2020 Issue-2
I haven’t done much with PICs recently and I used to use a PICKit1, which is now obsolete.
Now, I want to re-program something I made about 10 years ago, my PICKit1 is no longer usable, and my old development software won’t play nice with Windows10.
I look at the array of products available and I am overwhelmed. So, what do I need to have a modern equivalent of a PICKit1 and what software do I need to program PICs using C?
Also, in addition to a Windows set-up, is there a Linux-compatible option as well? I tried contacting MicroChip but got no help there.
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Consider the Picaxe from Revolution Education, low cost, easy interface and free programmer with simulator, (works with Win10) and they have a very active forum. OK, so it's a PicBasic language version, but...it gets many jobs done quickly, with low cost and overhead. There's a wide range of PicAxe chips with tons of I/O. ADC and much more, driven by the power of PIC Microprocessors. (No financial connection, just a satisfied user!)
I would suggest using a PICKIT 4, part number PG164140 for hobby programming. I would suggest moving to MPLABx for the development environment and the MPLAB XC compiler for a C compiler. Most can get away with the free version. The tools also work with a MAC or Linux. I do suggest using the native version and not running under emulation so the directory structure can be the default. Software is all available on the Microchip web site and the programmer/debugger can be bought direct or from many different distribution options.
You will probably need to make some code changes to align with the changes made over the years to the software but it should not be too much effort. If you are doing more severe development you may want to consider the ICD4 but the cost is higher and may not be needed or justified depending on your use.
I use picprog under linux which you can find in the repository to program PIC chips using a home built usppicprog programmer. You can either install it through the GUI software manager or via the command line by running "sudo apt install picprog" in terminal.
