I know… !
K8048 is not intended to be conneted to a USB port.
But I wonder… what makes it so difficult to get a simple programming device to connect on a USB ?
On my newer PC, like many others, there’s no more RS232, and I can’t stop thinking of what I’ll do when my older PC will be dead…
What’ the big issue here ?
Why can’t we make a programmer for USB ?
A USB programmer has a microcontroller on board wish is programming himself the PIC, our programmer proggrams the PIC device by full software control. The advantage of this principe is:
You can always update the software w/o hardware modification and programmer can be made very cheap.
But the kit does work with USB, if you use different programmer software…
http://dev.kewl.org/k8048/Doc/
I use it on Linux, with a Prolific PL 2303 USB-Serial adaptor. It’s a little slow I’ll admit, but it works!
Hi,
Not anybody is ready to jump to Linux just to be able to program PIC’s from a USB … Not mentionning the price of additionnal hardware.
I’m an hobbyist, I’m using an average of a dozen PIC’s per year, and I certainly will not spend time to switch to Linux, not mentionning the fact I still needs Windows for my professionnal work…
But, Velleman could maybe be able to develop a third version of their
PIC programmer, USB compatible this time, that would be able to program commons 10F, 12F, 16F, and some (more) 18F too in a ZIF socket ?
It certainly would be a breakthrough for people like me…
Or, to take it from another point of view, an USB/RS-232 converter/emulator that would be compatible with their two programmers ?
What do people at Velleman’s think of this ? Could we hope something like that in the future ?
It looks to me that it works on windows too. I’ve not tried it myself, but if you were to install cygwin and gcc/make etc. it would probably compile (the screenshot on the page is of it running on windows) so you don’t have to switch to linux. I’m just using it on linux because I use it daily, so it’s easier 
I’m not sure what you mean by ‘the price of additional hardware’ though. Linux is free and can run on your existing hardware…
Heck, I’d be willing to make a custom linux livecd which includes gpasm, k8048 and some other pic goodies for anyone who’s interested. You’d be able to program your pic through usb using it, and it wouldn’t touch your hd at all (just boot off it to program the pic and reboot to get back to windows, you could even hibernate windows to make it faster)
Probably usable by professionnals or computer freaks, which I’m not.
All those command lines look like Klingon to me…
As I see in the list of devices, there’s only one type of interface that works besides the common 8250. Lucky for those who use it, but for the others…
I think, a totally new design of hardware programmer would be the next logical step for Velleman (before any hobbyist proposes a schematic for free on the web…).
After all, they already made the USB interface board: they have the expertise …
VEL456, I’ve noted what you said on Oct 25th, but as a matter of fact, your programming software is not often updated… So I think this is notthe point.
Why not make a USB programmer, having knowledge of the programming methods for PIC12, 16 and 18 ?
This will cover many hobbyists needs for not so much money…
Besides, an hardware update could also be possible by selling a new processor or EEPROM to update the existing one, or by implementing a way to self-update the device…
K8048 and 8076 are sld for approx. 40 EUR as for now in Belgium.
A new programmer, USB based, could easily be sold for twice that price ! I certainly am willing to buy one !!!
And I’m sure you could sell a lot in the future, while RS-232 completely disappears…
What do you think ?
Aladds, if that offer of a live CD is still open…?
Thanks,
theChipmunk
Yeah same here.The download doesnt work at kewl (m currently running ubuntu 7.10). Is there any other way of getting this?