare CGMMSTICKs were plugged into the same laptop using the same USB cable. One of the CGMMSTICKs was confirmed as working prior to the software upgrade, the other was new out of the packet. While I scoured this forum over the last 2 weeks looking for a solution I did see mention of MPLAB-X and MPLAB-IDE. I found Banggood's listing for their Pickit3 last night and it was the cheapest at just under $24AU with free shipping. I will order this and get MPLAB-IDE. Q - Is it the Maximite_MMbasic_V4.5.hex file that I load onto the chip using Pickit3 or is something else used for blank chips? PS - I ordered 5 blank micromite DIP chips last night. Seeing that I will soon have a programmer I can have a play with these. GeoffG has announced the Micromite MkII on his site. I'll be looking for January's Silicon Chip for the article on it. Cheers, |
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| TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5905 |
If you load the Maximite_MMbasic_V4.5.hex file using a PICKIT, you will lose the bootloader. You have to use an earlier version of MMBasic that has "including boot loader" (or similar) and then update it via USB. Jim Edit: The CGMMstick1 uses the same HEX file as the mono maximite. VK7JH MMedit MMBasic Help |
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| ion507 Newbie Joined: 05/12/2014 Location: AustraliaPosts: 14 |
Thanks Jim, I thought that there would be more to it than just loading the latest version of MMBasic. I looked at Index of /Downloads/Maximite/Archives on Geoff's site but nothing going back to V2.2 mentions that it includes the bootloader. At the bottom of his TFT-Maximite page there is a link to download "Firmware image (V4.5) including the bootloader (must be loaded by a PIC32 programmer)". I thought that may work to get it started and then put MMBasicV4.5 on it through the USB. On the page "http://geoffg.net/MonoMaximiteDesign.html" there is again a link at the bottom to download the Original Maximite Construction Pack that includes the bootloader. Looking through old folders on my computer I found "Maxmite 2.1 Incl Bootloader.hex" so I will try this when the programmer arrives. |
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