> >I was serious.  I bought the Picstart Plus last summer because Microchip
> >said it would program ALL their pic chip products.  A few months later I
> >find I need to replace/change the firmware in the adaptor to program the
> >new 12C5xx parts.  I think it is fair to extrapolate that when Microchip
> >comes out with new PIC parts, further changes will be needed to the
> >firmware.  Or maybe there'll never be any new PIC parts? Hmmm... hadn't
> >though of that.
>
> Might be that with the 12C5XX being the first of a whole new series of
> serial programmable a basic firmware change was need to handle this. If
> more PIC parts follow the existing programming protocols then I doubt
> there will be a need to a firmware change.
>
> Some-one did say there was an older version of the P+ perhaps now
> you'll be ok (Until they come up with a CPU in a TO-92 pack).

There really isn't any good way Microchip could have designed the 12C508 so
as to be programmable in old programmers without modification unless they
had pinned out the part as:

1 - /MClr [VPP]   8 - ?
2 - Vss           7 - VDD
3 - ?             6 - SDAT
4 - ?             5 - SCLK

and then had users insert the parts two pins from the bottom in the prog-
ramming socket.  Given the high likelihood of 'knackered' parts I'm just
as glad they didn't go that route.

On the other hand, I might have preferred, aesthetically, using an adapter
board to move the pins around.  In particular, using that approach you could
ensure that you gave the 12C508 very good power and ground connection whereas
with the current approach there is no such guarantee.  Also, the former
approach would have made a "production quality" programmer much more practi-
cal since only one pin would need variable voltage switching.