Byron Jeff's PIC Page

• The Trivial Low Voltage PIC Programmer (TLVP)
• Information Updates Last Update: March 25, 2004
• TLVP Release Notes
• Development Software for PICS and TLVP
• My ongoing PIC projects.
• Code examples, NPCI, etc.

Trivial LVP programmer Updated! (3/25/2004)

Click on the image for a full sized printable version.

I also have a schematic for a ICSP version of TLVP that can be used to program a 16F62X/16F81X/16F88 part when MCLR is programmed as an input and the oscillator is INTRC. Only interruption of the Vdd will cause a reset in this case. Also you must have the latest version of My current picprg branch (version 2.3d) in order to have independent control of the PGM and Vdd pins.

UPDATE: 09/09/2002 I finally feel comfortable enough to release my Trivial High Voltage Programmer which adds only a single transistor and a couple of resistors to the TLVP design. As noted on the page I haven't personally made these mods to my own TLVP but I have had a couple of successful reports. So have at it!

Long cable termination update!(March 23, 2004)

(May 12, 2002)
WARNING!!!

This programmer currently only works with a short parallel cable. I advise not using a cable more than 2 feet in length. Longer cables will result in erratic operation.

I finally took at stab at the problem and have Posted a solution. Note that the Trivial Programmers are guaranteed not to operate properly with longer cables without termination.

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TLVP Information Updates

Date	Update
March 25, 2004	I'm actually making some progress: I created the PIC Designer Prototype page. There's also a gallery of images page to complement it. I also updated the termination page in the entry below with an updated TLVP schematic with the AC termination scheme.
March 23, 2004	I created the Termination Solution for longer cables page.
September 5, 2003	I created the official PIC Languages I find cool page.
September 9, 2002	I created the official Trivial High Voltage Programmer page.
May 20, 2002	Uploaded updated PicProg version 2.3c for Linux. Read the README/Changelog file for details on the update.
May 1, 2002	Minor page reorganization. I wanted to highlight David Tait's FPP PIC programming software for Windows I moved the links at the top of the page to a New Resources section I added a link in the Resources section to the 16F628. Why the 16F84 is now obsolete. page that touts the advantages of the 16F628. I added a Contents section, links throughout the page back to the top, and a splash of color to the section headings.
March 22, 2002	Yet another schematic update. I clarified the assignment of the PGM pin noting the difference between RB3 for the 16F87X family chips and RB4 for the 16F62X family chips.
March 12 2002	Another schematic update. I mislabeled the pins on the Feb 28th update on the 74HCT573. I also added/cleaned up labels on both the 74HCT573 and the PIC. I also received a report of TLVP working properly with Nigel Goodwin's WPicProg877. Please consult the forum for more information.
February 28 2002	David Tait has pointed out to me that the wiring for the previous version of the TLVP was wired in such a way as to create problems. The previous version routed RB7/Data directly to the ACK (pin 10) of the parallel port. Most parallel ports have a pullup resistor on that pin. The pullup coupled with the 1K TLVP resistor would create a situation where the RB7 pin would not see a low voltage. This caused some TLVP implementers to have problems. The updated schematic above buffers RB7 through the HCT573 which isolates it from the ACK pullup. This should improve the programmers reliability. If you don't happen to have an HCT type part handy the programmer can still be built with normal TTL or TTL LS parts. However to keep the PIC happy it's necessary to add a pullup to 5V to each of the buffer lines to the PIC. For the RB7/data line this pullup should be on the buffer side of the 1K resistor.

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Release Notes

• IMPORTANT!!! (3/12/2002): I didn't specify pinouts for the PIC because this circuit can be used for several different package sizes. I want to point out that ALL Vdd and Vss pins must be connected to +5 and Gnd respectively.

• It's important that an HCT part is used. Most modern parallel ports will output 3.3V for logic high. While this is fine for TTL, which has a 2.0V high threshold, most CMOS parts, including PICs, choke on that voltage giving erratic operation. The HCT part acts as a level translator, converting the TTL levels to CMOS levels, with high being nearly 5V. Note that there's nothing special about the HCT573 other than this property. Any HCT chip that can buffer can be used in place of the HCT573. Latches such as the HCT373, and buffers such as the HCT241 and HCT541 will work just as well here. And if you have completely configurable programming software, like Brian Lane's picprg 2.3b, you could even use a HCT04 inverter and configure the programmer to invert all of the signals from the parallel port.
  
  
• The resistor is designed to allow the PIC RB7 data pin override the data output from the parallel port.
  
  
• UPDATE (8/20/2001):Note that the reason that MCLR is labeled as 'MCLR/Vpp' above is because of LVP sequencing. The programming specification requires that RB3/Vcc rise to 5V before MCLR/Vpp rises to 5V. In Tait style programmer software that has programmatic Vcc control, the software is programmed to raise Vcc (turning the chip on) before raising Vpp (putting the chip into programming mode). Since this simple design doesn't have a power switch (see note below), the software Vcc is used to control RB3/Vcc so that RB3/Vcc is raised to 5V before MCLR.

