I agree, Chaipi. I have invested in both the 16B and 16C and do NOT want to be forced to use the Plus (which would be better named the 'Minus') for their new parts. I purchased the Plus last summer so as to have one programmer for all the Microchip MCUs. What they didn't state in the specifications was that it REQUIRES Windows and that it has major problems with Windows 95. In order to stay on schedule with a project using the PIC16C71, I boxed up the Plus and went back to my 16B. I also left mail on their BBS inquiring as to when there would be a DOS driver available for the hardware. It's been more than three months and still no reply. I also talked to their Field Support Engineer last week and he said he'd contact Microchip, no answer yet. My project resulted in the purchase of 10000 PIC16C71s and I think that rates me an answer. The same project should result in future orders of similar quantities, but maybe not Microchip's parts... I can easily design another mfr's MCU into the product and probably save money. Normally I wouldn't be thinking of such things, but Microchip seems to be forgetting who brought them to the party, the assembly programmers using Dos and their favorite text editer to bang out code, asssemble, load and test. I can do the same thing with Zilog Z8s, Intel/Philips 8051, Motorola MC68HC705C4/J1 and maybe National's new OTP's. I like the hardware part of the Plus. Much better design and construction than the exposed pcbs of the 16B & C. But MPLAB and the Windows requirement sucks! Give me Dos based anytime. I'd guess Microchip's software people don't want to support Dos anymore 'cause there's few jobs in the marketplace for Dos programmers, now it's Windows or nothing. Dos experience doesn't count for much on the resume'. So how about Microchip outlining the Plus's hardware interface protocol and so us Dos fossils can bang out our own Dos interface? _____________________________________________ Lynn Richardson | lrich@qni.com \ Progress Instrument, Inc. | wa0znl.ampr.org | 807 NW Commerce Drive | [44.46.176.3] | Lee's Summit, MO 64086 | | (816)524-4442 F:246-4556 | / --------------------------------------------- On Tue, 17 Dec 1996, Chaipi Wijnbergen wrote: > On Mon, 16 Dec 1996, John Piccirillo wrote: > > > I downloaded the data sheets for the PIC 12C5XX. Can the PICSTART 16B1 > > could be used to program this chip? Section 9.5 of the data sheet (p. 49) > > mentions the PICSTART Plus. Is this the low end? I already have a 16B1 > > programmer. > > > > John- > > Hi, > > Today, Microchip had their annual meeting here in Israel. I have asked > Hose, the europian marketing manager about microchip's policy for old > parts, especially regarding one of the questions that came up here on the > piclist about not being able to buy 16C74 window version. He talked about > it and tryed to make it very nice to the us the users, that microchip is > being progressing with time but keep the old devices but the bottom line > is that those devices are discontinued, they supply a direct replacement > with only minor changes. > > The same apply to supporting the old Picstart 16B & C. it's firmware will > not be updated to support new devices. Instead we need to buy the Picstart > Plus. I also am stuck with both Picstart 16B & Picstart 16C and now need > to buy new programmer. > > I think that Microchip should reconsider this policy and try to help those > how spent mony on development tools. > > Chaipi > > \\\|/// > \\ ~ ~ // > ( @ @ ) > ----------------------------oOOo-(_)-oOOo-------------------------------------- > ! ! > ! Chaipi Wijnbergen ! > ! Electronics/Computer Eng. M.Sc. Tel : +972-8-9343079 ! > ! Optical Imaging Laboratory Fax : +972-8-9344129 ! > ! Brain Research Center Email : chaipi@tohu0.weizmann.ac.il ! > ! Weizmann Institute of Science URL : http://www.weizmann.ac.il/~chaipi ! > ! Rehovot 76100 ISRAEL IPhone : chaipi ! > ! ! > ------------------------------------Oooo.-------------------------------------- > .oooO ( ) > ( ) ) / > \ ( (_/ > \_) >