Upgrating to PBP3.1

Hi Team,

I’ve started the countdown to retirement and the first move will be to finally upgrade to the latest PBP.
So far, I’ve been successfully using older PBP revisions with older free MicroCode Studio. Since my applications were too simple and I got too used to my old setup, I did not feel the need to upgrade.
It only seems natural to do that now when I will have more time to learn and my old XP based desktop / laptop might fail any time.
I’m working on getting the funds together and here are a few questions that will help me go through the decision-making process:

1. Is there clear information available for a beginner to install and get this system running?
2. How many seats are allowed to be used with the latest PBP (3.1 if I’m not mistaken) and MCSPX (5.0)? If only one can it be easily moved from one system to another in case that it is needed?
3. Are these two software pieces enough to get me going (write code and generate .HEX files) or I need some other applications? If I need other applications what will they be, what revisions are recommended and what will be the advantage?
4. Are these software pieces fully compatible now with Windows 10? I will also purchase and dedicate a computer to this application and Windows 10 seem to be the best choice.
5. I owe a couple of U2 Programmers, one Field Programmer, a couple of PICKIT 3 devices, one LabX1 and one LABX2 boards. Do I need to invest in something else or these will suffice? I understand that pending the processor I will be using I might need some specific development board but right now I just want to get things going and move to the 18F family and the newer 10Fs that I understand are now supported. As I said before I learn slowly but I forget really fast so, small steps will be best for me.

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Nick

Hi Nick,
I'll try to answer your questions to best of my knowledge, hopefully others will chime in as well.

1. Is there clear information available for a beginner to install and get this system running?

Don't know about any instructions but as long as you're using MicroCodeStudio it's really quite straight forward.

2. How many seats are allowed to be used with the latest PBP (3.1 if I’m not mistaken) and MCSPX (5.0)? If only one can it be easily moved from one system to another in case that it is needed?

I believe it's two. I've just switched computers and the license manager allowed me to activate PBP on the new computer without first deactivating it on the old.

3. Are these two software pieces enough to get me going (write code and generate .HEX files) or I need some other applications? If I need other applications what will they be, what revisions are recommended and what will be the advantage?

You will need to install MPLABX as well since that is where the assembler is. The assembler is what gets you from a compiled program to the .hex file you program into the PIC.

4. Are these software pieces fully compatible now with Windows 10? I will also purchase and dedicate a computer to this application and Windows 10 seem to be the best choice.

Well, fully compatible, I don't know but I'm running PBP3, MCSP, MPLABX on a Windows10 machine now it seems to work for the short amount of time I've done it so far.

5. I owe a couple of U2 Programmers, one Field Programmer, a couple of PICKIT 3 devices, one LabX1 and one LABX2 boards. Do I need to invest in something else or these will suffice? I understand that pending the processor I will be using I might need some specific development board but right now I just want to get things going and move to the 18F family and the newer 10Fs that I understand are now supported. As I said before I learn slowly but I forget really fast so, small steps will be best for me.

Since you have a PICKit3 you should not need to buy anything else. Windows 10 apparently is very strict about what device drivers it allows you to use so the U2 and the Field Programmer MIGHT not work. Hopefully someone else with one or both of these devices will be able to tell you for sure.

/Henrik.

Thank you Henrik for the reply.
I will order the package any day now and I will try to record the instalation steps.

For the past few days and especially esterday I was unable to get into the forum page getting a "Database error " hince my late reply . Is it me or some other members are experiencing it too?

Nick

Me too Nick.

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Originally Posted by HenrikOlsson

You will need to install MPLABX as well since that is where the assembler is. The assembler is what gets you from a compiled program to the .hex file you program into the PIC.

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may be you should download MPLABX v2.35 ( from Microchip archives folder http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/e...-installer.exe ) and NOT the more recent versions ...
just my two cents ! :rolleyes:

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4. Are these software pieces fully compatible now with Windows 10? I will also purchase and dedicate a computer to this application and Windows 10 seem to be the best choice.

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I recently had to rebuid my computer on a Win 10/64 basis ... ( win XP Crashed @ 320 GB ... )
all the software you generally use with PBP will install flawlessly : I run MPLAB 8.92, MPLABX 2.35, PBP 3.10, Microcode Studio, PicMultiCalc, PicTimer calculator 0.96 plus the old Picstart plus, Pickit2 & 3 (IDE and standalone modes ) but not ICD2 (32 bits ) ...

Alain

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may be you should download MPLABX v2.35 ( from Microchip archives folder http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/e...-installer.exe ) and NOT the more recent versions ...
just my two cents

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If you're NOT interested in using any of the newer devices then you can certainly download and use the old MPLABX 2.35 but if you're buing PBP 3.1 in order to be able to play with the devices it adds support for then you're going to HAVE TO use a new version of MPLABX. Well, it's MPASMX you need but it and the device specific header files comes bundled with MPLABX so.... :rolleyes:

Personally I've got MPLABX v3.55 installed and it seems to work just fine, compiling and assembling from MicroCodeStudio. As far as setting up PBP as the toolchain INSIDE MPLABX it may be a different story. Charles sent me some instructions the other day, when I bought the 3.1 upgrade but I haven't had time to look into it yet.

