Release Notes for PRO MATE II
Device (Production) Programmer

MPLAB® IDE v8.43

Software DLL Version v8.0.0

Operating System Versions:

 

PICmicro 12/16 OTP Devices

v7.00.88

(CPIC70088.hex)

 

PICmicro 12/16 Flash Devices

v7.00.91

(FPIC70091.hex)

 

PICmicro 17 Devices

v6.00.00

(17P60000.hex)

 

PICmicro 18 OTP Devices

v6.40.00

(18CP64000.hex)

 

PICmicro 18 Flash Devices

v7.00.90

(18FP70090.hex)

 

dsPIC30 Devices (B1)

v7.00.28

(DSC70028.hex)

 

December 3, 2009

 

Table of Contents

1      Device Support

2      Operating System Support

3      Reference Documents

4      What's New in v8.43

5      Repairs or Enhancements in v8.43

6      Known Problems

7      Important Notes

8      Programming PIC16F818/819 Devices

9      Programming dsPIC DSC Devices

10     Programming PIC10F2XXDevices

11     Downloads – Firmware and Operating System

12     ICSP Device Support Switch Settings

13     Socket Support

1         Device Support

Click the link below to see device support for PRO MATE II (PM2).

·         Device Support List

The following devices have ICSP support only:

PIC16F946     dsPIC30F3012

The following devices have ICSP support only for non-DIP packages:

PIC16F631     PIC16F687        PIC16F785

PIC16F677     PIC16F689

PIC16F685     PIC16F690

2         Operating System Support

This tool has been tested under the following PC operating systems:

Windows® 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, and Windows Vista™ (32-Bit)* OSs

*64-bit Vista is not supported at this time.

NOTE: Windows NT® and Windows 98/ME OSs are NOT supported.

3         Reference Documents

The following documents may be found on our website or MPLAB IDE CD-ROM:

·         Using the ICSP Socket Module Poster                      DS51243

·         ICSP Socket Module User’s Guide                           DS51113

·         Programming Specifications for devices                  various DS numbers

·         Development Tools Selector

 

On-line help (Help>Topics) is also available for this tool:

·         Programmers>PRO MATE II                                     hlpPROMATE2.chm

4         What's New in v8.43

None.

5         Repairs or Enhancements in v8.43

None.

6         Known Problems

The following is a list of known problems. For information on common problems, error messages and limitations, please see “Troubleshooting” in the online help file for PRO MATE II (hlpPROMATE2.chm).

·         PIC18F2520 MCUs: Table Read Protect (EBTRx) will not work unless Code Protect (CPx) is enabled. Also, once Table Read Protect is enabled, you cannot perform a Verify on the protected block.

 

6.1      SSRs (System Service Requests)

SSR 15602: Voltage ranges set in Stand-Alone mode may not transfer to MPLAB(R) IDE. Vdd min and max voltages now may be set using PRO MATE II in Stand-Alone mode, for the range 2.5 to 6.5 V. However, if the values chosen are not recognized by MPLAB IDE as the range of the selected device, the PRO MATE dialog voltage list box will be blank.

SSR 15803: Data protected parts treated the same as code protected parts when calculating checksums on PRO MATE II LED display. MPLAB IDE calculates checksums correctly.

SSR 21815: AC164028 cannot be used with PIC16F818/819 parts, although an MPLAB IDE warning message states that it can.

SSR 22774: Firmware Download in MPLAB 6.30 does not work on the Japanese version of Windows XP.

SSR 23075: For PIC18F452:  EEProm memory area is always erased when the entire device is not included in the programming.

SSR 23363: An 'Erase All Before Program' behavior is being observed with some flash devices when only specific memory areas are selected for programming.

SSR 23992: For PIC18Fxx39: Blank Check and other actions results in incorrect results.

