Cant get my PIC running

[Bruce]

It can definitely be frustrating, but hang-in there...;O}

Which device programmer are you using?

Have you programmed another PIC succesfully with this programmer?

Have you checked every single connection with a volt-meter?

Have you tried another oscillator?

A LOT of factors are involved. Even with a simple program like yours just
making a pin high.

[Viberer]

It can definitely be frustrating, but hang-in there...;O}

Thanks

The programmer is designed by engineers of a finnish IT magazine, which they released to the magazine and to the web. So it is not any common model. The program that uses the programmer is too written by them. http://www.mbnet.fi/nettijatkot/2002/03/rakentelu/

first link under "Kopioitavat tiedostot" leads to circuit board model with EAGLE. The third is for Visual basic source code.

In the program you can define only if watchdog is on, choose to verify written data and repair errors and choice of oscillator.

This is first chip im trying to program and i have checked connections with multimeter.
Unfortunately i dont have another oscillator.. and theres not oscilloscope to test it. One thing pops to my mind: the wires to oscillator are about 6cm long, could it be bad? As a poor student i have kind of home made breadboard and it is not too easy to solder close to the PIC.

[Archangel]

Hi Viberer,
I do not use LVP, I have a six dollar JDM clone from Bulgaria I bought on eBay, and I use ICPROG a freeware programming software. Recently I began programming 16F88 for the first time, and my programmer balked and complained and refused to verify the chips, of coarse I thought, darned sample chips, darned cheap programmer . . . What I found works is to power the PIC from a 5 volt supply while programming and viola' it programs fine.
HTH
JS

[Bruce]

Try the attached HEX file. If it works your programmer is probably OK. If not, check everything else.

Note this will blink an LED on RB0.

[Viberer]

Hi Viberer,
I do not use LVP, I have a six dollar JDM clone from Bulgaria I bought on eBay, and I use ICPROG a freeware programming software. Recently I began programming 16F88 for the first time, and my programmer balked and complained and refused to verify the chips, of coarse I thought, darned sample chips, darned cheap programmer . . . What I found works is to power the PIC from a 5 volt supply while programming and viola' it programs fine.
HTH
JS

Oh, that is cheap! I ordered the components and circuit board separately and it cost about 25 euros. Im not really sure what you mean by "power the PIC from a 5 volt supply while programming" but this has to do something with not using LVP?

Try the attached HEX file. If it works your programmer is probably OK. If not, check everything else.

Note this will blink an LED on RB0.

I tried the code, it uploaded to the chip and program said it was successfull, like before. But that damn LED didnt ligth up and no sign of life there. Now i tried to read the memory from chip with programmer, it looks like this:

:1000000000000000FF3FFF3FFF3F8F3FFF3FFF3FEC
:10001000280EF23F060883169F00831206089F00F1
:100020000608840087018801890106088600060801
:1000300085000608650006088316870083120608F7
:1000400083168800FF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3F1B
:10005000FF3F0800FF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FE6
:10006000FF3F8312FF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3F49
:10007000FF3F0610FF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FB8
:10008000FF3F2C28FF3FFF3F4028FF3FFF3FFF3F40
:10009000FF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3F70
:1000A000FF3F0A12FF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3F82
:1000B000FF3F0A12FF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3F72
:1000C000FF3F2108FF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3FFF3F55
:1000D000FF3F0800000000000000000000000000DA
:1000E0000000000000000000000000000000000010
:1000F0000000000000000000000000000000000000
:1001000000000000000000000000000000000000EF
:1001100000000000000000000000000000000000DF
:1001200000000000000000000000000000000000CF

Theres a quite a few 3FF:s that seems suspicious. Here is the viberer.hex:

:100000002828A301A200FF30A207031CA307031C9A
:1000100023280330A100DF300F200328A101E83E90
:10002000A000A109FC30031C1828A00703181528FC
:10003000A0076400A10F152820181E28A01C222844
:1000400000002228080083130313831264000800B1
:100050008601831686018312061483160610831206
:100060000330A300E8308A01022006108316061030
:1000700083120330A300E8308A0102208A012C2871
:0600800063008A01402824
:02400E00F23F7F
:00000001FF

I assume that the codes are not supposed to be clone of each other, but can you say from this if it is corrupted?

Another assume i made is that if i upload a longer program to the chip and then a shorter one, part of the longer program still remains in the memory but this is not issue since the new shorter code has its end coded or a infinite loop at the end. Is this rigth?

I assumed this becouse there are no option to empty the memory in the program. If i want to "clear the memory" is it ok to program this kind of .hex to the chip:

:1000000000000000000000000000000000000000F0
:1000100000000000000000000000000000000000E0
:1000200000000000000000000000000000000000D0
:1000300000000000000000000000000000000000C0
:1000400000000000000000000000000000000000B0
:1000500000000000000000000000000000000000A0
:100060000000000000000000000000000000000090
:100070000000000000000000000000000000000080
:100080000000000000000000000000000000000070
:100090000000000000000000000000000000000060
:1000A0000000000000000000000000000000000050
:1000B0000000000000000000000000000000000040
:1000C0000000000000000000000000000000000030
:1000D0000000000000000000000000000000000020
:1000E0000000000000000000000000000000000010
:1000F0000000000000000000000000000000000000
:1001000000000000000000000000000000000000EF
:1001100000000000000000000000000000000000DF
:1001200000000000000000000000000000000000CF
:1001300000000000000000000000000000000000BF
:1001400000000000000000000000000000000000AF
:10015000000000000000000000000000000000009F
:10016000000000000000000000000000000000008F
:10017000000000000000000000000000000000007F
:10018000000000000000000000000000000000006F
:10019000000000000000000000000000000000005F
:1001A000000000000000000000000000000000004F
................ and so?

[mackrackit]

Another assume i made is that if i upload a longer program to the chip and then a shorter one, part of the longer program still remains in the memory but this is not issue since the new shorter code has its end coded or a infinite loop at the end. Is this rigth?

I assumed this becouse there are no option to empty the memory in the program.

I am not sure if it will cause a problem, but I think it will if the chip is not erased.

In MPLAB on the toolbar, configure, settingins, and the the Program Loading tab. Clear everything.

[Viberer]

I am not sure if it will cause a problem, but I think it will if the chip is not erased.

In MPLAB on the toolbar, configure, settingins, and the the Program Loading tab. Clear everything.

Oh, but there is only one problem: My programmer is not a standard model and mplab doesnt support it :/ , so im unfortunately not able to do it that way

[mackrackit]

OOPS, I thought you were using MPLAB.
Now I read closer and see the link you provided. The link does not work.

A hex from a blank chip will have FFFFFFF not 0000000 as you example.

And you might try ICPROG for the program to load the chip. It might work with your programmer (it works with several)and I think it has an erase feature.