PICSTART Plus Release Notes

Release Notes for PICSTART Plus®
Development (Nonproduction) Programmer

MPLAB® IDE v8.92

__firmware__

July 8, 2013

Table of Contents

1 Device Support

2 Operating System Support

3 Reference Documents

4 What's New in v8.70

5 Repairs or Enhancements in v8.70

6 Known Problems

7 Important Notes

8 Programming PIC10F2XX Devices

9 Programming rfPIC12C509Ax Devices

10 Programming PIC16C55A/F54/C57C/F57/MCV28A Devices

11 Programming PIC16F818/819 Devices

12 Programming PIC18C658/858 and PIC18F6x20/8x20 Devices

13 Universal Programming Module (AC162049)

# 1 Device Support

Click the link below to see device support for PICSTART Plus (PS+).

· Device Support List

See Sections 8-12 in this readme for information on special programming considerations for certain devices.

Some revisions of these devices, prior to Rev D0, may fail to program on this programmer:

PIC18F1220 PIC18F1320

# 2 Operating System Support

This tool has been tested under the following PC operating systems:

Windows® 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, and Windows Vista™ (32-Bit)* OSs

* 64-bit Vista is not supported at this time.

NOTE: Windows NT® and Windows 98/ME OSs are NOT supported.

# 3 Reference Documents

The following documents may be found on our website or MPLAB IDE CD-ROM:

· PICSTART Plus User's Guide DS51028

· PICSTART Plus Upgrade Kit Brief DS51405

· Programming Specifications for devices various DS numbers

· Development Tools Selector

On-line help (Help>Topics) is also available for this tool:

· Programmers>PICSTART Plus hlpPSPlus.chm

# 4 What's New in v8.70

None.

# 5 Repairs or Enhancements in v8.70

None.

# 6 Known Problems

The following is a list of known problems. For information on common problems, error messages and limitations, please see “Troubleshooting” in the online help file for PICSTART Plus (hlpPSPlus.chm).

Some devices require that a 0.1uF bypass capacitor be placed from the VDD pin to the VSS pin of the device to successfully program the device. Also, pin 7 must be shorted to pin 20 (VDD to AVDD). If programming failures still arise, try increasing this value incrementally to a maximum of 10uF. A low ESR capacitor such as a tantalum is recommended. The parts affected are:

PIC10F220 PIC10F222 PIC16F737 PIC16F747

PIC16F767 PIC16F777 PIC18F2220 PIC18F2320

PIC18F2410 PIC18F2420 PIC18F2455 PIC18F2480

PIC18F2510 PIC18F2515 PIC18F2520 PIC18F2525

PIC18F2550 PIC18F2580 PIC18F2585 PIC18F2610

PIC18F2620 PIC18F2680 PIC18F4220 PIC18F4320

PIC18F4410 PIC18F4420 PIC18F2331 PIC18F2431

PIC18F4331 PIC18F4431 PIC18F4455 PIC18F4480

PIC18F4510 PIC18F4515 PIC18F4520 PIC18F4525

PIC18F4550 PIC18F4580 PIC18F4585 PIC18F4610

PIC18F4620 PIC18F4680 PIC18F4682

For devices such as the 18Fxx31 which have power supply (Vdd and AVdd) and ground (Vss and AVss), all pins must be used in order for these devices to program.

· PIC18F2520 MCUs: Table Read Protect (EBTRx) will not work unless Code Protect (CPx) is enabled. Also, once Table Read Protect is enabled, you cannot perform a Verify on the protected block.

## 6.1 SSRs (System Service Requests)

SSR 19753: EEPROM is not being erased on some devices, such as the PIC16F62X/62XA, PIC16F648A, PIC16F8X/8XA, and PIC16F87X/87XA.

# 7 Important Notes

· Once address ranges are set in the Programmer Settings dialog, Program tab, the settings will stay set and not revert to default values after an operation.

· For all memory except configuration bits (that are not code protected), you may program from 1 to 0, but not from 0 to 1, i.e., you must erase and then program.

· With PIC18F8xxx devices set in boot block processor mode, memory past the boot block range is not accessible. Therefore, verifying after the boot block range will fail in this mode. In microprocessor mode, all of program memory will fail a verify.

