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Hardware => Lynx Aether => Topic started by: Freebird on February 21, 2011,

Title: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: Freebird on February 21, 2011,
Anyone have a step by step instructions on Programming the Aether PIC with a PICKIT 3?  Thanks

Freebird
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: kj77rn on February 21, 2011,
Check the Wiki, the Beginners Page, Getting started with Pickit3.  Worked for me perfectly.
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: Freebird on February 23, 2011,
Well not exactly what I meant,  I have programmed many chips with my Pickit3,  what I mean is that to program your aether after build it is different than prgramming say an LE chip.  I searched the posts and the wiki on how to program an Aether chip using the onboard header pin etc but could not find anything.  Any help on getting my aether chip programmed and tested would be appreciated.  Thanks

Freebird
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: Rainlover on February 23, 2011,
Freebird,
Program it through the 6 pin header. You should be able to plug the pickit directly to the header or use an extension cable if one came with your kit. I have a pickit 2 and programmed it successfully. I had to power up my aether to get the pickit to see the chip the first time.
Hope that helps.

John
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: CaptKirk on February 23, 2011,
The key seems to be the counter-intuitive "power up the Aether" step that needs to be better documented someplace.
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: egenoup on February 23, 2011,
Under normal circumstances, the Aether does not have to be powered up to program it.  The programmer will supply the programming voltages.  Have the PICKIT 2/3 connected before you fire-up the programming application.  I have 3 aethers and they all programmed the first time and without having to provide power to the aether.

Charles S.
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: CaptKirk on February 23, 2011,
Did you run the PICKit set for 3V or 5V?  I had to set mine to 5V to get the chip recognized but RJ says that was a VERY BAD THING because the PIC is 3V.  I had to get the red LED on the board to light up to get the chip recognized and powering the PICKIT IMPROPERLY ay 5V was the only way I could do that.  I think I got lucky I did not smoke something!!  It sounds like powering the Aether to program (and make sure the PICKit voltage is at 3v) is the "safe" and correct way to program.  Hopefully someone will confirm this (again) as there seems to be a LOT of confusion on how to do this (I know I am confused but that is normal for me)...
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: trekster on February 23, 2011,
I programmed mine 2 weeks ago.  The Aether was unplugged.  I have a pickit3.  I do not remember having to set a voltage.  I entered the part number, opened the hex file and programmed it.  I did not get a checksum.  I erased it and re-programmed it.  Still no checksum.  I plugged it into my dongle and set the start address.  Then made a blank 30 second sequence.  I threw some colors into the sequence and hit play.  It worked.  I am not sure why I did not get a checksum like I did when I programmed my Aeon clock.  Now on the clock I did have to go in and set the voltage.  I set it to the 3 volt.  Maybe the settings stayed for the pickit to provide the power for the chip on the clock and it was already on for the Aether?  Anyway I am still learning. 

Ron
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: egenoup on February 23, 2011,
If the software recognized the chip, it will set the proper voltage and enable it when programming.  You do not have to set the voltage or turn it on.  For this reason it is important to have the pickit connected to the aether and plugged into the computer before firing up the programming application.  If you do not have the pickit connected to the pc or to the aether when you open the programming application, you will get an error.  You will then have to "check communications" to get it to recognize the chip.  If the pickit programming application correctly identifies the chip, then you should have no issues programming the pic.

Charles S.
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: Rainlover on February 23, 2011,
I could never get my pickit to find the pic. I checked communication and tried everything to get the pickit to recognize the pic. As soon as I powered up the Aether and checked communication, it worked. I could unpower the Aether and still read and write the pic but as soon as I unplugged the pickit, it would not find the chip again until I powered it up. The Aether works fine, but it still needs to be powered to read the chip. I have no idea why.

John
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: egenoup on February 23, 2011,
Rainlover,

There may be a bad solder joint at the ICSP connector (6-pin header) or (less likely) at the pic chip.  The Vdd pin is the second from the arrowed pin (arrowed pin being #1).  You may want to test continuity from the header pin 2 to the pic chip pins 13 and 28.  The other pins can be assumed to be working correctly since the pic will program when you power the board.  If I had to guess, you might have a cold solder joint on pin 2 of the ICSP.

just my 2 cents

Charles s.
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: Rainlover on February 24, 2011,
Charles,
Thanks for the suggestion. I will retouch the joints again when/if I take it out of the case.

John
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: rrowan on February 24, 2011,
Hi John

The other day I went to program the Aeon with the ICSP and I had a heck of a time trying to get the pickit software to see the pic. The usb cable was plugged into the Monitor's usb port, I move the usb cable to the computer and it quickly found the pic. Sometimes the usb port acts strange.

Just a thought to try a different port and or computer if you have one.

Cheers

Rick R.
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: Rainlover on February 24, 2011,
Hey Rick
I tried the usb ports on my old laptop and my desktop. I didn't try my Macbook. Maybe I will load the pickit software on there and give it a try. Everything is easier on y Mac  :)

Thanks,
John
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: D56VillageNut on February 24, 2011,
Some USB ports, particularly those built-in to peripherals such as monitors don't always pass enough 5 volt current to the connected device which may explain part of the issue with having to power up the device with the PIC in it to get it to program.  The PickIt unit may not be getting enough power from the USB port to pass it on to the the PIC.  I've programmed my Aeon and other stuff but made sure I was plugged in to one of the USB ports on the CPU and was able to program all my PICs so far.  Trying a different USB port is a good place to start.

Just my 2 cents.

Alan T
Title: Re: Aether Pic Programming
Post by: chrisatpsu on February 24, 2011,
a lot of time laptop usb ports handle extra current on the usb differently than desktops.

Desktop computers have an relatively endless supply of power, as long as they're plugged in, and the supply is working (and the bills are paid

Laptops, most of the time are designed to be solely run off the battery, so extra current isnt always available. Plus, the cheaper the model, the more cutting corners have been made.  

In different models of the same manufacturer (i have expierence with HP and Dell {even was Dell certified}) the lower end models usb ports seem to act more like a "unpowered usb hub", while the higher end model's usb ports acted more like powered usb hubs.


YMMV