Bart Addis wrote:

> At 03:22 PM 3/10/98 +1200, you wrote:
>
> >We are a small R&D company.  We are in the process of buying an
> >Emulator and C compiler for PIC uP's.  Is it worth paying heaps more
> >for the PICMASTER system or is the Advanced Transdata RICE the one to
> >buy?
>
> I've used both and I strongly prefer the RICE to the PICMASTER for the
> following reasons:
>
>      1) The RICE17A can be run at 3.2 volts.  This mode is unsupported
>         by microchip, and the timers do not work at this voltage, but
>         for emulating non-timer related code in low voltage products, this
>         is your only choice.  The picmaster will supply its own 5v or
>         accept your design's 5V supply, but will not work at any other
>         voltage.

Very good point.

>      2) The Rice 17A works from the parallel port.  You don't have to
>         open your case or find free i/o space to install it.

Another good point.

>      3) The RICE17A drivers are now available for Windows NT.

And another

>      4) The case is smaller, the cable is thinner, and the whole package
>         less unwieldy (more wieldy?) than the picmaster.

And another

>      5) The cost is less.  This shouldn't be your primary concern, but
>         it is always nice when the best product costs the least.

And another.

Here's my $0.02 :
The best emulator in the world won't help much if it is broken. I've an
ICEPIC and a PICmaster, and whilst the ICEPIC is also an excellent
emulator and the service is good, the service provided for the PICmaster
is incredible (here, at least).

If I have a problem, it is fixed in *hours*, not days, weeks, or months.
Before you buy an emulator, work out how much money you can lose
in a week if you do something stupid with the emulator. Ask your
Mchip distributor (not the factory reps, who wouldn't be interested
in you anyway) what the turnaround time for a repair on the PICmaster
is.

> >Any strong opinions of choice of C compiler?
>
> I've used CCS and Bytecraft.  I haven't used Hi-Tech.  CCS supports a
> floating-point type and inlining (manual or automatic) of functions, which
> Bytecraft does not, so, again, you get more for less.  I understand that
> Hi-Tech support floating point, but don't know about inlining.  The
> command-line version of the CCS compiler is $99.

Again, MPC is the *only* single compiler that supports *all* the PICsand works
well in MPLAB without workarounds. The price difference
is recouped quickly if you take into account all the time spent on finger
troubles every time you switch to a new project.

But there will still be as many opinions as list members, which is as it
should be.

--
Friendly Regards

Tjaart van der Walt
mailto:tjaart@wasp.co.za
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