Pickit3 problems

[Hans van Veldhuizen]

Hello all ,

I wanted to make a copy of a PIc from a well-functioning circuit.
  I read the hex file with a PICkit3 and the program PICKIit3plus

 (I use turbo and fast programming disabled)

 and then loaded it into a second PIC.
The PIC didn't work and to my amazement the original didn't work either after I replaced it.
The pickit3 unit is a clone.
I keep having all kinds of problems with that clone unit

. Whenever possible I use the WISP, I have never had any problems with it.
Can I buy something somewhere that works well?
regards
Hans

[Rob CJ]

Hi Hans,

I sometimes have that problem too.

The strange thing is that when I use the same PICKit3 (but then switched to MPLABX mode) and use the Integrated Programming Environment (IPE) of MPLABX that I never have that problem.

So if you keep on having that problem, try the IPE environment.

Kind regards,

Rob

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Van: jal...@googlegroups.com <jal...@googlegroups.com> namens Hans van Veldhuizen <hanz...@zeelandnet.nl>
Verzonden: zondag 21 april 2024 16:32
Aan: jallist <jal...@googlegroups.com>
Onderwerp: [jallist] Pickit3 problems

 

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[Zet Weeh]

Hi

If you use Windows there is a problem after W8. From that time windows does not allow to write to the ini-file and that gives lots of problems. PICKit3 wants to write to the ini-file when you close the app. 

Peter

Mijn wijsheid: ik had nog beter voor mezelf gezorgd als ik had geweten dat ik zo oud zou worden. 

Op 21 apr. 2024 om 18:42 heeft Rob CJ <rob...@hotmail.com> het volgende geschreven:



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[Hans van Veldhuizen]

Hello Rob,
I originally always used that IPE, but then I regularly received messages that the voltage on the target was too low and also that it could not verify. I now have two Pckit3 units, one for MPLAB and one for Pickit3plus. It keeps messing with me.
Hans

Op zondag 21 april 2024 om 22:21:17 UTC+2 schreef Zet Weeh:

[Patrick FROUCHT]

Hello all

I have an old picKit2 working with PICkitminus and it works very well.

I also use Jaledit in which you can use the "Verify" function to compare what is written in the PIC and your .exe code.

All those tools are old but work very fine.

So Hans you can check on your old PIC if any problem with the memory

Regards

Patrick

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[Hans van Veldhuizen]

Hello Patrick,
I prefer to use the WISP, also for the servo problem with the 16F877a. I am now certain that it is lame and that is why it has now been laid to rest in the garbage bin.
To be sure, I tried putting in a copy of another 16F877a with PICKIT3. Then I discovered that not only did the thing not work, but also that my original did not work anymore either.

 Back to the WISP and the original is active again.
I think I'll just clean up those new things and happily continue with PICs that I can treat with WISP

. I've had a lot of fun with those old things so I'm sure something will work out.
regards
Hans

Op maandag 22 april 2024 om 16:29:19 UTC+2 schreef Patrick FROUCHT:

[Hans van Veldhuizen]

Hello David,
I already tried the solution you mentioned, but lMPLABIPE failed. I think my PC's USB port is too weak.
regards
Hans

Op dinsdag 23 april 2024 om 20:57:41 UTC+2 schreef Hans van Veldhuizen:

[vasi vasi]

An active project. Programs many families:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/openprogrammer/

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/jallist/ce3d8e4a-bdf0-405b-b002-c4d608636a82n%40googlegroups.com.

--

Vasi

[David VB]

Hello Hans,

You try to read the PIC in a circuit, or removed from a circuit.
If removed from a circuit, your USB port will always be strong enough....

[Hans van Veldhuizen]

Hello David,
I updated MPLAB and now I can't see how to adjust it. I can see that the power of the target is being achieved, but I don't know how to adjust that.
regards
hans

Op vrijdag 26 april 2024 om 18:42:37 UTC+2 schreef David VB:

[Pinhead]

Hello Hans,

This is visible only in the "Advanced " mode.

