Why use a bootloader?

[Fredrick]

Yes, but I mean the issue with selecting the COM port in the loader app.

and in the help file for MCSP it says

Using the Loader with MicroCode Studio Plus

Connect a serial cable between your computer and development board. Apply power to the board.
From the ICD toolbar, select the serial port you will be using to communicate with the development board.

i can´t select any COM port there becous it´s locked, until i select an ICD compatibel PIC then i can change the port and then i have to change back to the PIC I´m using.

[mister_e]

Ah, I see, well let's forget the help file then

Not sure how bad some Virtual Port could be, but It may cause some problem with some Chipset/Driver combination.

Real serial port have their place, but agreed, not a big majority release serial product now... Even some PCI (or whatever else PC slot) are just silly priced now.

[Fredrick]

Yea...
Microcode studio plus is still the best editor for PBP that i know about.
Is there anyone here that are using a better editor?

[mister_e]

Define the word better and we may come up with some idea.

MPLAB is fine, but you don't have serial com port access, no plug-in facility either.

PsPad, nice code editor, but no PBP syntax embedded in

CodeDesigner was great a while back, no longer supported, no serial communication utility, no plug-in facility either.

[Fredrick]

I use PsPad as the default editor in windows, i like that editor, i have used Codedesigner in the past for PBP but switched to MCS and later to MCSP , MPLAB has so many functions that I don´t use there are just there to confuse me.

Microcode studio is simple to use without extra functions i don´t use and have a nice and clean interface with PBP syntax.

[F1CHF]

I got a board with a 16F874 and a Max 232 on board
(TX data and RX data goes to the normal PIC pins RC6 and RC7)

16F874 (20 Mhz) is OK (tested with a Blink program !)

SO, I try to use MCloader (version 1.0.1.7)
I burn bootloader file to the 16F874
I use my blink (Pic Basic pro 2.60) with the define user command
compilation ...
start MCloader ... reset MCLR .. nothing append .. still the message on MCloader about waiting a reset !
question :
is the DTR signal is used to reset the pic via the MAX232 and the 100 ohm resistor
is it used with the "software reset" option I see in MCloader setup

Can I use bootloader without this software reset option (I have just a push button on MCLR) ?
thanks.
Francois F1CHF

[HenrikOlsson]

Hi,
Yes, the DTR signal is used to remotely reset the PIC but you can easily use it without that feature, I do that all the time on one of my developement boards from SURE electronics. I hit Program and it asks me to reset the device - which I do - and it downloads the code to the device.

When it doesn't work it's usually because I've specified the wrong COM-port which happens to me from time to time, especially when using USB->COM dongles/adapters.

It's important that you flash the PIC with bootloader.hex file for the correct oscillator speed (20MHz in your case) and that you put DEFINE LOADER_USED 1 in your program.

/Henrik.