News, Updates and Other Minutiae
Help wanted Can anyone help identify a piece of music from the 70's? See the home page for the details
November 2021 A desk lamp mod (well, more of a bodge) - halogen to LED conversion using LED strip. Find it under the 'Misc' category.
August 2021 The Simple DDS VFO has been updated to add band change functionality. It is on it's own page in the homebrew menu.
June 2021 Battery Monitor project updated and finalised.
May 2021 Added another Rant about the scabby manuals that come with stuff these days. Added page and files for a 3d printed box for the Noise Canceller courtesy of Gary VK6GS
January 2021 Paypal button added to Noise Canceller page. Updated the PK3 programming adapter - some spare pcb's available.
Privacy Policy uploaded. It may be viewed at the Privacy Policy link in the footer. As of October 2017, I will be asking for a donation in exchange for providing custom modified code for my projects to help keep this site available. GPDR and all that stuff In accordance with various bits of legislation around the world, either currently in force, about to come into force or proposed, you will now find that annoying "We use cookies" notice at the top of this website. The full Privacy Policy is available at the Privacy Policy link in the footer at the bottom of the page. (If you don't know what GPDR is, Google it. Real scary shit for ANYBODY with a web presence.)
PicKit 3 Programming Adapter
A programming adapter for use with the PicKit 3 programmer Updated January 2021
When the PIC programmer that I have used for several years finally bit the dust, I had to decide what to replace it with. Because I needed it in a hurry, I decided to purchase PicKit 3 programmer from Microchip. Also needed was an adapter to program the PIC's in, which, of course, doesn't come with the PK3. As I had already made an adapter for the previous programmer, I had a look to see if it could be adapted for use with the PK3. The result is shown below. It is mounted on a piece of scrap chipboard to make it easier to use. Note that I have only tested this with 12F and 16F series PIC's only, so I'm not sure yet if it works for any of the other PIC series.
The only thing I had to add was a switch to select between VPP and VPP2, as the old programmer was smart enough to switch between different VPP lines depending on the size (28/40 or 8/14/18/20 pin) of the PIC being programmed.
I used a very small switch that could be soldered to the pcb. You could use any handy SPDT switch and make a small mounting bracket for it, of course. Don't forget to label which position is which, otherwise it is very easy to kill a PIC if it is in the wrong position.
As you can see, I used a bit of ribbon cable with marker (to identify pin 1 on the PK3 connector). For the other end, I used a piece of single in line header and sealed the connections with some hot melt glue.
Since the photo's were taken, I have marked the top of the pcb with the position of the various size chips. Below are some small graphics that you can use to make labels for the positions, they are available to download in the zip file below as well.
I have been using the standalone PK3 programmer software and some enterprising person might like to have a go at including these into that piece of software. (The source code is available on the Microchip site.)
Update January 2021
The adapter above has had quite a lot of use since 2016 and the ZIF socket is now starting to get a bit tired, so I thought it was time to update it. A couple of replacement adapters were purchased off Ebay and a new pcb was designed. Instead of a switch a header/jumper combination has been substituted to select between the various PIC sizes as can be seen in the pic below (right hand side).
Still the same old reliable lump of chipboard but now the PK3 plugs directly in to the adapter board, just need to add a strap to hold the programmer in place. I have 8 spare pcb's if anybody wants one - $10 each including postage. Use the Contact form to get in touch for payment details.
Downloads
These files are provided free for personal use ONLY. I retain copyright on all works published on this website except as otherwise noted. They may NOT be used in any commercial or profit making enterprise of any kind without the express WRITTEN permission of the copyright holder.
(Right click and 'Save as..' or what ever is required by your browser) Adapter PIC placement graphics The graphics from above re placement of the PIC's in the zif socket.
