I would like to start using PICs in my projects and was wondering which programmer I should get. I have plenty of experience using micro-controllers (68k, avr), I also have lots of experience with electronics (so building a programmer is possible).
I would like to be able to use MPLAB, icsp, and the in-circuit debugging feature seems pretty neat. USB would also be convenient, but is not necessary. In your answer, I would appreciate a comparison of the pros and cons of your recommendation.
Best Answer
If you are looking for the best in-circuit programmer/debugger for your own productivity, either ICD3 or RealICE is best. (these are pricier, but you get what you pay for!)
These are faster (+therefore quicker to recover from bugs/weirdness) than the older ICD2, which in turn is lightyears better than the original ICD1 (ugh!)