Due to its native 3.3V PIC24 micro, it needs some level shift circuit for +5V PICs.
This bottleneck post some performance and cost limit to PICKit 3 design.
It claims 512K SPI Flash for Programming parameter and hex file. I am curious what SPI Flash chip is used? Are the two on the schematic the same type or different type?
Funny N. http://www.auelectronics.com/
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"Due to its native 3.3V PIC24 micro, it needs some level shift circuit for +5V PICs.
This bottleneck post some performance and cost limit to PICKit 3 design."
This is for the PICkit 3 design itself, not for external circuits. It needs bunch of Level shift circuit just get different external Vdd covered.
The schematic doesn't clarify the SPI memory (U3, U4) parameters, e.g. product model, memory size, manufacturer, etc.
Funny N. http://www.auelectronics.com/
blog: http://augroups.blogspot.com/
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The First one is a SPI EEPROM from Microchip, used to save some programmer related info, it is included because the PIC24 doesn't have internal EEPROM.
The 2nd one is a ATMEL SPI Flash, which will be used for future programmer-to-go function.
We have recently developed some 512K byte, 1M byte and 4M byte Programmer-to-go code based on PICkit 2. All C# and C source code has been send to Microchip for future releases. Before Walter Kicinski left Microchip, he has successfully integrated the C# code into the V2.61 Release (We have it tested on our machine without issue. ), so now User can use the PICKit 2 application code for SPI Flash based Programmer-to-Go feature.
We have the 512K, 1M and 4M Memory version of PICkit 2 prototype running successfully since Jan-2009 on our production line for heavy duty test. So far it has been working great.
Funny N. http://www.auelectronics.com/
blog: http://augroups.blogspot.com/
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PICkit 2 application software is developed based on C#. (The firmware for 18F2550 is written in C.)
If you want to upgrade the pickit2 programmer-to-go capability from max 256K to 4M byte, you need modify the PC software too.
Funny N. http://www.auelectronics.com/
blog: http://augroups.blogspot.com/
On-Line Store: http://www.auelectronics.com/products/
I don't know why, but it does have lots of convenient features, like integrated pdf files into the GUI interface, etc.
It was't C# before. If I remember right, it is after the V2.4x release, all PC programs are ported into C# with Visual Studio 2005.
I don't like VS either. My limit experience find it is powerful and fast, but not so stable which is a key for embedded systems. I can live with .Net for a programmer like PICkit 2, but not some critical control interfaces. (That's one of the reason, many real-time control went to Linux directly for its stability.)
It is a pity, one of the best/important PICkit 2 team member recently left Microchip.
[ 本帖最后由 FunnyNYPD 于 2009-4-14 01:20 编辑 ]
Funny N. http://www.auelectronics.com/
blog: http://augroups.blogspot.com/
On-Line Store: http://www.auelectronics.com/products/