Hi all,

For large quantity stabilized PIC program, we use QTP from
Microchip. We have gang programmer for other programming jobs but the reel
and
de-reel process has to be outsourced and the support is always lagging
and expensive. Two years ago, we moved to ICSP for quite some jobs using 
ICSP with Promate II. Two years later, the engineer in charge of the ICSP
resigned because it sucks. The management has decided to scrap the ICSP 
idea since it becomes the bottleneck of production. However the R+D here
still preferred to use ICSP since the main advantage for Flash is the 
ability to do in array programming.

Bootloaders are another direction for us (program through the sensor output
PNP/NPN/Push-pull) but not suitable for all MCUs. Smaller MCUs will not
be able to use bootloader. Those sensors with relay output can not be
programmed through the output as well.

Is Promate III really better in this aspect? Any other recommendations? How
good is Olin's ProProg? We are also interested to get an ICSP production 
quality programmer and no LVP support is needed.

Xiaofan

Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 09:02:31 -0000
From: Michael Rigby-Jones <Michael.Rigby-Jones@bookham.com>
...
>Bootloaders are ok, and our next generation of product require a somewhat
>special bootloader that allow the product to keep running during a firmware
>upgrade, and also give the opportunity to revert back to the previous
>version should it go pair shaped.  However, we have a customer with a
fairly
>large inventory that require some extra features, and they need to be
>programmed at the customers premises.
>
>These won't be sales people doing the programming, but applications
>engineers who are familiar with programming micros.
>
>I happy to get a commercial programmer rather than a cheap DIY kit.  I just
>don't want to get another Promate 2 as 1) They are overpriced, 2) They are
>unreliable rubbish.  The Promate3 is much better, but if we have to spend
>that kind of money I'll be suggesting a Dataman S4 (if it supports LVP) or
>simmilar, which can be used for other applications.
>
>Regards
>
>Mike
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