On Fri, Nov 12, 2004 at 09:43:18AM -0500, Roy J. Gromlich wrote:
> Greetings List:

Hey Roy...

> 
> I dug through the Piclist archives for info on this, but didn't find
> any discussions which address this point in any direct way, so I 
> am throwing the question out here.  If this has been answered here
> already, could someone point me to the proper archive?

Will try.

> 
> I have been using the meLabs meLoader for quite a few years now
> with great success.  As everyone (?) here knows by now, they have
> discontinued the product, and no longer provide support for new
> chips.  Needless to say, with many new PICs appearing regularly, 
> this is a serious pain.  I have recently ordered samples of some of 
> the newer parts, and upon checking, I discover that meLoader 2.1
> can't program any of them.  

Whoops!

> 
> Of course I can go back to the Epic programmer, but the in-circuit 
> programming of the Flash parts via the serial port (which is there 
> anyway) is so easy I don't want to revert to the bad old days of 
> 
>      1-unplug PIC from PCB
>      2-plug into programmer  
>      3-program PIC 
>      4-unplug from programmer
>      5-replace in test PCB

Well you don't have to revert that far back. As I'm sure others will happily
chime in, that you can do ICSP programming where you connect a cable from
the programmer to the target board and program the chip in place.

> 
> And, of course, this is only possible with DIP parts - for large 
> format SMTs you are right out of luck.

Again ICSP is possible there. The target will have a small header to connect
to.

> 
> Yes, I could redo the PCB layout to add the external programming
> pins, but that dedicates those PIC pins to programming and pretty 
> much prevents using them for much of anything else. 

But that's the best way! ;-)

> Also we have 
> many PCBs which were designed with the bootloader in mind, and it 
> would not be appropriate to redesign the boards just to add the 
> external programming pins. 
> 
> An ideal solution would be for meLabs to release the source code for 
> their meLoader into the public domain, since they say they are no
> longer interested in supporting it - then one could add the newer chips 
> to the repertory as they become available.  Personally, I would be only 
> to glad to post new chip formats to the list as I worked them out.  
> However, meLabs has told me they have to intention of doing that at any 
> time in the near future.

Intellectual property and all that jazz...

> 
> So here is the question --- has anyone found a replacement for the 
> meLoader which they like and which has been reliable?  Something
> which would be a drop-in replacement (so to speak)?

No clue. Why would you need a drop in replacement? As long as the bootloader
and the host software match, and the bootloader uses the same interface pins
as the original meloader, then all should be well.

Don't mind me poking fun above. I'm a bootloader junkie and feel the same way
about them as your do. I'm in the planning stages of putting together the
trivial bootloader to go along with my trivial programmer series.

Online the PIC bootloader nirvana is the Tiny bootloader site here:

http://www.ac.ugal.ro/staff/ckiku/software/picbootloader.htm

In addition to Tiny, every PIC bootloader known to man is listed there. Each
has some limitation or another, but it's likely that you can find one that
fits your needs.

BAJ
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