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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : MPLab IDE's
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| NickMikhay Newbie  Joined: 05/02/2026 Location: United StatesPosts: 6 |
Greetings, Looking for a good place to start with programming PIC's. I downloaded the MPLAB X IDE and it seems to be working OK on my less than current Operating System, except for some problem with the internet commutation, where the on-line stuff does not show up in the application. All of the new features are a little overwhelming for me, though. And although the popular opinion tends to see the latest platform as something that is easier to learn and perhaps with new programmers in mind, I am not so sure of that. I also downloaded the MPLAB 8.10 Version, and glad that I did, as I have a textbook which made use of this version, and is easy to follow this way. I suppose the latest version of the IDE is 8.90 or so, and maybe that will allow me to use the PICKit 3, as 8.10 supports only PICKit 2. If anyone knows if the PICKit 2 and 3 programmers are interchangeable, meaning "backward compatible" to use the PICKit 3 as a PICKit 2, let me know down below. Reading the AN851 A Flash Boot-loader for PIC16 and PIC18 devices from Microchip got me thinking of making a home made programmer, but the fact that the PICKit3 is very low cost, tends to steer in the direction of rapid development cycle startup. Somehow, there is a notion that the device can connect straight to the serial port on the host? So maybe there is no need for a programmer, only perhaps a level translator or some buffer gates? What do people consider to be a good setup, especially if the main interest is with building assembler routines, on mid-range devices such as the 16F84A or 16F873A. The 16F84A does not appear to be programmable with PICKit 2, in the MPLAB 8.10 version, however its datasheet says that is In-Circuit Programmable. Look forward to reading all of the replies. Edited 2026-03-28 10:04 by NickMikhay |
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phil99 Guru  Joined: 11/02/2018 Location: AustraliaPosts: 3091 |
Silicon Chip magazine has done some articles on MPLAB, might be something useful in there. https://www.siliconchip.com.au/Articles/ContentsSearch |
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| zeitfest Guru Joined: 31/07/2019 Location: AustraliaPosts: 663 |
I used to develop for pic 16F84's and so on in assembler and C using MPLABX. IIRC I used MPLABX to compile/assemble, which produces a file in Intel HEX format in the project directories. I preferred to use the separate pickit3 standalone programmer application to burn it into the pic - it was easier to sort out problems that way - but you can set up MPLABX to burn it into the IC as part of the build cycle, I think that is the suggested method now. The standalone application was especially useful for toggling bits etc. The pickit3 uses a 6pin connector to connect to the pic in-circuit, you have to have a suitable pcb/dev board with the ICSP connections. IIRC the 16F84A had specific requirements (?) wrt the 16F84 so that may be something to watch. |
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Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 8705 |
Last time I played with PICs the PiccKit 2 and PicKit 3 weren't identical and had slightly different compatibility lists. That's probably changed now. One of the differences was in how you could use the PicKit to power the target device. IIRC the PicKit 2 was far easier to use in that way. However, the PicKit 3 was easier for repeat programming of several targets, I seem to remember. It's been a long time now though and my memory has never been brilliant,,, :) Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Bowden_P Senior Member  Joined: 20/03/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 172 |
Hi NickMikhay, The last MPLAB IDE version I have used is v8.91, which I used for assembler programming with the PICKit3. The MPLAB "X" IDE is rather a different environment to MPLAB, which took me a while to get used to. It is very much oriented to C rather than assembler. The version I use is MPLABX V5.35, which I was informed was really the last version which could be successfully used for assembler programming. The main advantage I see with the MPLAB "X" IDE is that it has files for many of the newer devices. These have some distinctly useful features over older devices. These include the ability to choose what pins connect to the peripheral I/O's ( PPS ), and much better tolerance of supply voltage variations. If you plan to use interrupts - definitely recommended - newer devices will automatically context Save and Restore for you. They will also have a range of useful analogue peripherals too. While the 16F84A might be attractive for a starter device because it is incredibly basic, I would recommend you start with a device from the 16F1xxx family - many more useful peripherals to play with. Cost is also a factor - Farnell quoting nearly £5 for the ancient 16F84A DIP18, and over £9 for the 16F873A in DIP28! A 16F1704 DIL is £1.34 in DIP14, or the 16F1708 is £1.52 in DIP20, with a good range of peripherals to experiment with. All the best with your journey into microcontrollers - it has been a fascinating and rewarding hobby for me for many years. Paul. p.s. There is now a PICKit 4, but I have not used that. Nothing so constant as change. |
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stanleyella Guru Joined: 25/06/2022 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2804 |
great cow basic for 8 bit pics also arduino including logic green technology 32mhz |
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