  UPDATE (8/20/2001): I've misread the data sheet initially. According to the programming specification, RB3/LVP is supposed to rise first. I believe that the programmer functions with either order because there's no oscillator involved. In fact for safety it may be a good idea to ground the OSCIN pin (pin 13 on the 16F877) to ensure that no noise clocks the part during programming (check out updated image above).
  
  

• You will need a 5V power supply. Some possible sources:
  • Use a 9V battery to drive a 7805 regulator.
  • Drive the same regulator with most any DC wall wart. Voltages between 7V and 8V are ideal because they have sufficient headroom and they won't dissapate too much power through the regulator. But in a pinch any DC wall wart from 7 to 30 volts will do the job.
  • Borrow power from the PC. While the parallel port doesn't have any significant voltages sources, the PC joystick, keyboard, and PS/2 ports each carry 5V power. Also it's possible to carry a 5V power source from inside the PC case using a disk connector.
  
  
• UPDATE (8/20/2001): The design above doesn't have a power switch. A manual one can easily be added. Using a logic level MOSFET as a power switch is also another option. Be sure to tie RB3 and Vcc together on the PIC and take pin 16 from the HCT573 (the Vcc signal output from the parallel port) and drive the MOSFET with it.
  
  
• The simple design above doesn't have any indicator LEDs. However since the HCT573 has 4 more buffers, it's easy to add both a power and programming LED to the circuit.
  
  
• Note as per the programming specification for 16F87X parts, that this low voltage programmer is incapable of resetting the Low Voltage Programming Config bit in the PIC's configuration register. Any attempt to change this bit will be rejected. Also be aware that a 16F87X pic with the LVP config bit set MUST have pin RB3 grounded at all times except for programming.

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Software

I'm a Linux user, so my software is targeted for Linux. However any Tait style programming software should be able to drive the circuit.
UPDATE (May 1, 2002): For Windows I recommend David Tait's FPP. FPP works on all Windows variants, has a configuration for TLVP, and has been verified to work with TLVP. Since the software I'm using, a PicPrg 2.3c, and a yet to be tested PicPrg2.3d that has Linux 2.4 kernel support. Both modified versions (last update: 05/28/2002) of Brian Lane's picprg 2.2, is completely configurable, the pin layout from the parallel port is somewhat arbitrary. The circuit above can be rewired so that the appropriate pins for nonconfigurable programming software can still use the programmer.

This programmer is designed to be simple on purpose. Even using in-circuit mode is somewhat inconvenient due to having to multiplex RB6, RB7 and possibly MCLR. I've found that in addition to Low Voltage programming mode that one of the best new features in the 16F87X series is its ability to internally program its program memory. This means for the first time PIC type chips have the ability to have bootloaders installed which can download new software directly into the chip without an external programmer. So the sole purpose of this programmer is to download a bootloader into the PIC so that it can programmed from the bootloader environment.

So I'd like to briefly describe my PIC programming environment:

• I use the wloader Bootloader developed by Wouter van Ooijen. wloader uses a user specified pin as a software serial port. So a 16F87X part with the wloader firmware loaded into it can be programmed from any serial port. Note that Wouter uses a special programming dongle consisting of 4 resistors and a zener diode. This dongle is important because it inverts the serial signal. I've also found that sometimes that the 10K resistors often do not provide enough current for reliable operation. I've used 1.2K resistors with great success on serial serial ports.

  Just a couple of more small points about wloader. One is that the reset circuit is useful since it automagically resets the device under test (DUT). The second is that only the pullup resistors in the circuit are required on the DUT. All the rest of the circuitry can be placed on a small breadboard or perfboard dongle with a 3 wire connector between the dongle and the DUT. Then once the development is finished, simply disconnect the cable from the DUT and you're done.
  
  

• On the linux side of things I use linwload written by Wojtek Zabolotny. Woj is a Linux enthusiast who saw the value of wloader and wrote a development side loader that takes hex files from the Linux box and downloads them into a wloader enabled chip. During my initial usage, I added a few features to linwload and forwarded the patches to Woj. Feel free to contact me if you're interested in my modified version. linwload has a useful TERM mode where it will monitor the wloader software serial port. It gives a great debugging port to send messages and data without affecting any of the rest of the circuitry in the DUT including displays and UART connected devices.
  
  
• I use gpasm in gputils assembler and gpsim simulator for development on my linux box. These projects are part of the Open Source GNUPic project.

• I'm also in the process of evaluating JAL, a high level language written by Wouter. It has compilers for the 16F87X series, and executables for both Linux and Windows. I'll post a review once I've had a chance to write and test something significant with it.

I'd be interested in adding any links to programming software and configuration files that works with the above circuit. Feel free to send me an E-mail.

