Current DIY or budget USB type programmers

[mr.sneezy]

I've had enough of dragging an old PC around with parallel ports around so I can program the odd PIC with my home made // port programmer.

After much sifting the web it looks like the USB PICkit2 clone here is the easiest and perhaps best currently around
http://www.mcuhobby.com/articles.php?article_id=7

Anybody seen or built anything in USB that they recommend above this one ?(not a just a serial-USB converter port hack type preferably)

Thanks,
Martin

[Darrel Taylor]

Are you looking for something to do, or a cheap programmer?

At $35 for a "Real" PicKit2 ...
Building that project can only be classified as "something to spend my time with, while paying 4-5 times more".

Added: Not to mention that you won't get the "Programmer-To-Go" feature of the real PicKit2.
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[mackrackit]

Buy the real thing. Save you time for programming. The real thing even has support from MicroChip, not that you will need it, but nice to know it is there.

[mister_e]

My thought too... and the usual...

give yourself a nifty 10$/hour.. how much time you'll waste to build it... how much a genuine and tested one cost?

Kits are great for wasting your time or for having fun, that one above remove some useful feature.. so you waste your time, you waste money, you waste feature... no gain at all.

Genuine PICKIT 2 all the way... the only waste... is the shipping delay... which you already do by trying to building it.

[mr.sneezy]

OK, sounds like a PICkit2 device is a good thing from all replies.
No I'm NOT looking for a project :-) I have too many half done things laying about already.

I'll look at buying one then, but I got to say the DIY ones have lasted me longer than the commercial one I bought for $150 some years ago. It was a Warp-3.... Lovely bit of hardware, but software support sort of died after what I thought was a short time. Pity because it was serial and could be used now with a USB-RS232 converter if it supported current PIC's.

I guess MicroChip isn't going away anytime soon, but they are about to release the PICkit3 and I wonder if PICkit2 support will wane ?

[mackrackit]

I have a PiCSTART + that is I think around 8 years old. Still going strong and still supported. Upgraded it a time or two.
So I do not think there are any worries with the PICKIT2.

[mister_e]

I hear about PICKIT 3, not sure how better/different it will be of PICKIT 2 (oh... it will be RED :D )... 'till now, it's just a 'dream'... to be released in January 2009.
http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=2018&mcparam=en538418
http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1406&dDocName=en538340&redirects=pickit3

Their PICKIT 3 starter kit is listed at 20$ more than the PICKIT 2 Debug Express Kit... euh... mmm few assumption as they have now new and improved USB MicroController in their list: Improvements on actual performance and actual tools (Serial Comm, Logic Analyzer), more built-in tools such as Serial/protocol Analyser (seems their PICKIT Serial Analyser is a dead horse), maybe Scope, spectrum analyser, maybe signal generator... sort of... Let's read this post in January :D

[mvs_sarma]

I've had enough of dragging an old PC around with parallel ports around so I can program the odd PIC with my home made // port programmer.

After much sifting the web it looks like the USB PICkit2 clone here is the easiest and perhaps best currently around
http://www.mcuhobby.com/articles.php?article_id=7

.................
Thanks,
Martin

Did you build this mcuhobby version, and then found it to be the best?

[mister_e]

The only "tiny" problem... how could you program the required PIC, if you don't have any programmer? ;)