Pic Development Board

[Acetronics2]

Ok I have some bad news..........


The LCD demo in PB does not work on it, the LCD is hardwired to other port pins.

Same punishment with EasyPic5 ... what were you hoping ??? just think "work !" and it might work ???

Two remedies exist.

1) Change the source to a ql200 specific LCD demo

2) Pull all 14 jumpers off the QL200 connector, and using supplied jumper wires, connect the right pins to port a / b etc....

I went for option 2, I think 1 would be better, anyway the LCD showed garbage...........

At one point it did a clear screen and stayed that way for 15 minutes, I thought I broke it...

Really sure not to have forgotten something ??? Dozens of such "LCD problems" are raised on MKE Forum ... always same working solution : "RTFM" !!!

After getting annoyed at this I tried a few other pics with the simple led flash, the 57 worked, the 84a worked, the 2550 would not.....

I seem to have hit my usual 2550 issue, i cant get it to run at the right speed, in fact it ignores all the settings I changed, and even pulling the crystal off made no difference.

Config "header" just forgotten or some lines missing ( once more ??? )...

Wondering if I have a bad 1550 batch, or the hex is bad......(Hint for a good led flasher hex at 20mhz)

A led Flasher with a 1550 ??? ...possible ??? VERY GOOD HINT : Read your Datasheet, Section 2 to section 17 ...

MCS will start ql-progen.exe, but I have not yet found the correct command line parameters for it, or any mention of them in the non existent help files, so playing with that and I have emailed the HK author in english, I hope he understands...........


After many hours of issues something else has gone wrong, mpasm is running without error, but I am getting no hex file output, I tried a search by date for new files created, zero..... after 30 minute of this I gave up, but today is another day....

I think I need to start a new thread for this board... (hex, wasnt joking honest!)

When MPLAB doesn't like something ( even if it compiles ...) it doesn't save the generated HEX file ...
Only loads it into the Program Window ...

So, not surprising your "Other Brand" programmer refuses to load the generated HEX.
Only µChip programmers, driven from MPLAB, allow the programming , here ...


Sooo, .... my dear F LEZ, You did not discover anything here, just have showed us you didn't understand ( or simply read ??? ) your hardware "manual".

An EasyPic5 or else had given you strictly the same type of results ...

It's not a soft or Hard problem ...


It's a MAN problem ...

Alain ... EasyPic5 ( between others ) Happy user !!!

[jcleaver]

just must be my math but device is higher in cost us$ and higher in shipping

have used easypic and mikroe for over 2 years good product also have pbp which
has better tutorial but drives me crazy with all the efforts to config a pic


mikroe is much easier to use for a beginner and great examples


just my 2c us$

[f_lez]

just must be my math but device is higher in cost us$ and higher in shipping

have used easypic and mikroe for over 2 years good product also have pbp which
has better tutorial but drives me crazy with all the efforts to config a pic


mikroe is much easier to use for a beginner and great examples


just my 2c us$

depends were you are on post/packing/tax's, i got a bag of pics, a 2 line lcd, a 4 line lcd, a colour lcd, stepper motor, temp sensor, cd of possibly buggy programmer software, 100 quid .


mikro, looked at it, looked for a pdf with syntax for each command, as these things are never exactly the same between languages, did not find one, while pbp has an extensive lookup in pdf and online, so i like.

[f_lez]

UPDATE **********


I have not translated..

Hello,Cannot sir, no CMD function in *.exe %filename %device


I take that as the programmer software does not support commandline switches.



update 2 ****

Fuses, ok for some reason the programmer has 4 ways to program, you can use the 'program' dropdown, or click the colourful program button, or to the right you can click the gray program button, and down near fuse selection is another program button, yes thats 4, well one thing for sure, not all program buttons maked 'program' are created equal, as only 1 of them actually programs the chip fully.............

[f_lez]

1) Config "header" just forgotten or some lines missing ( once more ??? )...


2) When MPLAB doesn't like something ( even if it compiles ...) it doesn't save the generated HEX file ...
Only loads it into the Program Window ...

3) So, not surprising your "Other Brand" programmer refuses to load the generated HEX.
Only µChip programmers, driven from MPLAB, allow the programming , here ...


4) Sooo, .... my dear F LEZ, You did not discover anything here, just have showed us you didn't understand ( or simply read ??? ) your hardware "manual".

1) maybe............ got a cheap one going spare?

