Post by thread:[PIC] PICkit2 - "Red Button" conversion?

There was a post here a while ago (from Xiaofan, perhaps?) about the latest version of the PICkit2, which has improved hardware. The indication of this is that the pushbutton is red instead of black. I recently bought one of the red button version, but looking at the PCB I can see no differences between that and earlier ones except that some of the capacitors have yellow, rather than black, bodies. There was a set of instructions for converting an older PICkit2 to the later spec, but I can't find it. I seem to remember that there were a couple of extra components (capacitors?) and at least one change of component, but as I say I can't see anything extra on the latest version. The part number ends in -R4 rather than -R2, so I don't think it's a bogus button-only update! :-) Can anyone point me to the conversion instructions? Cheers, Howard Winter St.Albans, England

On 8/30/07, Howard Winter <spam_OUTHDRWTakeThisOuTh2org.demon.co.uk> wrote: > There was a set of instructions for converting an older PICkit2 to > the later spec, but I can't find it. > Can anyone point me to the conversion instructions? > All the PICKit 2 users should refer to the following forum section from time to time. Walter Kicinski (aka PICkit2Dev), the current PICkit 2 developer, is very helpful. http://forum.microchip.com/tt.aspx?forumid=15 http://forum.microchip.com/tm.aspx?m=245280 Thanks to the fourm software "downgrade", the attachement is now gone. I will ask him to post again. Regards, Xiaofan

Xiaofan Chen wrote: {Quote hidden}>On 8/30/07, Howard Winter <.....HDRWKILLspam@spam@h2org.demon.co.uk> wrote: > > > >>There was a set of instructions for converting an older PICkit2 to >>the later spec, but I can't find it. >>Can anyone point me to the conversion instructions? >> >> >> > >All the PICKit 2 users should refer to the following forum section >from time to time. Walter Kicinski (aka PICkit2Dev), the current >PICkit 2 developer, is very helpful. >http://forum.microchip.com/tt.aspx?forumid=15 >http://forum.microchip.com/tm.aspx?m=245280 > >Thanks to the fourm software "downgrade", the attachement >is now gone. I will ask him to post again. > >Regards, >Xiaofan > > Howard, Xiaofan, I can confirm that you can't key in on the button color to determine whether or not your hardware is up to date or not. My button is a red one, the assy. # on the case ends in -R4, the physical PCB is a REV 5 and it's not the latest and greatest. Thanks to both of you for pointing out that I needed to fix my PicKit2 and pointing me to the right info to do it. Bill

William Bross wrote: > Howard, Xiaofan, > I can confirm that you can't key in on the button color to determine > whether or not your hardware is up to date or not. My button is a red > one, the assy. # on the case ends in -R4, the physical PCB is a REV 5 > and it's not the latest and greatest. Thanks to both of you for > pointing out that I needed to fix my PicKit2 and pointing me to the > right info to do it. > Bill Just catching up on mail... You might want to consider whether you really do want to make all the fixes. One of them - I think it's the third in the document I used - is adding pulldown resistors to PGC and PGD. This is necessary to use the new debugging support. But, if you put them in the PICkit, they're always there. If you put them on your development board or directly in the final circuit, you have more flexibility. E.g., I have a project that uses those two pins for detecting button presses. The buttons go to ground, and I use the internal weak pullups. This worked fine before, because I could program the board with the PICkit, leave it in place, power it up (through the PICkit or separately), and test the functionality. Now, those pulldowns make the board think the buttons are always down. So, I have to disconnect the PICkit in order to test the board, and so I always have to use an external power supply. So, when I get a chance I think I'll undo that change, and add external pulldowns if I need them. Just food for thought. -- Timothy J. Weber http://timothyweber.org

Bill, On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:46:35 -0400, William Bross wrote: >... > OK, replying to my own post.... I just went back to my well lit lab > with my big magnifyers and took a better look at my PicKit2 board. The > REV 5 PCB directly from Microchip DOES have the mods already made. Look > for the C6 designator. It has R34 which is a 2.7K resistor mounted > directly on top of it. R21 has been changed to 1K. And R35 and R36 have > been added directly to pins 4 and 5 of J3 ICSP connector on the bottom > side of the board. I just wanted to fix my earlier mis-information > before I inconvenienced anyone. Right - I just had a much closer look, under a magnifying glass, and I can confirm what you say. The R34 is particularly hard to spot - even knowing it was there it took me a while to see it! Thanks for the information. Rather surprising that they use the same PCB and just tweak it afterwards. I can't see that adding the extra parts could be automated. Cheers,