Log in with "microchip" as password, and click the power button.   You'll find the right option there

Kind regards

David

[Hans van Veldhuizen]

Hello David,
Thanks for the tip, it does indeed work without that message. But yes, prying out the PIC again and again is not sustainable.
regards
Hans

Op zondag 28 april 2024 om 08:06:52 UTC+2 schreef Pinhead:

[David VB]

Hi Hans,

When possible, I always try to isolate the power for the PIC.

The simpliest way is to put a second pin next to the VDD pin of your ICSP connector.

You can put a jumper to connect the two pins together in normal operation (that is: connect VDD from the power supply to the power supply pins of your PIC), and you remove it to connect your programming device.    This way, nothing can go wrong.

[Hans van Veldhuizen]

Hello,
Using his own power supply no longer causes MPlab that malfunctions.
Stays:
-that he regularly indicates that he does not recognize an IC
-that he sometimes does that when I give a READ
-that with ERASE he often leaves something in the first memory place, which is all removed with Pickit3plus.
- that after reading a hex file I not only got a non-working result, but also that the original no longer worked.
- that I now often have the idea that I want to drive my old double clutch Volkswagen again

Op dinsdag 30 april 2024 om 18:40:27 UTC+2 schreef David VB:

[Rob CJ]

Hi Hans,

Yesterday I had the issue that the PICKitplus software did not recognize a PIC16F15325 so I used the PICKitminus software (Evan will not like that) and that worked. The latest PICKitminus software also supports more PICs than the current PICKitplus I currently have (I assume new versions of the PICKitplus software will also support those). I also saw that the latest PICKitminus software updated the firmware of the PICKit3 so maybe there is an improvement there too (just guessing here).

What I did find out that it is better to first erase the PIC using the PICKit software before loading and programming the new hexfile. 

Kind regards,

Rob

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Van: jal...@googlegroups.com <jal...@googlegroups.com> namens Hans van Veldhuizen <hanz...@zeelandnet.nl>

Verzonden: vrijdag 3 mei 2024 12:11
Aan: jallist <jal...@googlegroups.com>
Onderwerp: Re: [jallist] Pickit3 problems

 

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[Rob Hamerling]

Hi guys,

On 03-05-2024 19:36, Rob CJ wrote:

Yesterday I had the issue that the PICKitplus software did not recognize a PIC16F15325 so I used the PICKitminus software

For a long time I used my Pickit3 with MPLABX-IPE, but now I read that the upcoming MPLABX version 6.25 will not support Pickit3 anymore:

https://www.microchip.com/en-us/about/media-center/blog/2024/discontinued-ide-support-for-gen3-tools

What are the options to keep my Pickit3 useable? Which alternatives are there for MPLABX-IPE?
I suppose I'll not be the only 'victim'.  Thanks in advance for suggestions.

Regards, Rob.

--
Rob Hamerling, Vianen, NL

[Rob CJ]

Hi Rob,

Maybe use PICkitMinus?

http://kair.us/projects/pickitminus/

It is still being updated and also supports newer PICs.

Kind regards,

Rob

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Van: jal...@googlegroups.com <jal...@googlegroups.com> namens Rob Hamerling <robham...@gmail.com>
Verzonden: donderdag 16 mei 2024 10:07
Aan: jal...@googlegroups.com <jal...@googlegroups.com>

Onderwerp: Re: [jallist] Pickit3 problems

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[Rob Hamerling]

Hi Rob,

On 16-05-2024 21:29, Rob CJ wrote:

Maybe use PICkitMinus?

http://kair.us/projects/pickitminus/

It is still being updated and also supports newer PICs.

Thanks for the suggestion! However it seems primary for Windows.  I did not find a ready-to-use Linux version, and the instructions for building from source mention some prerequisites. For the moment these hold me to give it a try (because I do not need it urgently).

Regards, Rob

[Rob CJ]

Hi Rob,

I downloaded the linux command app from the PICKitminus site but it did not work.

So I downloaded the sources from the website as to recompile it. In the Makefile I selected the Linux target (removing one comment in the Makefile) and compiled the sources by 'make Makefile all'. It generated a program pk2cmd. Before compiling I needed to install the USB functionality: sudo apt-get install libusb-dev

I compiled it under Linux Mint on my Virtual Box but could not test the generated pk2cmd because it could not detect my PICkit3 via USB.

