Bootloader

[mychangl]

Currently I am using EPIC programmer. Thinking to switch to PIC16f88 with bootloader function. Have gone through bootloader articles but still dont understand. How can i go ? Please advice.

[ScaleRobotics]

I use this one:

http://www.etc.ugal.ro/cchiculita/software/picbootloader.htm

There is also the one that comes with Micro Code Studio Plus.

For either one, you find the hex file for your chip, with the right oscillator speed, and program your chip with your programmer. Then you can use a the hardware serial port of the device, with a max232 converter, to program your chip using software included with that bootloader. It is pretty invisible to your programming. I do not have to do anything differently, except, I do add this line. Not even sure what it does. I have left it out, and my code seems to work as well.



' Define LOADER_USED to allow use of the boot loader.
' This will not affect normal program operation.
Define LOADER_USED 1


And if you switch to PIC18F devices, you can get rid of your Max232 chip. See:
http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=82538#post82538