Matrix user forums

I am returning to PIC programming after a break of several years and struggling to catch up again! I have experienced a strange problem.

In years gone by, I used PPPv3 to download to my old PIC Tutor (which says "PIC TUTOR V2 1" on the back of the PCB, but seems to need to be treated as a Version 1 board). If I resurrect this software, I can happily download some of the sample HEX files and run them. So far, so good.

I have recently purchased PIC BASIC from OshonSoft, as this struck me as a very nice and easy way to get simple applications into the PIC. It comes with an emulator IDE and I can write a PIC BASIC program, compile it to a HEX file and run this quite happily in the emulator. However, if I try to download this HEX file to the real PIC, it fails to work every time. Even a really simple program, resulting in a couple of dozen bytes of code will not load and run. PIC Tutor sample HEX files will run happily in the emulator, however.

Last night, as an experiment, I tried creating a small program with the demo version of Flowcode V4 and - bingo! It downloaded fine!

I have wondered if this might be anything to do with the status words; I have checked the oscillator setting and tried various combinations of the other elements, but as I'm using this with a 16F84A (at the moment) there aren't really many options.

Can anyone please offer any suggestions as to why my HEX files from the PIC BASIC environment won't load, but these others will?

Hello

It does sound like a configuration word problem though I have never used (or heard of) the OshonSoft software so I cant really say.

When loading in the HEX file from PIC BASIC into PPP you should be able to change the configuration settings so they will run with the hardware.

I would go to them for further support as the Matrix product is still working correctly when the correct configuration words are used.

Am awaiting a reply from Oshonsoft! Will let you know the result.

STILL waiting to hear back from Oshonsoft! Perhaps that's why you had never heard of them!

Watch this space...

Hi Phil

Yes that could be it.... Let me know if they do get back in touch.

If you want a low cost PIC development environment to play with then our ECIO range of devices offer a great deal of functionality including High Pin Count, 48MHz clock, SPI, I2C, USB, UART....etc. Plus you dont have to worry about configuration settings as they are predefined for you.

Alternativly we have the new V3 Development board and the new EB006 with ICD.

Also you get support with our products