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Using the PICkit Programmer
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Connection Hints
The PICkit 2 and PICkit 3 programmers are awesome tools and are recommended far and away above any alternative.
One frequent question is how to connect the PICkit to an ICSP connector. Boards from Microchip designed to work with the PICkits have right-angle connectors at the edge of the board. In this case, the PICkit can connect directly to the board resulting in a nice assembly.
Many boards don't have this arrangement. A vertical, keyed 6 pin
connector is more common and is what's installed on the TAP-28. The
PICkit may be plugged directly into this connector but the results are
ungainly. With the USB cable connected, the board and PICkit will
probably fall over.
ICSP programmers are often supplied with a short cable with a keyed 6-pin female connector on each end so that the programmer can be a short distance from the board.
A cable like this would be handy to use with the PICkit, but it would have to be a male-female cable rather than the common male-male type.
A little bit of cleverness quickly solves this problem. A 6-pin section of a header pin strip may be inserted in one end of the cable, instantly converting it to a male cable. Ideally, the header will have long pins on both sides.
Now, it's easy to connect the PICkit to a TAP-28 or other board with a vertical ICSP connector. Notice that one edge if the connector shown is marked in pink. This indicates pin 1. Since the connector is not keyed on the PICkit, it's important to verify the proper connection is made.
Cable Sources
SparkFun SparkFun is out of these at the time of this writing.
Sparkfun Alternative Two of these pigtails may be used instead, connecting matching wire colors.
MC Pros This company is unknown to this writer but does have the ICSP cable in stock, at a price higher than either alternative from SparkFun.
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