> HEya everyone!
>
>    Well, I have yet another decision to make: which PIC programmer/package
> should I buy? The ones that I have looked seriously at are:
>
>         a) Parallax's PIC programmer
>         b) Newfound's Warp-3
>         c) Dontronic's DT100(?) (the SimmStick programmer)
>         d) Wirz advanced package (with the dontronics DT100 programmer)
>
>    Does anyone have any thoughts that could help me decide?? Any opinions
> would be greatly appreciated!!!
>
> Thanks in advance everybody!
> Brad Stockdale
>

My (overpriced) $0.02:

For prototyping, I use the "Micro-bRISC" development programmer from
Electro-Kenetics:

      Electro-Kenetics
      2088 Swamp Road
      Richmond, MA 01254-9338
      (413) 698-3167

      e-mail:    kenneth.pergola@circellar.com

I don't think he has a website.  The programmer connects to the parallel
port, and is WICKED FAST.  It programs an 8K part (16c77) in ... lets see
... 8 seconds, including a verify at Vdd!  One of the things that makes it
(and many other programmers on the market) a development (as opposed to
production) programmer is that it does not verify at VddMin and VddMax (3.0
and 6.0 volts for the 16LC74a, I think).

The real reason I'd recommend this product is that Mr Pergola turned around
a change for me (to program the 16c77) IN 48 HOURS.  Granted, this was an
easy change, but Logical Devices was going to wait 3 months!

Email or call Mr Pergola for the latest details, but a short check of the
menu (version 3.3) says he supports the following devices: 14000,
16c55{4,6,8} 16c62{0,1,2}, 16c64{1,2}, 16c66{1,2},
16c6{1,2,2a,3,4,4a,5,5a,6,7}, 16c7{1,10,15,2,3,3a,4,4a,6,7}, 16F{83,84},
16CR{83,84}, 16C84, 16C822, and (whew!) 16c92{3,4}.  He has brought all of
the programming signals out to an rj-45 connector so you can rig this for
in-circuit-programming or odd packages on your own.

For production we use a custom designed in-circuit gang programmer.  We
program calibration data into each part, so we can't get by with a static
.hex file, and needed to design icp into the calibration hardware.

Bart


====Bart Addis====================================================
                             Software Engineering/Hardware Design
                             Voice 610-974-8870, Fax 8890
====bart@fast.net=================================================