SSR 25254: Some devices require that a .1uF bypass capacitor be placed from the VDD pin to the VSS pin of the device to successfully program the device. If programming failures still arise, try increasing this value incrementally to a maximum of 10uF.The parts affected are:

PIC16F737        PIC16F747        PIC16F767        PIC16F777

PIC18F1220      PIC18F1320      PIC18F2220      PIC18F2320

PIC18F2331      PIC18F2431      PIC18F2410      PIC18F2420

PIC18F2455      PIC18F2480      PIC18F2510      PIC18F2515

PIC18F2520      PIC18F2525      PIC18F2550      PIC18F2580

PIC18F2585      PIC18F2610      PIC18F2620      PIC18F2680

PIC18F4220      PIC18F4320      PIC18F4331      PIC18F4431

PIC18F4410      PIC18F4420      PIC18F4455      PIC18F4480

PIC18F4510      PIC18F4515      PIC18F4520      PIC18F4525

PIC18F4550      PIC18F4580      PIC18F4585      PIC18F4610

PIC18F4620      PIC18F4680

SSR 27787: 16HV785:  Vddnom is not limited to 4.875 volts in Stand-Alone mode. When the Voltage is selected in Stand-Alone mode on the Pro Mate II, the range is not limited to 4.875 voltages as it is in the MPLAB IDE to handle the limitation of a 4.9 volt max for Vdd for this device.  Vdd up to 6.50 volts can be set on the Pro Mate II.

SSR PM2-17: For PIC18F devices, if OSC1 is floating during programming and the device is placed in HSPLL mode, it may appear not to be working. The fix is to pull OSC1 high to avoid this problem.

SSR PM2-59: When programming with the USER ID filled, the USER ID is not being programmed. A READ of the device shows that the USER is still blank after the programs succeeds.

SSR PM2-63: When using SQTP with PROCMD with the ProMate II, a .NUM file with more than 1 entry is required otherwise the information will not be programmed at all.

7         Important Notes

·         Devices that exceed 0xBFFF in program memory size:

o        Do not support the use of Program Memory ranges

o        Do not support stand-alone use of the PRO MATE II for Read (F1), Program (F2) and Verify (F3).

o        If Program Memory is excluded under the Settings dialog, any other errors found in a failed Verify in the other selected memory areas will be reported

·         If during a verify, there are more errors than expected, and those errors claim that the bad data is all zeros (0000), the socket module may not be seated properly.  Remove and reseat the socket module. It is always a good practice to insert a known blank device and do a blank check whenever the socket module is changed.

·         With PIC18F8xxx devices set in boot block processor mode, memory past the boot block range is not accessible. Therefore, verifying after the boot block range will fail in this mode. In microprocessor mode, all of program memory will fail a verify.

·         Safe Mode cannot be set from the MPLAB IDE.

·         Do not power up the device programmer with a device in the socket. This will often cause a pin driver failure during the hardware self check. Remove the device and cycle power.

·         If a "Ready for Download" message appears on the LCD at normal power-up, the PRO MATE II operating system has been erased and must be reinstalled. See your PRO MATE II User's Guide (DS30082) or PRO MATE II on-line help for instructions on upgrading the PRO MATE II operating system.

·         Once address ranges are set in the Programmer Settings dialog, Program tab, the settings will stay set and not revert to default values after an operation.

·         For all program memory that is not code protected, you may program from 1 to 0, but not from 0 to 1, i.e., you must erase and then program.

·         ICSP programming of dsPIC devices may require a short cable and/or impedance matching resistors for optimal speed. On some of the smaller pin count devices, crosstalk between the PGD and PGC does not allow the device to get into ICSP mode. Keep the cable length under 6 inches and/or place 100ohm resistors in-line with the PGD and PGC signals to minimize the crosstalk.

·         When you attempt to read a device with calibration at the end of program memory, you may receive an erroneous message "Target has an invalid calibration memory value." The feature to modify the calibration constant is currently in beta support mode.

·         SQTP programming of dsPIC devices is not supported by the MPLAB PRO MATE II programmer.

