Hi PICLISTERS one and all.


This is a spam message. Flame me! Go ahead, make my Birthday.
Spams accepted up until midnight on the 7th Jan Australian EST.
Afterwards, WWIII :-)

Yes it is my birthday, an auspicious occasion? to announce the arrival
of something numerous people have been hoping and dreaming of.

I have posted a little info on my web page Re new MPLAB programmers
and upgrade chips.

These are 100% MPLAB compatible. They use the same protocol as
the PICSTART PLUS and work with the latest version of MPLAB.

They also are bilingual (I was going to call them bisexual but...) and
compatible with my own TM4 protocol. This means that my own DOS
and windows software can be used with them also.

This offers the maximum flexibility as  I have features in my own software
not found in MPLAB. (Serial numbers, Auto calibration support, batch mode
programming and other stuff with more coming. I hope to keep the SEEPROM
feature or offer it as an option in a larger size PIC. I am also looking at
upgrading
TM4 to be production standard and may include this in future releases. Just
wait
until I get hold of those lovely 16C887s FLASH parts! )

Right now I have a working chip (16C64) ready for insertion into the WARP-17
programmer. I have programmed a vast array of different pic chips with MPLAB
and this programmer.  (12C50x, 16C5x, 16Cxx, 17Cxx) Of course an array of
adapters
is required for this programmer.

This is the downside of 4LAB but it is also what makes it accessible in the
price stakes. 4LAB supports only  limited socket multiplexing 8, 14 and
18-pin parts
together. The 28-pin skinny dip and the 40-pin 16Cxx are same socketed devices
and the 16C55/57/555/557, the 14000 and the 17Cxx groups each require
separate
sockets.

Other programmers will follow. I need the 16C557 chip for the warp-3 and PP1
but a jerry rigged 16C62 to 16C57 adapter may do in the meantime.

Depending on demand and the time table for the 16C557, I may get nice adapters
made up.

There is a little  information on my web page regarding other programmers and
even including "TAIT" style firmwareless programmers. Many of these can have
a firmware chip inserted between them and the host PC. This will turn these
"limited" programmers into really reliable, correctly timed programmers
even under
windows.

Not every upgrade will program every chip. There is no way that a "TAIT" style
programmer with magically program 16C5x parts or 17Cxx parts. Neither will my
WARP-3 or PP1 programmer magically program 17Cxx parts just because MPLAB
and the PICSTART PLUS does.

The code for these N/A devices will not even be in the chips. I have
included extended
protocols that identify the devices supported by each firmware but
unfortunately there
will be buckley's chance of getting microchip to incorporate them into MPLAB.

Please note that none of my offerings necessarily replace the PICSTART PLUS
and if
you have the dollars available I strongly recommend you consider it as the
best first
option, especially as my own windows driver will increase its functionality
somewhat.

If you don't have the dollars and would like the convenience and ease of
full MPLAB
integration, consider looking my way.

I have started a mailing list to distribute information as development
surges ahead. There
may be a little advertising on this list but it is a single line and occurs
only when I post
a message. If there is enough interest I will spend the dollars and get the
gold version
with no adverts. This mailing list will include information on all my
programmers. If there is
enough interest I will split it up as needed and may open it as a
discussion group for
programmers in general.

Please see my web page for more info and to join this mailing list.

Thanks for the generous bandwidth.

Jim

Oh, yes,  P.S. If you were wondering, I'm 34 today and still as ugly as the
day I was born.. :-)


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Jim Robertson
Email: newfound@pipeline.com.au

http://www.pipeline.com.au/users/newfound
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