Automated production programming

[Neutone]

I have been looking for a method to perform automated programming. I have a test fixture I'm building that will perform a number of circuit test. The program that will run these test going to be written in VB. I want to intergrate the process of programming the chip into the testing process. The only device I have been able to find that can be operated from VB is this;

http://www.in-circuitsolutions.com/picspeed.htm

The programmer is $200 and the DLL I need is another $300. Thats lot of money to spend on a product I have no confidence in. Anyone used this before care to share the experience?

[Neutone]

Turns out its actually easy to do with the ICDU

This is what I had to have in VB

Private Sub Command1_Click()
Shell ("C:\Program Files\picc\Icd.exe -TC:\ICD\Main.HEX")
End Sub

[Mark Weir]

Hi Neutone,
If I understand your findings correctly you suggest that it is possible to program PIC's from the ICD but prompted from VB. It this right?, If so it is very exciting for me as I asked a similar question on the forum a few months back and got no replys.
I am trying to remotely program circuit boards with 9 PIC's on each panel.
I wondered if I could simply switch the icsp connections to each pic sequentially using multiplexed switches but under the direction of a VB program. I have had the VB part written but have no idea how to link back to the programmer.
Can you make any suggestions if my understanding is correct.

Many Thanks
Mark

[Neutone]

The small snippet I posted was able to load code into a chip. I plan to have a relay between MCLR and the ICDU. That will allow me to test the circuit completely. I would guess that you might connect all of your programming lines together and use a separate relay on each MCLR line and do them one at a time. There is no feedback to know how far along the programming process has gone but my application will start when programming has finished and can be detected when running. I only have to timeout if the program does not start running.

I had to give the HEX file a simple path (C:\Program Files\picc\ was too complex) but that�s a minor issue.

Have you looked at the PDM-1208LS? That�s what I will use to test my circuit. I can operate it from VB. My test station will multiplex IO as required. The device is only $100. That�s hard to beat. My interface will be pogo pins from IDINET.com with receptacles soldered directly into a PCB with the multiplexing circuit. I project my parts cost for the whole station under $700 and a PC. The real cost will be the VB application.

[fpgeh]

Production quality programmers verify the programming results at both the maximum and minimum operating voltages. I haven't checked, but I'm fairly certain the ICDU does not. Depending on how thorough you want your testing to be, this may be an issue.

[Neutone]