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Projects

I have a bunch of projects that I'd like to get done. Just too busy right now to get any done.:

• (March 2004) I'm working on a PIC design/experimenter station that I call the PIC Designer. It's job is to make getting projects started quick and easy. No plans for schematics or PCBS anytime soon. At this point I don't think that the specifics are as important as the concept: have a prebuilt design station with typical interfaces so that you can get a project going instead of stopping to build a target before getting to work. As I see it you can get the project done, then build the hardware knowing that everything will already work.
• Sunrise/Sunset Light controller. This is one I got finished. It's a home automation project that turns all the outside lights on/off based on sunrise/sunset time. The UPDATE (9/25/2001): source for the project has a bunch of interesting pieces including binary/BCD conversion, using timer2 to drive a software serial port, multiplexed LED displays, fixed point arithmatic, and linear interpolation. The updated version has a simple user interface using a pot/switch obtained from a cheapo light dimmer. There are few feelings of pride like driving up to the house late at night and knowing the lights will be on.
  
  
• Thermostat: This is one I got done out of necessity. The house thermostat died in the summer. For the summer I replaced it with a simple switch to the AC relay. But with the onset of fall the inevitable chilly mornings/warm evenings was wreaking havoc. So I threw together a simple thermostat that uses a Dallas Semi DS1602 thermometer for temp detection, and relays to drive the heater, AC, and fan relays. Currently it is completely automatic keeping the 68 and 77 degrees (F). The source code (Posted 11/22/01) contains interesting tidbits including DS1620 management routines, and Celsius and Fahrenheit conversion routines.
  
  
• NPCI Compiler/Interpreter. Several years ago I started designing a minimal High Level Language compiler for microcontroller development. Initially it was targeted to generate native code. However as I started developement of the 16F84 target I realized that for developement efficiency that I needed a bytecode interpreted system so that developed code could be transferred into the system quickly. So I retargeted for a stack based virtual machine that I developed. I shelved it and most of the rest of my PIC stuff about 3 years ago. But now that I'm actively working on projects, the need for a language has resurfaced. So I dusted off the compiler/interpreter and started working on it again. Take a look at the Language Overview. I plan to release an alpha version of the system once I've updated and tested the missing code for local variables and 16 bit integers. The current interpreter is targeted for the 16F877 and will require about 2K of program memory.
  
  
• wloader cloner. In my current development environment, a PIC without wloader in it isn't very useful. So I'd like to write a piece of software that will take a wloaded chip and clone it into another chip. With this piece of software even the trivial programmer described above will become unnecessary as long as there is a chip with wloader floating around anywhere in the junkbox. I envision a direct wire harness between the cloner and clonee with maybe one pushbutton and one LED. Load the chips, push the button, remove another wloaded chip. It would require some high voltage circuitry to get RB3 back, but I'm already learning how to live without it.
  
  
• MIDI sequencer. A longtime dream of mine as a keyboard player was to have a MIDI sequencer that I handbuilt to specifications. I've always envisioned up to 8 MIDI in/out ports, and enough memory to hold a bunch of songs. With the advent of compact flash disks, the storage capacity and physical dimensions are really no problem. I still have a couple of Cirrus Logic Octarts from the last time I explored this project. But my current thought is using 12C5XX parts as intelligent UARTS with a 16F877 as the master controller.
  
  
• Security monitor. With the advent of cell phones that receive E-mail it seems that a self monitor security system could be within reach. The electronics of security systems isn't too difficult, and with the A/D capability of the 16F87X parts, it would be simple to completely zone door/window loops so that an individual door/window can be id'ed when opened/closed. Add a keyfob transmitter/receiver and an E-mail gateway to send messages out to cell phones, call it a day.
  
  
• Robotic Lawnmower. A project I am actively working on. The platform is currently a circular base with two window wiper drive motors. The cutting element is a 12V auto blower fan driving a Weed Eater nylon replacement head with carpet razors on the ends of the nylon blades. Powered by a 33Ah 12V battery. The PIC would be the brains, using some yet to be specified set of sensors to drive the bot.

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Resources

• New! (May 1, 2002): the 16F628. Why the 16F84 is now obsolete is a brief overview of the advantages of the newer PIC families over the 16F84.

• Unfortunately the Trivial Programmer Forum has been spambombed out of existance. Unfortunately our wonderful webhost provider here has no mechanism for editing or deleting forum posts. So unless you are interested in reading about Brittany Spears nude or Jiffy Lube ads, there's no reason to go there anymore except for archives. If you need access, or have a question you can contact me directly. I plan to create an editable forum soon. I have removed my forum update autodetect script so any new posts over there if you happen across it will probably go unanswered. Again sorry for the inconvenience.

• NPCI Compiler/Interpreter Overview

• 93XX serial EEPROM programmer

Copyright 2001/2002/2007, Byron A. Jeff. Last updated January 26, 2007