PICBoot Tools for Microchip 16-bit Microcontrollers

PICBoot Tools from MICROSOCKETS provide everything you need to add in-circuit serial flash programming to Microchip 24H and 33F microcontroller targets.

Boot Loader

The assembly language boot loader source is included with pre-generated binaries for the PIC24HJ256GP610 and PIC33FJ256GP710 PIM modules running on the Microchip Explorer 16 board. Modifying the boot loader source for other platforms requires only a few documented changes.

The boot loader is placed at the top or bottom of programmable flash memory and is entered on reset. The boot loader waits for a programmable number of seconds for a connection on the serial port before automatically jumping to the application firmware.

Configuring the application firmware for use with the boot loader requires minimal modifications that can mostly be completed through linker directives. The application entry point is programmed as an instruction at the base of program space that jumps to the normal application entry point. The entire boot loader fits within one erasable block of flash and does not utilize any interrupts to preserve both the primary and the alternative vector tables for the application.

Boot loader commands include read, write and erase flash. A version command is included to verify the features supported by the boot loader. A boot command is provided to allow starting the application directly from the boot loader.

Sample Applications

Sample binaries for the modified Microchip Explorer 16 demo applications are included. In conjunction with included boot loader binaries, the PICTools can be tested on the Microchip evaluation board without any coding.

PIC Programmer

The package includes the MICROSOCKETS PIC Programmer for in-circuit programming over a serial connection from Microsoft Windows compatible computers. PICPGM is included as a redistributable install program. The programmer includes full support for programming and verifying firmware as well as a set of testing tools for checking out a modified boot loader.

PICBoot Tools PIC Programmer is included as a redistributable executable only. For a custom programmer or for a private labeled or branded programmer, please contact MICROSOCKETS.

License

The PICBoot Tools are released under Creative Commons licenses. The boot loader is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license. The PIC Programmer for Microsoft Windows is released under the Creative Commons Attribution - No Derivatives 2.5 license. Each license provides for redistribution for both commercial and non-commercial applications.

New in Version 1.1.0

Version 1.1.0 adds support to locate the boot loader in any single flash block to provide compatibility with the Microchip firmware security features available in the 24H and 33F microcontrollers. The programmer is designed to skip the boot loader memory when performing operations. The programmer also uses a sparse matrix to program only those blocks that contain application code.

In addition, the programmer has been updated to address compatibility issues with TeraTerm port handling.

Support

MICROSOCKETS provides support for PICBoot Tools via electronic mail. Send your comments or questions to info@microsockets.com.

Download

Download the latest version of the PICBoot Tools directly from MICROSOCKETS.