gnupic: DIY USB programmer ?
Subject:
Re: DIY USB programmer ?
From:
Manuel Bessler ####@####.####
Date:
8 Jan 2005 23:29:10 +0000
Message-Id: <20050109002728.P1120@betazed3.varxec.de>
On Sat, Jan 08, 2005 at 01:43:06PM -0500, Byron A Jeff wrote:
> > for THVP ?
> > pkp (cmdline part of pikdev) and broccoli18. About 2years ago when I
> > used 16F628 alot I used your version of picprg.
> >
> > Here a a few pictures of my THVP:
> > http://cockpit.varxec.de/electronics/thvp_galleryidx.html
> > http://cockpit.varxec.de/electronics/picicsp_galleryidx.html
>
> That is too cool! And thanks for the pointer to pkp. I had really fallen
> off the wagon in terms of keeping up with picprg. The lat development which
> I never publicly released was well over a year ago. Also it looks like
> picdev now has 18F support. I compiling it now.
>
> I'm curious how difficult it would be to to add pkp/pikdev support for
> the bootstrap programmer.
I think it should be pretty easy. The advantage of pikdev/pkp over most
of the others is that it supports both serial and parallel programmers.
And a ton of PICs :)
I just use the commandline part, pkp, mostly because my current system
(based on debian woody, and lots of stuff messed up) doesn't compile
the new qt/kde stuff without *heavy* updating (which would take me a
few days at least to get back to normal work). I'm exploring gentoo on
a 2nd (older) machine, and will someday (when I have a lot of free time :)
completely replace debian with gentoo.
> > I kept the cable between PC and burner short as per your recommodation.
> > That means I have to crawl under the desk each time I wanna burn a PIC :(
>
> I know. It's the one thing that always stuck in my craw about the Trivial
> programmer.
>
> But remember that the Trivial Programmer really is designed to be a bootstrap
> programmer. I always used it to dump a bootloader into a PIC. So once the
> bootloader is loaded, I didn't need the programmer anymore. Vritually all of
> my completed projects were developed with a bootloader because I could simply
> dump to the target board without changing anything. Also a bootloader lets
> me choose the interface instead of having to be stuck with the ICSP interface
> that Microchip gives.
>
> I'm a big fan of Wouter van Ooijen's WLoader:
>
> http://www.voti.nl/wloader
its a cool idea.
In my own project I'm using a slightly modified version of Microchip's
Appnote AN851 bootloader.
I've worked through their original code line for line, and put my own
comments there. I removed the autobauding and rewrote the 'check for new
firmware' code. Mine waits 3secs at powerup. If something is received
via the serial port, it will go to firmware update mode, otherwise boot
the usercode at 0x200.
Sourcecode here:
http://svn.varxec.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/trunk/firmware_src/bootloader/
I've also written Linux code for the host side.
Source code here:
http://svn.varxec.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/trunk/host_src/bootloader/
(being rewritten at the moment. Added native win32 serial port access
code. A wxwidgets based GUI is also in the works)
> > Thats a big reason why I'd like a second "more proper" USB programmer
> > for myself.
>
> Understood. But both my Trivial programmer and this new serial Trivial
> design is for bootstrapping. It simply wasn't purposed for trandional
> development.
>
> Personally I'm no fan of traditional programmers, either socketed or ICSP.
> The truth of the matter is that if Microchip had implemented a loader
> protocol so that that it could be hooked up directly to a serial port
> (or in the case of the new USB parts to the USB port), then I as a hobbyist
> wouldn't bother with a programmer at all.
True, but its too late now. We've got to work with what we have :)
Manuel
--
Opensource/Free Software: No Gates, No Windows
