Bob Blick wrote:

>Byron A Jeff wrote:
>
>  
>
>>BTW I think that USB to serial is a better investment.
>>    
>>
>
>It's not just a better investment, it's an absolutely neccessary one. If
>you do any tech at all, you need a serial port.
>
>I've done PIC development three different ways:
>
>1. True hardware emulator
>
>2. ICD/ICD2
>
>3. Serial bootloader
>
>#1 and #2 suffer from power cycling issues. Unless your circuit draws very
>little current, you end up haveing to mouseclick and flip switch in just
>the right order or everything hangs.
>
>#1 is very expensive.
>
>#1 is very noisy if you are doing analog stuff.
>
>#2 uses pins you really want to use for other things.
>
>#2 gives you very little in the way of debugging.
>
>#1 and #2 are most useful when you can single step. Not useful at all in a
>realtime circuit, especially one that can self-destruct if stopped at the
>wrong time.
>
>#3 uses just one cable, no extra power, is fast, and you can debug through
>it. Sure you have to include a serial output routine in your code to do
>it, but it doesn't take much to set up the usart and output a byte where
>you'd put a breakpoint.
>
>So in the future, you'll have a serial port or it'll be on your list
>anyway. Getting a bootloader into the PIC is the important thing. Byron's
>circuit with 555's is a step in the right direction. You can still get
>them at Radio Shack! And the circuit could also be built with schmitt
>triggers or oneshots if you prefer.
>
>Cheerful regards,
>
>Bob
>
>
>  
>
Well said, Bob

er... Bob, did you know there is a "Bob" convention in Iowa every year? 
Ya gotta be named Bob,
a Robert just won't do....

--Bob'

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