At 15:20 2/07/98 -0700, you wrote:
>Andy Kunz wrote:
>>
>> >>>   Come to think of it, I'd better upgrade my older Parallax programmer
>> >>> for this programming change!
>> >
>> >Parallax? Good luck!
>>
>> Jim,
>>
>> He probably means the Parallax programmer with the Carmacon software in it.
>>
>> Andy
>>
>> ==================================================================
>> Andy Kunz - Statistical Research, Inc. - Westfield, New Jersey USA
>> ==================================================================
>
>  Parallax has a $50 firmware upgrade available on their web pages;
>I've had that programmer for over a year, it needs more recent device
>support anyways (unless I just use the PCPlus for recent chips.)

Fifty Dollars?! Fifty US dollars??!!

Hell, you could have almost bought a runout warp-3 from Don Mackenzie for
that amount and had support for every PIC (except 17Cxx).

What is it with parallax and microchip anyway? I release my first
programmer when there were 6 different pics (16C54, 55, 56, 57, 71, 84 ).
Since,  I have _had_to upgrade my firmware only three times. Once for the
16C52 (it's program memory of one and one half pages destroyed my one of
eight size token system.)   The 12C50x required me to break-up my routines
into separately accessible procedures as it was a hybrid between 12-bit
core programming and 14-bit core programming systems, and the 16C715,16C64x
and 16C66x parts required a programmable  number of  clock cycles for the
parity bits.

(I have released three non essential maintenance upgrades.)

 Why do parallax and microchip require so many firmware revisions for new
parts? Can't they think ahead?

>  I much prefer Parallel port interfaces, serial ports aren't commonly
>free on my machines & everything else I develop embedded stuff with is
>parallel-based, EMP-20 & the Parallax unit, I had to add a serial port &
>lose modem use on my embedded machine to get the use of the PCPlus
>programmer;  I seriously doubt I'll change the Parallax unit over to
>Carmacon style, unless there's some real advantage to doing so, to me!

I looked at the Carmacon upgrade and it still lacks a lot of devices. I was
also going to do a parallax upgrade two years ago but the parallel
interface put me of.  Hmm. I might look at camacon's solution more closely...

You are right about the comport shortage but the same can be said for the
parallel port.

Role on USB but how about some support for it microchip??

Jim


>  (Had to stop PIC work for much of a year due to work, and moving, so
>maybe there's something I don't know here.)
>
>  Mark, mwillis@nwlink.com
>