/Henrik.

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Originally Posted by HenrikOlsson

If you're NOT interested in using any of the newer devices then you can certainly download and use the old MPLABX 2.35 but if you're buing PBP 3.1 in order to be able to play with the devices it adds support for then you're going to HAVE TO use a new version of MPLABX. Well, it's MPASMX you need but it and the device specific header files comes bundled with MPLABX so.... :rolleyes:

Personally I've got MPLABX v3.55 installed and it seems to work just fine, compiling and assembling from MicroCodeStudio. As far as setting up PBP as the toolchain INSIDE MPLABX it may be a different story. Charles sent me some instructions the other day, when I bought the 3.1 upgrade but I haven't had time to look into it yet.

/Henrik.

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Hi, Henrik

that would be a very interesting topic to explain how to use PBP inside MPLABX for the latests versions of this IDE ...

I still am stuck with simply creating the PBP source file ... ( I think I did it once in a while ... but I forgot what I did !!! )

that's why I do recommend using V2.35 ... :rolleyes:

Alain

Hi Team,

I am traveling and have sporadic access to internet.
Yesterday I replayed to Alain on post #5 but it seems that my reply was rejected somehow. This time could be me doing something wrong. I hate phone browsing.

Thank you Alain and Henrik for the important information. I will order my package this week and download all other suggested applications. I will also prepare a Win 10 laptop, make sure it is up to date hoping on a clean install.
I will get back with some questions when I have everything ready.
Just to be clear, on the long run I would prefer to have the latest releases to take advantage of all the new features but I was looking for a proven working combination, like the one suggested by Alain, just to make sure I get started and until I get familiar with the system.
My needs right now are still simple, but it is time to improve and get familiar with the latest.
Thank you for your support.

Nick

OK.
I’ve already paid for my PBP3.1 and MCSPX-Full and got my activation keys.
I do not have yet a laptop ready for the installation but I will hopefully get one this week.
In mean time, I’m downloading all suggested applications so I have them handy when the time comes:

• PBP 3.1.
• MCSPX 5.0. Is this already included in PBP3.1 download?
• MPLAB_IDE_8_92 suggested by Alain.
• MPLABX-v2.35 suggested by Alain.
• MPLABX-v3.55 suggested by Henrik.
• MPLABX-v3.60 latest release available just in case.
• PICkit_3_Programmer_1_0_Setup_A. Not sure if needed yet and for what.
• PICkit3 Programmer Application v3.10. Not sure if needed and for what

Few questions now:

1. Do I need to download anything else?
2. What are my choices / combinations of installing a working package?
3. What are the advantages of one combination over another?
4. Is there a particular order in which the components should be installed?
5. Can one of these combinations run in Windows XP?

More questions might come as we go.

I will still be using my old setup (PBP 2.xx and the free version of MCS) until I will feel comfortable enough to fully migrate. That might take some time due to the limited time that I can allocate to this transition and my limited expertise.

As always thank you for your attention and support.

Nick

Hi Nick,
I think perhaps you might be overthinking/overcomplicating this. Don't randomly install everyting you find. Install what you know you actually NEED.

For example , I personally wouldn't bother installing MPLAB 8.92 untill you find yourself in need of doing so. Using PBP2.6 MIGHT be a reason, I'm not sure. Assembling UMC bootloader files WILL be a reason for installing 8.92 but untill you know you need it don't bother.

I personally wouldn't bother installing MPLABX v2.35 either. Especially if you're NOT going to use MPLABX as your IDE (which I suspect you're not since you payed for MCSPX). And even that argument now SEEMS to be moot since PBP 3.1 comes with a new MPLABX plugin to setup the toolchain. I still haven't tried this though.

Having multiple versions installed certainly is possible but can get confusing if you're "not on top of it" when the compiler sends the program to the assembler from the "wrong" version of MPLAB and you have no idea why something no longer works or now seems to work differently than it did "last month".


So, here's what I'd do:

* Install MPLABX, 3.55 or 3.60.

* Install PBP. If it doesn't pop up automatically, find the Activation Manager and run it to activate.

* Install MCSPX. The install utility is (typically) in C:\Program Files (x86)\PBP3\Mecanique\mcsp-si.exe, run that and it will download the appropriate files, it'll ask you for your license key.

With MPLABX comes MPLAB IPE which is the new unified software for all of Microchips programming tools, including the PICKit3. That's really all you need in order to use your PICKit3. There's a command line tool which you can invoke from withing MicroCodeStudio and there's a stand alone GUI based application you can use if you prefer.

