Electronics > Microcontrollers
PicKIT3 confusion
dmlandrum:
So I've decided I want to get into some microcontroller stuff, just for fun more than anything, and I'm ready to pick up a PicKIT3, since I'd like to play with dsPICs eventually. I'm confused, though, on just what I should buy. They advertise the "debugger only" unit as also being a programmer, but then they have other bundles with dev boards that they advertise as "everything you need."
So what do I actually need?
On the AVR side, I can get a programmer from Sparkfun for $15 and be up and running pretty quickly. Why can't PIC be just as easy?
deephaven:
--- Quote from: dmlandrum on March 07, 2011, 10:27:03 pm ---So I've decided I want to get into some microcontroller stuff, just for fun more than anything, and I'm ready to pick up a PicKIT3, since I'd like to play with dsPICs eventually. I'm confused, though, on just what I should buy. They advertise the "debugger only" unit as also being a programmer, but then they have other bundles with dev boards that they advertise as "everything you need."
So what do I actually need?
On the AVR side, I can get a programmer from Sparkfun for $15 and be up and running pretty quickly. Why can't PIC be just as easy?
--- End quote ---
If you're going to be making your own board with a micro on it, then you just need the PicKit3. This has a 6 way socket on it, so you just provide 6 way (actually you only need 5 of the ways) pin strip connector on your board. With just that you debug and single-step your program on the pic, or download the program so that it can run stand-alone on your board. The 'extras' in the other packages are just for when you don't want to make your own hardware and it gives you a 'ready to run' processor.
dmlandrum:
I was going to put the PICs in my breadboard and just run the lines out to it as necessary. So the "debugger" is all I need, then? Thank you!
deephaven:
--- Quote from: dmlandrum on March 07, 2011, 10:51:56 pm ---I was going to put the PICs in my breadboard and just run the lines out to it as necessary. So the "debugger" is all I need, then? Thank you!
--- End quote ---
Yes, that's it. Here's the manual: http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/PICkit_3_User_Guide_51795A.pdf
Page 15 shows the connections you need, it uses the MCLR and 2 other pins to talk to the pic + VDD, VSS.
dmlandrum:
Thank you for the help! Any additional cables I should think about getting while I'm at it?
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