So I copied the pk2cmd and the PK2Devicefile.dat (is also in the source directory) and ran it on a laptop running Ubuntu.

As a test I did a blanc check using the command './pk2cmd -C -P'. It auto detected a 16F1825 and reported it was blanc and that was correct.

I also tried './pk2cmd -C -P pic16f1825'  and that worked too. I did not try programming it but I assume it works.

So if you are OK using a commandline version of PICkitminus then you can still use your PICkit2 or PICKit3 even for newer devices.

If you want I can send you my compiled version of pk2cmd.

Kind regards,

Rob

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Van: jal...@googlegroups.com <jal...@googlegroups.com> namens Rob Hamerling <robham...@gmail.com>

Verzonden: zondag 19 mei 2024 13:37
Aan: jal...@googlegroups.com <jal...@googlegroups.com>
Onderwerp: [jallist] Pickitminus

 

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[Rob CJ]

Hi Rob (I replied to jallist since it might be interesting for other too),

Ai, I hope the firmware in your PICkit3 is not corrupted. I had that once and the only way to recover this was to purchase another PICkit3 to re-program the corrupted PICkit3. So yes, I know have two, one in the standard PICKit3 mode and one in MPLABX mode although I am mostly using the standalone version with PICKitminus nowadays (due to new PICs for which I need to test the device files).

But no worries (I hope). You also have a SNAP programmer so you can try the following:

-) Open the cover of your PICKit3

-) At the top left you see 6 holes on the pcb. Solder a 6-pin header on that. Once soldered you have make a hole in the cover since this connector will stick through it. Close the cover. See the attached picture for how I did that (white marking at the top is pin 1).

-) Connect the SNAP to this header. 

-) Load the PICKIt3 firmware (can be found somewhere in the PICkit3 installation) onto your SNAP.

-) Reprogram your PICkit 3. I am not sure in which mode it starts but it might as well be in standalone mode.

I did this using another PICKit3 but I am not sure if the SNAP can do it since it supports only LVP but you can give it a try.

Kind regards,

Rob

---

Van: Rob Hamerling <robham...@gmail.com>
Verzonden: zondag 19 mei 2024 20:00
Aan: Rob CJ <rob...@hotmail.com>
Onderwerp: Re: [jallist] Pickitminus

 

Hi Rob,

Thanks for your help!
Compilation worked as you described (with some warnings)!
Running './pk2cmd -C -P' gives me:
   

PICkit3 is in MPLAB mode.
Use PICkitminus GUI to download minimum required OS v2.00.05 or later

So I started a W10 session under VirtualBox and started PICkitminus.exe (3_25_00). This gives the msg '.NET framework 3.5 need be installed' and an offer to download and install it. I chose this option, but this resulted in Unable to install .NET without info about why and what to do next.
Then I tried the same in a W7 session: no complaints about .NET, the Pickit3 was found and it suggested to download  the Pickit OS. I accpeted and the progress bar came almost to the end, but the process did not finish.....  ad even de W7 Vbox session didn't want top finish....    I wonder if my Pickit3 is recoverable.....

Regards, Rob.

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[Rob Hamerling]

Hi Rob,

Even though I feared that installing pk2cmdminus firmware in the Picki3 failed, running pk2minus showed the contrary! An 16F18857 was correctly auto-detected and its flash memory was correctly read. So I'm confident that programming PICs will work too.

Your description for reprogramming the Pickit3 is very similar to what I did with two Pickit2s  in the past!  For the moment I'll keep my pickit3 for pk2cmdminus and the SNAP for MPLABX.   As third option I have also my Micropython script running on ESP32, RaspBerry Pi PICO, etc.  for LVP-programming, although it currently supports only a limited number of families, see  ( https://gitlab.com/robhamerling/micropython-pic-lvp ).

Regards, Rob.

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[vasi vasi]

Guys, once you have your pickit programmers up and running, you can use a PIC18F2550 to make  the OpenProgrammer that can serve all PICs and AVRs and more...  Just to have a "plan B". Available here http://openprog.altervista.org/

Also, if you have an Arduino board, and you use the micros from the new series, then you are good to go with this project (look at the end of the page for a list of supported micros from the new breed): https://github.com/hanyazou/a-p-prog

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Vasi