/Henrik.

Hi Henrik,

I don’t know how to thank you. This is what I was looking for.
I’ve downloaded all listed applications only to make sure I have the right ones when someone confirms the best combination. I did not intend to install all of them. The older PBP is running on a different, older laptop and I keep it just in case I have an emergency before the new setup is ready.
Also, I wanted to make sure that I’m doing the install in the best recommended order and things will not get confused.
After reading your post I started seeing things much clearer (it doesn’t happen too often and it doesn’t last too long).
You are correct about my intent to use MCSPX and not MPLABX as my IDE so I will only be dealing with MPLABX 3.55 or 3.60. Add to that PBP3.1 and MCSPX and I should be good to go. Just waiting until my laptop will be ready.

Thank you again. I’ll be back with my report in a couple of days.

Nick

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I don’t know how to thank you.

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Stick around, ask interesting questions and try to help others with answers to their questions when you can - that works for me :-)

/Henrik.

just tried trial version in mplabx(3.55) while it does function its no improvement on previous offerings .

it still can't debug anything but byte vars [ and manually at that] . quite disappointing in my view

I can only congratulate you for reaching so far Richard. I never managed to write basic code and compile it in the, so complicated, MPLABX IDE. More to this, I face a pile of problems when trying to program chips with ICD3 or PICKIT3, through the MPLABX IPE environment.

Ioannis

one of the issues with pk3 can be managed by the pk3 3.10 stand alone gui tool. getting the pk3 in the correct mode is half the battle.
the icd3 is usually no problem but don't expect it to power anything

This stand alone for PICKIT3 is not very trusty. It made me almost needing pills once, because it programmed pics with errors.

And is not supported anymore. I suppose is no use for new chips also.

As for the ICD3 I did not think of the power issues. I guess you are right. This is the problem. Expected to power at least some chips on-board.

But PICKIT3 was unable t power too.

Ioannis

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Originally Posted by richard

just tried trial version in mplabx(3.55) while it does function its no improvement on previous offerings .

it still can't debug anything but byte vars [ and manually at that] . quite disappointing in my view

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There is way to way to debug bit, word and long variables...
Maybe this will help
http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=18520

yes but its not very elegant , each and every time you do anything that can possibly alter memory allocation you need to
ensure the address of your target vars has not altered . it would be much better if it actually worked properly .

its not as if mplabx hasn't been around for several years

I agree, but some versions after 2.32 didn't work with PBP, so I give up from updating, and settle with what I have.
It would be great to have that, and RAM usage working...

Hi,
I just installed the PBP3.1 update and gave the MPLABX integration yet another go. Following Charles video and additional instructions posted here was easy enough to get it "installed" but that's pretty much where the enthusiasm died.

(I've only tried the simulator so far, in case that matters).

As previously pointed out, can't "watch" word variables. Everything defaults to "unsigned char" and I can't seem to change it.
Can't seem to set line breakpoints.
Can only set data breakpoints by knowing the absolute address (and only bytes, again).
No RAM gauge.
No syntax highlighting.
No code folding.

It's a TINY step forward me, but like Richard, I must say I'm really quite disappointed. Guess I'm stuck with MCSPX, it hasn't crashed on me since switching to Windows 10 but I haven't been doing much coding - and of course it does hardware debug even worse than MPLABX, ie not at all.

/Henrik.

Hardware debugging is only reason that I stick with MPLABX.

im about to purchase the PBP 3.1 with MCSPX 5.

I know that MCSPX can be installed to up 3 computers. What about PBP 3.1 ???

Because i use two computers most of the time at home. One is my small lab which is a small Yoga Book and the other is a Laptop again but i have it most of the time with me.

Is there a way that i can use one license with two computers? I dont want to use the software at the same time on both of the computers, i only want to use one PC at a time.

thanks a lot.

What are you guy's talking about? I use my ICD3 for powering the target circuit all the time. I use MPLABX 4.15 and always use the MPLAB IPE for programming. I have purchased an PicKit4 some time ago and also use the new an ICD4. I don't like the ICD4 as it requires an external power supply, (too many cord's, not enough outlets). I do not use the hardware debug features of MPLABX as a 4 channel scope works just fine, (no need to complicate things).

You are a lucky guy then! Because I never managed to power more than the pic itself. This cancels out the ICSP feature all together.

Practically speaking, ICD3 is pretty much useless for me. On the very same circuits, Pickit3 works fine powering the circuit and even more power hungry ones, like one with 4x20, LED backrgound LCD circuit!

Ioannis

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What are you guy's talking about? I use my ICD3 for powering the target circuit all the time

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just luck I guess

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I know that MCSPX can be installed to up 3 computers. What about PBP 3.1 ???

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check the http://melabs.com/
its in there somewhere