2) No it was a laptop problem, it was so damn fast that the error was on screen for less than a frame so i never saw it, and I had not bothered to read through the 6 screens of errors thrown up that _config has been replaced by config.....................

3) MCS works with any commandline driven programmer, used it for ages with winpic800 connected to a willem


4) It has no manual, well a pdf for the board, but no info on the programmer software.

Anyhow, something has been learned, rb6 and rb7 have odd behavior for a few seconds after a program, for odd read 'dont work'




I now have the speed issue fixed, but can only use 4mhz, also once i have the 2550 up and running at the right speed, any random amount of fuse changing makes no operational difference, i can set any clock div / pll i want and the little leds still flash the same, one assumes programmer not doing the fuses as asked, ignores setting of codeprotect fuse too...

also noticed board says programmer is v1.5, software identifies it as a 1.2 and offers to upgrade it to 1.3......(made no difference)

emailed about the rb6/7 issue, maybe its in my manual, they may send it one day....

[malc-c]

4) It has no manual, well a pdf for the board, but no info on the programmer software.

Anyhow, something has been learned, rb6 and rb7 have odd behavior for a few seconds after a program, for odd read 'dont work'

also noticed board says programmer is v1.5, software identifies it as a 1.2 and offers to upgrade it to 1.3......(made no difference)

emailed about the rb6/7 issue, maybe its in my manual, they may send it one day....

This was what made me choose the EasyPIC5. The fact that the thing came with printed manuals, has a good active forum, customer support that understands English and that some of the experienced guys here aslo use the board made me opt for the EastPIC board.

Yes the LCD example needs tweeking to work with the board, but I opted to change the port in the code (no other choice really !) - but then thats what we're her to do, learn how to program.

I feel for you. Its nothing worse having something that doesn't meet up with your expectations, and becomes hard to get working. Maybe I was lucky, as my EasyPIC board installed firts time, software loaded OK, and programming is a breeze (after I was instructed in the above post on where the exe was )

Hope you get things resolved soon

[f_lez]

Hope you get things resolved soon

I very much doubt they will bother with any of it TBH, they will make there money selling them, and see no profit in supporting them.

I still seem to be hitting my head with the fuses, but thats me, and why the software has 4 buttons marked program, and each one does program, but only one seems to set the fuses, is a joke.....

busy on the day job over the weekend so will play more from monday, I think I'll start a whole site for this board, ppl will need somewhere to go to find why it does not work.......

[Copy'nPaste]

Sometimes it is better to just get something that has support behind it, even if it doesn't have all the bells and whistles.
Quite satisfied with my Easypic 3, 4, and now 5 :-)

[Acetronics2]

Hi, F lez

For RB6 and RB7 behaviour ...

what are the other functions of those pins ??? ... especially at programming time ???

was no use to make a video to show us everything normal ...

Consider yourself lucky the programming was OK with leds attached to these pins.


Have a good cup of coffee and after that, look at what is "ICSP" ...

Pics are not exactly Toys ... or they are somewhat advanced toys.

Alain

PS: you can download [freely] the EasyPic5 manuals : there are lots of info to help you understand what you consider as " problems " or " misfunctionning ".

[f_lez]

Hi, F lez

For RB6 and RB7 behaviour ...

what are the other functions of those pins ??? ... especially at programming time ???

Well at programming time I'd expect them to be programming the pic......

was no use to make a video to show us everything normal ...

Thats ok, I didnt do that, I made a video showing abnormal behavior, if you watch it again, rb6 and r7 do not go logic high for some time after, even though rb0 to rb5 work ok.

Consider yourself lucky the programming was OK with leds attached to these pins.

Yes I have fell foul of that before, and expected to have to disconnect them, but it seems the inbuilt programmer does not have an issue with it.

Have a good cup of coffee and after that, look at what is "ICSP" ...

Been their done that, but its not exactly as ''on the fly' as this board provides.

PS: you can download [freely] the EasyPic5 manuals : there are lots of info to help you understand what you consider as " problems " or " misfunctionning ".

Well it would if the hardware was the same maybe, and as this issue is with the inbuilt programmer, I doubt it will shed much light. easypic does seem to have better/more docs though.


As to the rb6 rb7 issues, they have admitted its a ''feature'' that after usb access the inbuilt programmer does not release them for a few seconds, as shown in my video.



I know you all say ''should have got an easypic5'' well, I must admit, I do kind of wish I had, but it was going to cost more, and did not come in my favourite colour...........