Hardware
Q. Can I use other processors for usbpicprog?
A. Yes, you can use the PIC18F2455 without any modifications, if you design your own PCB, you can also use the PIC18F4550 and the PIC18F4455
Q. I can’t get the TSM2301 mosfet, can I use another one?
A. You can use any P-channel mosfet or even a bipolar transistor like BC557 as long as it can switch enough current to supply your target board
Q. How do I open the schematic / pcb design?
A. You will need kicad from http://www.lis.inpg.fr/realise_au_lis/kicad/ it will install on Linux and Windows
Q. Some components in the schematic are marked as NA, what does it mean?
A. NA Means No Assembly. The footprints are there for historical reasons, but no component has to be placed.
Q. I have bought the hardware and there is no 12V zener assembled.
A. It was removed because it loads the 12V voltage pump, and it won’t exceed 12V anyway. If your target device has a hard voltage limit on VPP (some have a 9V limit, some 3.3V) make sure you connect a zener diode on the target board.
Firmware
Q. My firmware doesn’t seem to be running (no led’s are burning) what am I doing wrong?
A. Did you put the jumpers as mentioned on http://usbpicprog.org/?page_id=214
Q. How do I program the bootloader in usbpicprog (the first time)?
A. That’s quite a recursive problem since you will need another programmer – something like JDM will work, see the hardware page. Depending on your OS and serial ports, it might be a challenge to get the bootloader in there. Once the bootloader is programmed, usbpicprog can upgrade it’s own firmware and no external programmer will be needed anymore.
PC Software
Q. Which libraries do I need to compile the usbpicprog applications?
A. Besides the standard gcc libraries, you will need libusb 1.0 and wxWidgets 2.9.0, along with some programs like intltool, libtool and libglib 2.0.
Q. Which Operating Systems are supported?
A. In principle, usbpicprog can be compiled on all Linux/Unix like operating systems. Binaries are built for Windows, Mac OSX and Ubuntu Linux (always the 3 latest distributions).
Q. In Ubuntu 11.04 the application doesn’t show or some dialogs don’t open.
A. There is a problem with wxWidgets and the compiz window manager. A workaround is to run ubuntu in classic mode (no unity) and disable desktop effects. Meanwhile the wxWidgets developers are trying to workaround this problem.
Q. I tried installing usbpicprog 0.5.0 on Windows 8, but it gives an error about DPINST while installing. How should I fix this?
A. Uninstall usbpicprog and the device drivers, then get a development version from http://usbpicprog.org/?page_id=193 Windows 8 was tested but people still report problems. No luck? Try installing Ubuntu instead