Xiaofan, On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 19:57:49 +0800, Xiaofan Chen wrote: > All the PICKit 2 users should refer to the following forum section > from time to time. Walter Kicinski (aka PICkit2Dev), the current > PICkit 2 developer, is very helpful. > http://forum.microchip.com/tt.aspx?forumid=15 > http://forum.microchip.com/tm.aspx?m=245280 Thanks for that - I don't tend to go to the forum very often, this place takes enough of my time as it is! :-) > Thanks to the fourm software "downgrade", the attachement > is now gone. I will ask him to post again. It seems to be there now - thanks again! Cheers, Howard Winter St.Albans, England

On 8/30/07, Timothy J. Weber <twKILLspamtimothyweber.org> wrote: > Just catching up on mail... You might want to consider whether you > really do want to make all the fixes. One of them - I think it's the > third in the document I used - is adding pulldown resistors to PGC and > PGD. This is necessary to use the new debugging support. > > But, if you put them in the PICkit, they're always there. If you put > them on your development board or directly in the final circuit, you > have more flexibility. > > E.g., I have a project that uses those two pins for detecting button > presses. The buttons go to ground, and I use the internal weak pullups. > This worked fine before, because I could program the board with the > PICkit, leave it in place, power it up (through the PICkit or > separately), and test the functionality. > > Now, those pulldowns make the board think the buttons are always down. > So, I have to disconnect the PICkit in order to test the board, and so I > always have to use an external power supply. This behavior is same as ICD2. PICkit 2 as a debugger is almost the same as ICD2. We just have to wait for Microchip to support more and more PICs until one day PICkit 2 will replace ICD2. How long will it take? I do not know. Maybe a PICkit 3 will come out then. ;-) > So, when I get a chance I think I'll undo that change, and add external > pulldowns if I need them. > > Just food for thought. I will think if you want to use PICkit 2 as a programmer only, then it makes sense to undo that change. Or another solution is to have two PICkit 2 (like I). You can then use one as a debugger and the other (without that change) as a programmer. Regards, Xiaofan

Xiaofan Chen wrote: >> So, when I get a chance I think I'll undo that change, and add external >> pulldowns if I need them. > > I will think if you want to use PICkit 2 as a programmer only, then > it makes sense to undo that change. Or another solution is to have > two PICkit 2 (like I). You can then use one as a debugger and the > other (without that change) as a programmer. Makes sense - I have an ICD2 as well now, so I don't have a great need for the PICkit to be a debugger. -- Timothy J. Weber http://timothyweber.org

On 8/31/07, Timothy J. Weber <.....twKILLspam.....timothyweber.org> wrote: > Xiaofan Chen wrote: > > I will think if you want to use PICkit 2 as a programmer only, then > > it makes sense to undo that change. Or another solution is to have > > two PICkit 2 (like I). You can then use one as a debugger and the > > other (without that change) as a programmer. > > Makes sense - I have an ICD2 as well now, so I don't have a great need > for the PICkit to be a debugger. I see. By the way, once upon a time you made a hack on the old PICkit 2 GUI application (source in Borland C++ Builder 6) to have a pseudo command line version. Do you have any plan to do similar things for the new PICkit 2 GUI (source in Visuall C# 2005)? Just curious here. ;-) Regards, Xiaofan

Xiaofan Chen wrote: > By the way, once upon a time you made a hack on the old PICkit 2 GUI > application (source in Borland C++ Builder 6) to have a pseudo command > line version. Do you have any plan to do similar things for the new PICkit 2 > GUI (source in Visuall C# 2005)? Just curious here. ;-) I might... I haven't ever used C#, and I kind of view it as a virus. :) But there are a few things I would really like to see in the GUI, so maybe I'll get to it. Thanks for reminding me! -- Timothy J. Weber http://timothyweber.org

> I will think if you want to use PICkit 2 as a programmer > only, then it makes sense to undo that change. Or another > solution is to have two PICkit 2 (like I). You can then use > one as a debugger and the other (without that change) as a programmer. Or have a pickit2 without the pulldowns, and a small 'in-line' pcb with the 2 resistors to place between your pickit2 and a target you want to debug. Wouter van Ooijen -- ------------------------------------------- Van Ooijen Technische Informatica: http://www.voti.nl consultancy, development, PICmicro products docent Hogeschool van Utrecht: http://www.voti.nl/hvu

wouter van ooijen wrote: >> I will think if you want to use PICkit 2 as a programmer >> only, then it makes sense to undo that change. Or another >> solution is to have two PICkit 2 (like I). You can then use >> one as a debugger and the other (without that change) as a programmer. > > Or have a pickit2 without the pulldowns, and a small 'in-line' pcb with > the 2 resistors to place between your pickit2 and a target you want to > debug. Great idea! I already have a little adapter that brings the lines out to solid-core wires for use with a breadboard. -- Timothy J. Weber http://timothyweber.org