Microchip (Blog #39)

[Simon]

well I'll be using nothing fancy and only pickit2 compatible chips so if they want me to get fancy chips they better support the pickit2 or bloodly well make the pickit3 worth my while !

[EEVblog]

The head honcho himself told me that the PICkit 2 would no longer support any new devices, and that was 6 month or so back now. So you have to update to the PICkit3 or be left behind.

Dave.

[Simon]

so basically microchip are just like the rest. Well I won't be needing a pickit3 for a long time as I'm happy with the chips that 2 currently supports, I'll only buy the downgrade as and when i need it !

[johncrow]

I use Matrix Multimedia Flowcode and their programmer hardware, but for the price wanted to play with a pickit

After watching Dave's review, i decided to go for the pickit2,while they are still available.

( I can always get a pickit3 later when they are fully sorted) and I dont think the lack of new device support will be a problem for me.
Was going to buy the programmer on its own direct from microchip, though it would be cheaper as i dont need the demo board, except with their carriage and handling it was as much as the full kit from rapid electonics (free carriage)

Anyway great review Dave, & love Microchips reply too.

(How about a blog on flowcode and MM hardware, they do high quailty boards and support)

[.o:0|O|0:o.]

I was looking into the PicKit3 myself recently as I have been thinking of replacing my old Picstart Plus (ah the memories!)

A long time has passed since the release of the Pickit3 and so I wanted to see how much progress had been made with it. The following thread is very revealing:

http://www.microchip.com/forums/m465877.aspx

Well, Microchip did a lot of talking about how it was an improvement over the Pickit2 and they even made a blog in response to Dave's blog promising a world of fun with the Pickit3, but a year has passed and it isn't fun (bunch of d!ckheads for that).

The PicKit2 will be around for a long time until they release a PicKit4 or equivalent. This is one instance where I think it is justified to buy a cloned PicKit2 over a rip-off PicKit3. Screw-em!

Hopefully, someone will clone the PicKit3 aswell, merge the features of the two and call it a PicKit@!#* .

.o:0|O|0:o.

[EEwannabe]

MPLAB X only lists the pickit3 (no pickit2) as being compatible. I'm still wondering where mplab 9 went?

- Patrick