Joel Carvajal wrote:


> Somewhere I read there is a new list for PIC Development Tools...
I don't know of any. If you have more details, please let us know

> About the Development Tool someone is asking for, I just want to know:
>        Do you need to evaluate programs in real-time?
No! or at least in many cases not.


> If not, maybe we could design an In-Circuit Simulator.  Here's how it works:
>        Code Simulation is on PC.  A circuit containing any microcontroller
>        connects to a target board for the PIC.  The I/O lines of the PIC is
>        simulated by the microcontroller.  Any instruction causing an I/O
>        access will be relayed to the microcontroller by the PC through
>        RS232.  The result is non-real time I/O access.
>
>        The microcontroller can do the programming as well.

In recent years Parallax produced a simulator exactly as you described.
It was called Reflection and was able to simulate the 16C5x, 16C71 and 16C84.
After they released their hardware emulator they stopped production of
Reflection. Once I had such a thing in my hands but other guys had already
played with it and damaged. Inside there was pretty little hardware:
a voltage regulator with the necessary components, a MAX232 for serial inter-
facing, a PIC in DIP18 and another PIC in PLCC44, connected to the destination
circuit via flat ribbon cable and with a DIP18/28 connector at the other end,
substituting the real PIC.

Now that Parallax is not producing Reflection any more, they could release
Hard&Software into public domain? Parallax, we know that you are listening,
are you willing to give us more details? please! If you refuse to tell us
the hardware and PIC firmware, you could at least tell us the protocol used
for communication between the PC running your easy-to-use PSIM simulator and
Reflection, so PSIM could be used with only the hardware to be built.

If only 18pin and 28pin PICs have to be simulated, a 16C74 seems to be the
adequate interface controller. A PIC probably is the best IC to simulate
another PIC. If the user can accept to have two pins unused (necessary for
communication to PC) even the big 40pin-PICs could be supported.


More comments?

Siegfried