Microchip Technologies In Circuit Debugger

Microchip's In-Circuit Debugger for the flash PIC16F87x family only utilizes the In-Circuit Debugging capability of the PIC16F87X along with In-Circuit Serial Programming (ICSP) protocol to provide cost-effective in-circuit flash programming and debugging from the graphical user interface of the MPLAB Integrated Development Environment. $129 USD at a seminar (regular price is $159 USD)

• http://www.microchip.com/10/Tools/picmicro/icds/MPLABICD/index.htm

Info

• Comparison with other options and processors
• Programming method used by ICD, comparied to Low Voltage Programming, use of RB3
• http://www.propic2.com/files/fast.zip or turbo.zip Replacement firmware for the ICD from Octavio Nogueira to speed up programming time.

  ...you must have Ver 2.04 or higher. Make a backup of your MPL876p.OBJ in MPLAB directory, download one of [these files], unzip it and copy to your MPLAB directory. Then run MPLAB,open ICD and upgrade your firmware. If you have any problem, just restore your old MPL876p.OBJ file and upload it to ICD module.

• Carlos Fiestas says: Get speed.exe or from Eric Schlaepfer's ftp site speed.zip Execute this program during MPLAB session. This will decrease your program simulation times. It looks like Windows messages for other applications are slowly managed so MPLAB have more [processor time because of these] messages. Increasing the number the events [...increases] its run time simulation. Be careful because a great number would decrease another Windows applications performance.
• How does the Microchip ICD Work?

See also:

• http://icdprog.sourceforge.net/ Linux (and soon Windows) based program to download a compiled program via the ICD without required MPLAB

Watch out for:

• Noise: the charge pump on the ICD can swamp analog sections of your device when it is connected. The Advanced Transdata ICD doesn't use a charge pump. This can be reduced by modifying the ICD to replace the charge pump with an external regulated power supply for the programming voltages. See http://www.piclist.com/freeicd
• Slow programming speed: Make sure you have installed the hardware fixes and latest firmware from Microchip. You can also try http://www.propic2.com/files/fast.zip or turbo.zip to help speed it up or buy the Advanced Transdata parallel port version.
• Flaky MPLAP: Its a long list... see mplab bugs Try to avoid disconnecting the device under test or the ICD when using MPLAB, and/or restart MPLab after doing so. Make sure you have installed the hardware fixes and latest firmware from Microchip. Maybe after they get a 32-bit version of MPLab done...
• I2C stops working: Reading SSPBUF clears SSPBUF (and a few bits like BF and SSPOV). Therefore, use the watch windows to view the file registers you wish to see, and avoid reading SSPBUF. Instead, break after a command like MOVF SSPBUF,W and read W.

Sources

• Horses mouth?

  Comes with an '877 LED's, switches, regulator, etc...

  • http://www.microchip.com/10/Events/intro/index.htm $129.00 at an intro Seminar (Seminar fee included)
  • http://www.ied.pios.com/catalog/PartDetail.asp?part_number=DV164001&mfg_code=MCH&sSearchID=969641&firstTime=True about $200 otherwise.

• Build your own?

  • http://www.piclist.com/freeicd

• Bring in the clones?

  • Magenta

    • www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/0300.htm
      http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/0300.htm
    • http://www.magenta2000.co.uk/kits/900.htm Magenta Electronics 900 - EPE ICEBreaker
      http://www2.iversoft.com/piclist/ViewMsg.php3?MsgID=200003091355.NAA24156@sp3at21.hursley.ibm.com
      http://www.infosite.com/%7Ejkeyzer/piclist/2000/Mar/0762.html

  • ProPic2

    • http://www.propic2.com This ICD version from Brazil can also program many other parts. And its faster...

  • DE Ed Board

    • http://www.diversifiedengineering.net/Ed%20Board.htm
  • Peter Anderson's Breadboard version
    • http://www.phanderson.com/PIC/16f87x_dev_pkg.html Drops the "proto" board in favor of a solderless breadboard. $89 if you already have a solderless breadboard, power supply and the '877. $129 for the complete package with LED's, switches, regulator, etc.... Very nice design.

• Rumors?

  • http://www.new-elect.com Jim Robertson of NewFoundland Electronics says the next WARP-13 will be ICD able.

See also:

• efoot at SPAMtesco.net refers to "http://homepages.tesco.net/efoot/ICDintro.html Might anyone be interested in a PIC 16F87X In-Circuit Debugger I wrote? If so, please email for more information." +

Questions:

• ambrogiorbl at SPAMlibero.it asks: " why the propic2 xp does not allow me to program the pic16f876 while the old programmer version did ?
  Thank you
  Ambrogio" +

Comments:

  .