Can the EasyPIC PRO™ v7 from mikroe be used with CCS compiler or MPLAB

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I am not aware if any developments have taken place here. Is it possible for me to use my EasyPIC PRO™ v7 PIC development board (http://www.mikroe.com/easypic-pro/#mikroprog) with Microchip's MPLAB or the CCS C compiler? Does it only work with tools designed by mikroe themself?

The idea is to be able to put firmware on the PIC and also carry out ic circuit debugging.

Best Answer

[I'll talk only about CCS tools. That's what I'm familiar with. Hopefully, someone else will chime in about MPLAB.]

You should be able to use this dev board with CCS compiler and ICD (in-circuit debugger). There is the RJ-12 connector (CN8 on the dev board diagram), and the pinout is compatible. (One pin is not connected; I'll get to that.)

From the dev board diagram:

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ICD-U64 pinout (from CCS FAQ):

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The pin 1, which is not connected on the dev board is the DIAG line. It's used as an auxiliary bit-banged UART, which is also called "monitor". It's handy, but you can download firmware and debug with this pin disconnected.

From CCS FAQ (also repeated here):

Pin B3 is an optional pin connected to the ICD-S/U that allows use of the monitor feature while debugging. If pin B3 is used in the target circuit or is not connected to the ICD-S/U, the target can still be programmed and debugged, except without use of the monitor feature. When debugging, disabling the userstream feature will ignore the connection between pin 1 on the ICD-S/U and pin 6 on the target device. Older versions of the debugger software require that if the monitor is not used, the pin connection on the ICD connector needs to be pulled high at all times. While pin B3 is recommended for the monitor feature, any pin on a PIC® MCU or PIC® DSC can support this feature.

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