On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 15:48:21 -0400, you wrote:

>> From:         Barry Gershenfeld[SMTP:barry_g@ZMICRO.COM]
>> Sent:         Monday, April 12, 2004 3:26 PM
>> To:   PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
>> Subject:      [PIC]: Production programming device?
>
>> For the last few years, my ICD-1 (now ICD-2) and I
>> have been the "production programmer" for all the
>> PIC's that we use.  But the numbers are increasing
>> and we have a need to let the production techs
>> program their own stock.  I have hesitated handing
>. this sort of thing over because the procedures
>> involving the ICD-2 and MPLAB can get quite involved--
>> MPLAB is a development environment.   I also
>> suspect that an ICD-2 programming run does not exactly
>> yield a production-quality part.
>
>> What I'm looking for is something that will take a HEX
>> file--and any other necessry info and not change it
>> (MPLAB likes to turn Debug mode back on and other
>> antics) and program the device via ICSP (In-circuit
>> serial programming).   Ideally it would
>> be upgradeable as Microchip invents new parts.  Maybe
>> Microchip makes what we need.
>
>> It doesn't have to be zero cost, either.  It does
>> have to be reliable and simple.
>
>> Barry
>
>Microchip does make a programmer which does just program
>and nothing else. The current model is called the Picstart Plus
>and is available from most distributors who handle Microchip
>parts. The specifications can be found on the Microchip web
>site. The ICDs are really development tools with the debugging
>function as their main feature.

Picstart is not a production programmer.=20
Microchip do a production unit called Promate, which is much more =
production oriented (don't know if
they still do, but at one time it even came with DOS software for =
batch-file usage).
It will do things like allow standalone programming from master devices =
or internally stored hex
files, and can be 'locked down' after loading a hex file to avoid =
fiddling. It will also do
serialisation.=20

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