a. PIC18F24J50 firmware upgrade or replacement with preprogrammed PIC18F26J50 adds many new functionalities
A simple PIC18F24J50 firmware upgrade adds many new functionalities like 10-bit A/D conversion and additional analog input channels...
Many functionalities can be added to your existing Velleman K8055N board with PIC18F24J50 microcontroller. PIC18F24J50 and PIC18F26J50 (if you opt for a PIC replacement) are in fact easy to program since they use only their power supply voltage (3.3V) for programing. The programming is done through 2-bit serial interface that has a clock bit and a data bit, where data bit is bidirectional. There is also MCLR bit which is use at power on to indicate the start of so called “ICSP” sequence to enter programming mode. Once it is in programing mode, it is possible to read or write its 16-bit EEPROM. Use SK9 connector to attach PICkit2 or PICkit3 and program PIC18F24J50 on PIC18F26J50 "on the fly". If you don’t have a suitable programmer yet, go to Microcontroller programmers section and find a microcontroller programmer that best suits your needs. A PIC18F24J50 microcontroller can also be easily programmed with a home built programmer that needs no preprograming.
Once you have a programmer, download yor new firmware HEX file and samples from Downloads section. With the new firmware you can use 10-bit A/D conversion, 64-bit DLLs that are optimizied for new 64-bit Windows editions and lots more. You can also run PIC18F24J50 microcontroller with original Velleman programing with the new DLLs. MCP2200 preprogrammed microcontroller is also supported. See programming guide and articles from Section 5 for more information on the new functionality.
See chapter 5 on details how to use *.HEX and *.DLL files that also work on Velleman K8055N-2 experiment board.
NOTE: You don't have to modify your Velleman K8055N-2 experiment board to use new functionality, or to replace PIC18F24J50 with more powerful PIC18F26J50! YOU JUST REPLACE OR REPROGRAM THE MICROCONTROLLER! If you install SK9 connector, you can even reprogram PIC18F2xJ50 inplace with a PICkit2 or a PICkit3 programmer.
ALSO READ:
- Turn your K8055-1 or K8055N-2 experiment board into a microcontroller programmer
Velleman K8055N-2 experiment board with PIC18F26J50 microcontroller. Don't get confused by additional wires! They are from another project. No slodering is needed to replace the original PIC18F24J50 microcontroller with more powerful PIC18F26J50, or to reprogram it. Click on the photo to enlarge it.