8         Programming PIC16F818/819 Devices

When programming a PIC16F818 or PIC16F819, you must add a 1kohm resistor between MCLR and GND. This can be placed in the socket with the device.

9         Programming dsPIC DSC Devices

The dsPIC programming executive is not yet available. Therefore, programming the whole dsPIC device using PRO MATE II will be slow. It is recommended that you only program the ranges necessary for your application using the Programmer>Settings dialog in MPLAB IDE. To determine the ranges necessary, select View>Program Memory and scroll down to the last instruction within program memory. Note that instruction's address and then round it up to the closest fourth instruction boundary (0x7 or 0xF). This is the value that should be placed in "Program memory end address" within the Programmer>Settings dialog. You may also want to leave some extra room for program expansion.

For faster programming of dsPIC devices, the MPLAB PM3 device programmer is recommended.

Applicable only to dsPIC devices is a new check box is available on the Memory Range tab page of the Settings dialog called "Erase All On Program Range". Use of this option determines whether or not the program memory will be erased before the device is programmed.

10    Programming PIC10F2XXDevices

The PIC10F2xx devices in 8-pin DIP packages should be placed in the topmost position of the AC164037 socket module. Programming requires the use of firmware version FPIC70051 or higher.

11    Downloads – Firmware and Operating System

·         Firmware - Programmed into user device. Use Programmer>Program to program your firmware (application) into a device.

·         Operating System - Programmed into PRO MATE II unit. Use Programmer>Download PRO MATE Operating System to update the operating system used by the programmer.

NOTE: The current version of MPLAB IDE does not support the slower download baud rate needed to update the operating system for PRO MATE or PRO MASTER programmers. As a work-around, use MPLAB IDE v5.70.40 to download the OS. Then, if desired, you may switch to this version of MPLAB IDE to program devices.

12    ICSP Device Support Switch Settings

The following list shows the dip switch settings for the ICSP device socket module, AC004004, for each device type.

NOTE 1: You cannot perform ICSP on PIC18C801/601 (ROMless) devices.

NOTE 2: ICSP is supported only on the PRO MATE II device programmer. It is not supported on the older PRO MASTER and PRO MATE device programmers.

Device*

Switches

1

2

3

4

PIC10F2XX

PIC12CXXX

PIC12FXXX

On

Off

Off

On

rfPIC12F675X

On

Off

Off

On

PIC16C43X

On

Off

Off

On

PIC16F5X

Off

Off

Off

On

PIC16F631/639/677/685/687/689/690

PIC16F785

On

Off

Off

On

PIC16F946

Off

On

Off

Off

PIC16X50X

On

Off

Off

On

PIC16C557

Off

Off

Off

On

PIC16C92X

Off

On

On

Off

PIC16 Series 14-Pin part

On

Off

Off

On

PIC16 Series 18-Pin part

Off

Off

On

On

PIC16 Series 20-Pin part

Off

Off

On

On

PIC16 Series 28-Pin part

Off

On

Off

Off

PIC16 Series 40-Pin part

Off

On

Off

Off

PIC16 Series 44-Pin part

Off

On

Off

Off

PIC16 Series 64-Pin part

Off

On

Off

Off

PIC17C75X

Off

Off

On

Off

PIC18CXX2

Off

On

Off

Off

PIC18FXX2

Off

On

Off

Off

PIC18CXX8

Off

Off

On

Off

PIC18FXX8

Off

On

Off

Off

PIC18F12X0/13X0

Off

Off

On

On

PIC18F2XXX/4XXX

Off

On

Off

Off

PIC18F6XXX/8XXX

Off

Off

On

Off

dsPIC30FXXXX

On

Off

On

Off

* See section 1 for devices that have ICSP support only

13    Socket Support

Refer to the Development Tools Selector (DTS) located on:

1.       the Microchip web site (www.microchip.com)
Select "Development Tools" under "Design", then select "Development Tool Selector" under "Resources".

2.       the MPLAB IDE CD-ROM you used to install MPLAB.