Just over a month ago I posted a message asking for help because I had no success programming my first PIC Microcontroller. Two days ago, I finally programmed my first PIC! I want to briefly share my experience in hopes that it helps other beginners. Also, I hope this info is useful to the more experienced people on this list in pointing out some of the pitfalls a beginner can face. I have a lot of experience with computers, but only moderate experience with electronics. I am excited about using microcontrollers because they bridge the gap between computer programming and the outside world. I can build a simple circuit with a few simple components like LEDs and switches and do the more difficult work in an assembly language program. Since this is just a hobby at this stage, I can't justify the expense of buying a PICStart Plus or other more costly programmer. I just want something simple to get me started. I tried Myke Predko's El Cheapo, both the book version and the revised version online with no success. I must have wired components incorrectly or made some simple mistakes. I had three 16F84 chips I tried to program on it with no success. I tried a David Tait style parallel port programmer with David Tait's FPP with these same 16F84's, still with no success. I tried a few other designs I found online, and nothing I tried worked. I just wanted a simple programmer I could build for $10-$20. I purchased the P16PRO, 40-pin KIT96 from Amazon Electronics for under $20. I downloaded the PICALL software from www.picallw.com and could not get those three 16F84 chips to program. By this time I was really discouraged. Everything turned around for me this week with a new order of microcontrollers. I got three 16F628's and three 16F84's. I realize the 16F84 is being phased out, but I wanted to try programming it again to see if I could figure out what went wrong. All of these chips worked fine for me this week. I believe I did one of two things to the first set of chips that did not work: Either (1) I electrically zapped the chips by wiring them up wrong or by exposing them to static, or (2) I programmed the chips with Code Protection. Here is the setup that finally worked for me: P16PRO, 40-pin socket (KIT96) and David Tait's FPP. Since the programmer has a 7406 chip and PNP transistors, I selected the 7406/PNP hardware setup within FPP. I load my .HEX file and click Program to program it. I click Verify to confirm the code programmed. When I am ready to Program again, I first Click Erase to clear out the previous code and data, then I Load the new program, then I click Program to program the chip. I have had no problems with this setup with the new chips. Over the last few weeks I have completely read through the Data Sheets for the 16F628 and the 16F84. I have also read a large portion of the Mid-range Data Sheet. This was a great help, and I recommend any beginner read through the Data Sheet for their particular chip to understand how it works and what it is capable of. Another hurdle to overcome was knowing which chip to start with. Everywhere I looked online people were using the 16F84. I finally found some resources that recommended the 16F628. I agree this is a much better chip to start with. For me, the ability to use the Internal RC clock made life simpler. I know more time-critical designs will require the use of a crystal, but the fewer components you need to just make it work, the better. As a beginner, all I wanted was to at least flash an LED or two. So, in summary, I: - Read the Data Sheet for the 16F628 - Got the P16PRO programmer - Got a few 16F628 chips - Downloaded David Tait's FPP - Found some sample code online to blink an LED - Modified the code to set the configuration for the Internal RC clock - Programmed the chip - Built the circuit - Jumped up and down with excitement that it finally worked! Thank you to all the PICListers who responded to my original message and who have contributed since I joined the list. You have all been a great help. If I can be of assistance to anyone, please let me know. Thanks, -Pat Patrick Richards IT Engineer / Web Developer EDCO - The Document People -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body