Bob,

About programming, Yes, .1" spacing fits the cheap Molex connectors too.
Use an un-soldered header just pushed into pads that are tight.
Those pins are square, so they push and stay in a 0.034-0.036" hole fine
for programming.

I use a smaller programming connector because my boards are usually
tiny.  If you make the pads on the PCB tight, no expensive pogos are
needed.  It is less than 0.5" x 0.2".  Molex from Digikey I think?
Fixturing up pogos and the $3-5 each for them is great for high
production, but a lot harder for small production. 

About PicStart+,  mine are '96 versions with the flash mod installed, I
have never had a failure.
I have not heard of them being unreliable.  I have been using them for
10 years now, what failed on yours?
Several hundred Pic of all sorts programmed.  Maybe I don't use them
enough?  I have never tried hooking them to programming on a board.
Always put the Pic into them, so I don't see how they could pop?
Microchip may fix them for free, they replaced my ICD-2 for free?

Other programmer seem always to have connection problem, or drivers
needed.  Over the years, that has been a major topic on the Pic
Websites.
I wasted about a $1K on Parallax programmer and emulator.  Will never by
their stuff again.  Never any support.

I bet the device list on the PicStart is the best too, since it is
updated with each MPLAB?

I have been Picing since the first ones came out and on this list for
years, never seen any PicStart+ threads show up?

Stange news to me!
 
Mike Hagen
Hagen Engineering
Crestline, Ca.
Mike@HagenEng.com
(909) 338-5521




-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist