Down and dirty way to use a SMD PIC with a DIP programmer?

[RossWaddell]

Steve's picture looked familiar. So I thought I'd show my programming cable for 12F629/675/683 etc.
The molex end plugs into my EPIC programmer

You can just stick the chip in it directly.

Or clip it on a chip on a PC board.

Works great.
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I have a project which could benefit from using SMD PICs as the space the board needs to go into my model is quite tight. I've found the 3M clip at DigiKey but I'm unclear as to which pins I need to wire to program. I have an EPIC USB MEL so I'm presuming I can just remove my ZIF for regular DIPs and plug in the Molex connectors to the programmer, but it would be a big help if someone could tell which pins go where (for the 8-pin PIC above, it looks like the wires are connected to the PIC pins 1 & 2 and 5 & 8 - is that right?

If reviving this old thread is bad manners, I'll start a new one.

[Darrel Taylor]

There are 5 wires on that clip.
But if your circuit is powered externally, you don't need VDD.

[RossWaddell]

Thanks Darrel! Can I assume that J3 plugs into the melabs U2 Programmer's socket and U1 is the clip?

[Darrel Taylor]

That's a good assumption, yes.

[Charlie]

Also note you need to lay out your board so the chip clip has room to actually clamp on the device. No decoupling caps or anything too close by. It takes more room than you think... well, more than I thought, back when they were popular. I sure didn't learn that one the hard way, no sir

[RossWaddell]

Thanks Charlie! That's good advice as I'm not very good at desoldering (even with wicks) so being able to reprogram in-circuit is critical.

[AvionicsMaster1]

As Darrel said, make sure you design to accomodate the ICSP through switches or high resistances between PIC and load. The old PBP manual had some values of resistors but I couldn't find it in the PBP3 manual after a quick search. I've experienced thinking I could program once the PIC is installed only to find out I didn't fully think it through. Good luck.