PIC Chip programmers

[SteveC]

Hi all,

For a uni project, I need to get into PIC programming. Now, I've been looking at the Microchip chips and their PICStart plus programming kit. But it's a bit expensive - anyone know of an alternate PIC programmer that's cheap? I'll be using the FLASH series of PIC chips from Microchip.

(Or even, instructions on how to build my own programmer?)

[Sasq]

Yup lots of info, drop me a pm/email and I'll send you some stuff.

a PIC chip is at the core of my little PC cooling project

Dan
edit, also got a simple schematic and some good shareware for programming them

[Dr Mordrid]

http://www.xs4all.nl/~wf/wouter/pic/wisp/

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/matthew.rowe/micros/

http://cybermedix.co.nz/electronics/flashpic/docs/hardwarefault.htm

http://www.rentron.com/Myke4.htm

http://www.jdm.homepage.dk/newpic.htm

http://www.picallw.com/

http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/noppp/

http://theorie3.physik.uni-erlangen.de/~ghager/projects.html

PIC links: http://www.tinaja.com/pic500.html

Dr. Mordrid

[SteveC]

Thanks guys - Actually, I've just been doing some research, and have come up with this:

http://www.basicmicro.com/products/stamps/index.html

This looks real cool, requires no expensive programmer and is under £50! I needed a PIC which has an A/D too and this has that and more. And is real easy to program (useful as I've never done PIC programming and I've not got a lot of time to learn)

[Sasq]

forgot one there www.piclist.com

Steve 95% of pics have an ADC in them, and the basic stamp works a little different to a native pic chip

Dan

[SteveC]

Hi Dan,

The basic stamp I linked to is a completely new design of basic stamp - quite unlike old ones. It looks quite powerful yet easy to use.

Could you read it let me know what you think of it?

[Sasq]

its using the pic16f877 chip, the the maths functions would be nice, but they are programable youself. really depends on what you want to do with it.

if you check out that link i posted www.piclist.com there is a wealth of code there to use that covers lcd, maths, rs232 or I2C plus much much more. a pic16f877 costs about 10 pounds or less and the programmer i built (not including powersupply 13+ DC) cost me about $8 in parts...

It looks good as a quick way, but it probably wouldn't be that hard to program what you want by using the code examples - and of course using MPLAB which is free from Microchip

Dan