Mechanique Bootloader

[HenrikOlsson]

Actually, the bootloader doesn't know a thing about which compiler you used to generate the .hex file so it should work equally well with Proton, Swordfish, C18, MicroPascal or any other compiler but you need to make sure that the compiler you're using knows about the existence OF the bootloader so it offsets the program in order to not overwrite the bootloader startup code/call. With PBP you use DEFINE LOADER_USED 1 to do that for the Microcode Loader.

In fact, Swordfish is developed by the same people/company (Mecanique) doing the MicroCodeStudio and MicroCodeLoader. The Proton IDE looks VERY similar to MicroCodeStudio so I'm willing to bet that they are pretty much the same with some minor tweaks depending on which compiler is used (ie Crownhill, the developers of Proton (and owners of this site) simply buys the IDE from Mecanique, just like MeLabs is doing). Screenshots on the both the Proton website and Swordfish website shows the same MicroCodeLoader as with PBP.

The Amicus18 does NOT come preloaded with MicroCodeLoader firmware and does NOT work with the MicroCodeLoader without changing the VID/PID parameters of the FTDI serial port chip on the board. For more information on that, see this thread.

/Henrik.

[PBCGuy]

Henrik

Thank you for looking into this.

Looks like Firewing says it is supported by Picbasic Pro Gold.

https://www.mecanique.co.uk/shop/ind...&product_id=81

Wonder why it says 'Gold' version of Picbasic?

It might be another case of what version of Microcode Loader actually?

Looks like Microcode Loader can be 'Full Version' or 'Customized for Compiler' version.

[tumbleweed]

The PIC18 version of the Firewing board uses an 18F25K22, so probably either the silver or gold editions of PBP would work.

Both Swordfish and Proton come with the asm source files\UMCbuilder that let you build a custom bootloader for those environments. The Microcode Loader is branded for use with its respective IDE.

[HenrikOlsson]

You're just all over the place aren't you, 3-4 compilers, 2-3 devlopement systems, different IDEs, different bootloaders - it must be confusing. It is for me, trying to follow along what you're trying to acomplish....

The Firewing board is a PIC18F46K22 loaded with a "special" (ie not MicroCodeLoader) bootloader.
The AMICUS18 board is a PIC18F25K20 loaded with another "special" (ie not MicroCodeLoader) bootloader.

The Firewing development board is supported by the free Firewing compiler, just like the AMICUS18 is supported by the free version of the Proton compiler but at the end of the day they are both just a PIC on a PCB and the PBP compiler supports both of those PICs + hundreds of others.

The "problem" with both the AMICUS18 and Firwing development board is that their respective DRIVER (ie what needs to be installed on the PC) are custom tailored to the specific board (ie, when you plug it in it shows up as an AMICUS18 or a Firewing Communication port (despite it being just Another COM-port)) in the device manager of the PC. This allows the their specific bootloader application on the PC (ie not MicrCodeLoader) to find the board without knowing which COM-port it is but it also means that A) it won't work on Windows 10 (becasue the device driver is not signed and Windows 10 refuses to load it) and B) it won't easily allow you to load ANOTHER, generic, bootloader (like the MicroCodeLoader) into the PIC without first messing about with FTDI chip on the board, changing its settings so the board presents itself as a normal COM-port.

1) Choose a PIC that can do what you need
2) Choose a compiler that can generate code for the desired PIC
2) Choose an IDE that integrates with the compiler (or don't, it's not strictly NEEDED).
4) Then, optionally, choose a bootloader that works with the PIC you're targeting.

Don't try to do it all at once.

/Henrik.

[PBCGuy]

Henrik

Did not get email alert about your response.

"Don't try to do it all at once."

It's more a case of looking into how 'user friendy' and 'wallet friendly' different Basic's are.

Using a PICKit3 makes them all wallet friendly.

Just not like the old days of Basic Stamp where you could click and download.

That definitely corrupts people for later work with PIC's.

Good point about Amicus w/Proton and Firewing w/Swordfish.

Putting a PIC on a breadboard is very wallet friendly.

Have you noticed nobody has replaced the Olimex 14 pin PIC boards etc. with USB versions?

Now on to 'How much are Proton and Swordfish like Basic Stamp Basic?'.

PICBasic is very much like PBasic and then it has plethora of more specific commands.

Very much like CCS compilers.

[tumbleweed]

If you want something that looks like a BASIC Stamp then PBP is what you want.

All the others are very different.

[PBCGuy]

Tumbleweed

Thanks.

Just getting to how the language is. Want to sort out hardware first.

I could not download Firewing compiler. The link was bad.

I can see Microcode bootloader is going to become a side project.

Best plan is to just 'take the .hex file and run'.

Load it into MPLAB IPE and program chip on board.

[tumbleweed]

You don't have to use the IPE software to program the chip.

MPLABX (and the older MPLAB) has command-line drivers for each of the programmers (PK3, ICD3, etc).
Using these you can add the Pickit3 as a programmer to the MicrocodeStudio IDE and then you can program the chips directly from there.

That way you don't need a bootloader at all.