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Reviews (4)
22 February 2018
Good Quality, Budget Friendly Option for Metric Screws
Decent quality metric screws. Well machined, matching nuts provided, allen/hex heads (with thumb-screw sides) - very useful for small fastening jobs.
Not much else to say - they're just screws :)
Just be careful not to drop them! 480 pieces is a lot to sort and re-pack!
04 July 2017
Not for the Faint of Heart!
This programmer technically works (you can program some PIC micros with it), but there are many caveats that make it impossible to recommend, especially for novices trying to get into PIC development.
First, the pros:
- Comes with all the required pieces for operation (usb cable, icsp cable, zif socket fitted), and some nice metal feet that fit the mounting holes and let the programmer sit flush on your workspace.
- Powered and operated over USB (no separate power supply or janky connector cables).
- Socket allows easy ahead-of-time programming of compatible through-hole dip chips.
However, the cons are substantial and difficult or tiresome to work around:
- No software bundled. The required software is "microbrn", which is ancient software from the original hardware designer that these are cloned from. The version required depends on the version of firmware installed on your hardware and some versions can be hard to find. The one that worked with my hardware was v150807 found online as "PIC Program Software English Version".
- microbrn requires device definitions per-PIC, and many are missing or wrong. Be prepared to get your hands dirty if you're not using a common part. Making your own definitions is error-prone but technically possible.
- USB-to-serial chip used is borderline incompatible with windows 8 and up - the latest drivers simply don't work. Must manually source an old version of the drivers (3.3.11 worked for me) and swap to them every time the device is plugged in (windows update will swap back to the latest ones). This is a symptom of the design being from 10 years ago - and a huge waste of time.
- Once you've got all that working, microbrn is still a "unique" program and you'll have to tinker with the interface and debug issues yourself. There is no IDE integration at all, you need to specify a hex file and cross your fingers.
All that said, I have been able to program some chips with this device.
I recommend you invest in something newer with better support and save yourself the hassle, but if you do buy this device I hope this review helps you get it working a little sooner than I did.
12 August 2016
Works Well but Finicky Drivers
1 of 1 found this helpful Hard to beat for the price, ready to go out of the box and a reasonably small form factor.
The only problem is the drivers refuse to install with default settings off the CD on windows newer than 7, and the automatic drivers from windows can cause a the machine to totally freeze. Be sure to install the drivers (using compatibility mode on the installer) before plugging it in!