Re: LF: Re: PIC Projects with no HEX code

[John Rabson <john.rabson@numeo.fr>]

Hi Pete,

Software production is moving from being a craft skill to an engineering discipline, and it is at a particularly difficult stage I think. In

Reusing routines and adapting them was something I was always encouraged to do, but it tended to require the original to be well documented. I once had to enhance 3000 lines of Perl, of which about 1% were commented and there was no design documentation. Unfortunately I was not in the position to tell the client to find somebody else.

Perseverance will pay off (been there, done that). I don't have detailed knowledge of PICs but if I can supply generalities that will help I'm happy to do so (plenty of them in stock).

73

John F5VLF

On 30 Apr 2012, at 15:18CEST, M0FMT wrote:

Hi Alan

 

Thanks for coming back it was really a rhetorical outburst at yet other project failure. But in a way its nice to know I am not entirely alone.

It looks as though you have been there before me. I am relatively new to PIC programming and I don't know what I am doing. Try to "Save" from my programmer does not work it saves the text file OK but not completely. So if loaded into a new  or blank PIC it won't run. However if say down loaded from an operational PIC held in the programmer S/W and modified at HEX level then load into a blank PIC its OK!! I have a lot to learn.

 

I have a "store" of stolen routines that will run so I am trying to modify them to my applications. Several have worked OK but its too much to ask to get a good one every time I suppose. Like changing call signs and locator in ROM and altering the configuration of speed etc for a CW beacon. Straight forward keyer no memory is another and Johan's SM6LKM stuff is very good I have found. A lot of articles promise a lot but don't deliver, it would be really nice if they always attached a text file of HEX because otherwise whats the point? Its easy enough to use character recognition to down load HEX from the printed page ... it works for me. It just means you have to be very diligent checking each line of text. A ruler and strong glasses it works every time.

 

I suppose I am at the stage where I just want to build projects as advertised I don't have the knowledge to write from scratch but have managed to modify some programs.

 

This may seem a bit off topic but now we seem to be into automated Beaconing at each other on MF/LF ......"if you can't beat 'em .......... " PIC is one way to go . Saves tying a up a PC.

 

Any way its stopped raining, garden to work  to do and another lot of Bees to hive. This is not how I saw retirement.

 

Thanks for the info and encouragement.

73 es GL Pete M0FMT IO91UX