# 8 Programming PIC10F2XX Devices

PIC10F2xx devices are currently available in a 6-pin SOT 23 and 8-pin DIP packages. The following setup is required for use with the PICSTART Plus:

6-pin SOT 23 options:

1. PIC10F2xx Universal Programmer Adapter (AC163020) with the 16-pin Adapter socket on the reverse side: Using the male-male stand-off headers, align pin one as viewed from the top silk screen with pin one of the 40-pin ZIFF socket on the PICSTART Plus. Please see "AC163020 pin 1 guide" (DS51478).

2. PIC10F2xx SOT-23 to DIP-8 Programmer Adapter (AC163021): Using the pin one pad (square solder pad), align the pad with pin one of the 40-pin ZIFF socket on the PICSTART Plus. Please see "AC163021 pin 1 guide" (DS51479).

8-pin DIP options:

1. PIC10F2xx Universal Programmer Adapter (AC163020) with the 18-pin Adapter socket on the reverse side: Using the male-male stand-off headers, align pin one as viewed from the top silk screen with pin one of the 40-pin ZIFF socket on the PICSTART Plus. Please see "AC163020 pin 1 guide" (DS51478).

2. Align Pin 1 of the 10F2xx DIP-8 package to Pin 9 of the PICSTART Plus.

# 9 Programming rfPIC12C509Ax Devices

You can program rfPIC12C509Ax devices using PICSTART Plus by creating an adapter that will connect the top 8 pins (4 pins on each side) to the PICSTART Plus (socket pins 1-4 and 37-40). This will allow you to program the PIC12C509A part of the device. ONLY connect the top 8 pins for proper operation. Once you have created the adapter, you will be able to select the rfPIC12C509Ax part from the PICSTART Plus programming dialog on MPLAB IDE. Then follow normal programming procedures.

# 10 Programming PIC16C55A/F54/C57C/F57/MCV28A Devices

Note: Although the PIC16F54 device was not included in the following ETN #22, it also experiences the same issue. From ETN #22:

Symptom: PIC16C55A, PIC16C57C, PIC16F57 and MCV28A devices do not verify correctly using the PICSTART Plus. When a blank device is read, program memory values of 0xBFF are reported.

Problem: The OSC2 pin on the PIC16C55A, PIC16C57C, PIC16F57 and MCV28A tries to overdrive RB6. This causes invalid voltage levels for verification.

Solution: To program the PIC16C55A, PIC16C57C, PIC16F57 and MCV28A in DIP packages on a PICSTART Plus, a modified adapter must be used. The adapter can be created using a 28- or 40-pin ZIF, LIF or standard socket by cutting the connector pin that corresponds to pin 26 the device. After creating this modified adapter, secure the device in the adapter, then place the modified adapter in the PICSTART Plus. This adapter should only be used when programming these devices.

# 11 Programming PIC16F818/819 Devices

When programming a PIC16F818 or PIC16F819, you must add a 1kohm resistor between MCLR and GND. This can be placed in the socket with the device.

# 12 Programming PIC18C658/858 and PIC18F6x20/8x20 Devices

To program these devices using the PICSTART Plus programmer, you need to build an adapter that will make the part look like the 40-pin PIC18CXXX devices. The device pins below should be attached to the PICSTART Plus as noted. (ETN #23)

Note: You must connect all Vdd/Vss lines on the devices, as all are needed to power the chip correctly.

PIN | PICSTART Plus | PIC18C658 64-pin package | PIC18C658 68-pin package
VDD | 11 | 10, 26, 38, 57 | 2, 20, 37, 49
VSS | 12 | 9, 25, 41, 56 | 19, 36, 53, 68
MCLR | 1 | 7 | 16
RB6 | 39 | 42 | 54
RB7 | 40 | 37 | 48

PIN | PICSTART Plus | PIC18C858 80-pin package | PIC18C858 84-pin package
VDD | 11 | 12, 32, 48, 71 | 2, 24, 45, 61
VSS | 12 | 11, 31, 51, 70 | 23, 44, 65, 84
MCLR | 1 | 9 | 20
RB6 | 39 | 52 | 66
RB7 | 40 | 47 | 60

PIN | PICSTART Plus | PIC18F6X20 64-pin package | PIC18F8X20 80-pin package
VDD | 11 | 10, 19, 26, 38, 57 | 12, 25, 32, 48, 71
VSS | 12 | 9, 20, 25, 41, 56 | 11, 26, 31, 51, 70
MCLR | 1 | 7 | 9
RB6 | 39 | 42 | 52
RB7 | 40 | 37 | 47

# 13 Universal Programming Module (AC162049)

Not supported on PICSTART Plus.