PicKit 2 WARNING

I d not know that; i assumed that PICs had the same randumb I/O problems as other devices i have seen.

Well, I typed "PICkit 2 schematic" into Google and the first hit is:

Dave.

What little i saw at the mcuhobby site is extremely interesting and it would be nice to make that clone. BUT. Other than the "fact" that it may exist, how does one (1) get a schematic, (2) get the program for the chip tht it uses, and (3) find out what that chip might be? The site takes over 3 minutes to load; i gave up at tht point.

No website access required. Look for PK2Vnnnnnn.hex in your PICKit2 directory. nnnnnn is numeric and depends on the firmware version No. If present, download it using the PICKit2 application.

If *that* doesn't work, go online and grab PK2CMDv1-20.zip (118KB of command line programmer software for the PICKit2) from Microchip.

unpack it and start a command prompt in its directory. Plug in the PICKit2, with no target circuit connected, direct to a USB port and run:

PK2CMD -S#

to view connected PICKit2's. If it doesn't see it, re-plug with the button held down (forces bootloader mode - Busy led flashes) then release the button and try again. If it sees it, especially if it sees 'bootloader', run

PK2CMD -D PK2V023200.hex

If it succeeds, re-plug the PICKit2 and run the GUI software, check it finds the pod then use tools->troubleshoot... and a multimeter to verify the ICSP interface is functional.

If you are still stuck after that you have two possible options, raise a support request with Microchip, or crack the case and reprogram the PIC182550-I/SO via J1 the ICSP pads using another known good programmer. If it fails, order that PIC, replace the U1 chip and program the new chip with the firmware the same way.

User's Guide, Appendix A.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

It is on page 2 of the article.

(2) get the program for the chip tht it uses, and (3) find

The chip is identified (PIC18F2550) on the schematic and on page 4 of the article, and there is a link to the download site for the code.

You will need a working programmer to load the code into the 18F2550, or a friend with on to do it for you.

Ok, that problem I cannot solve for you. :-( I can Email the schematic, if that helps. It is 123 Kb

Ed

Thanks! That is the *FIRST* "PICkit 2 User's Guide" that i have sees that was (1) so long, and (2) had a schematic of the beastie.

Thanks; will try some (maybe all?) of that. PS: just got another PIC pod; the IDE is v8.30 (had 8.00) and the so-called starter kit CD is (C) 2008 (older one 2006).

IFFI (eg: if and only if) the appendix exists. It did with the reference given earlier in this thread.

Ahh..._page_ 1 thru 4! Did not see that; was on page one and it was taking forever. Waited this time, and each of the other pages were a lot faster - so i now have it all. I presume the code is the same..even tho the xtal circuitry is totally different, ISCP pin 6 is different and other minor details (?).

Ahem. A quick search with Google found documents DS51553A, DS51553B, DS51553C, DS51553D AND DS51553E. That's five revisions of the User's Manual and ALL of them have the schematic near the end. It's grown from 30-odd pages at the beginning to about 86 pages currently:

Resolved! Could not download PK2Vnnnnnn.hex, so went to your step #2. Got the PK2CMDv1-20.zio, unpacked it and PK2CMD -S# gave: Unit 0, no ID, firmware 2.32.00, operation succeeded (no mention of bootloader). So, ran PK2CMD -D PK2V023200.hex and got: error in opening hex file (damn!). Fortuanetly somewhere in the PIC directories i found another copy and got OS update successful. Tried next step, re-plugged the PIC pod, ran the gooie software and it worked. Lastly, i tried the pod to erase the "bad" PIC and then re-programmed it - then tried it in my app. WORKS!

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But of course! Everything i had until recently was a few-page PDF and ZERO hint of a schematic for the pod - and ALL other PDF's that EVERY ONE ELSE had were complete and perfect. And i bet EVERY ONE else has a perfect version of the ZIP that failed on me. Standard operating BS. If you want guaranteed trading profits, then give me some money and make all of your trades opposite of ANYTHING i do in trading; it will not matter if everything i trade for gains goes up or trade for losses goes down. I would almost always lose and your "contrarian" (WRT my) trades would gain.

Glad to have been of help. I suspect that the pod got damaged by a glitch on the USB power or circuit power causing a random jump. Once in a while such a glitch will end up in the bootloader at just the right point to wipe a block of the OS. As long as the recovery procedure is known, its no big deal. Are both your pods red button ones? If not, there is an upgrade reccomended (3 resistors) to support ICD operation and improve recognition if briefly disconnected.

Do you get paid to sit in the same room as a faulty computer so it will work perfectly while you are there? ;-)

I did have a problem with the PK2 hex file once and had to grab one from Microchip. Cant remember if it was the one in the PK2CMD zip though.

Next time you are visiting somewhere with broadband access, it would be worth updating your Microchip datasheet collection.

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LOL. Hang in there Robert. But I'd sure suggest getting onto broadband as soon as possible.

I think you have to expect development tool hardware to go bad once in a while. There are just too many opportunties for damage.. cost of doing business. Anyway, I think uChip will replace or repair dev tools for free (maybe you have to send the old one back first and wait a bit). They certainly do so for Design House clients such as myself, and they do it very promptly without undue questions which might embarass the poor jr. engineer who blew it up.

Both have red buttons. Isn't it really nice that the ZIP i downloaded had a bad .HEX file? I bet that EVERYONE else that downloads that ZIP has *zero* problems.

Thanks loads!

They have so many huge files that even with high speed internet it would take at least a day...