PICkit 3 as a Programmer

PICkit3 is an In-Circuit Programmer/Debugger from Microchip which doesn’t need external hardware or extra ports. The main advantage of the PICkit3 is it can be connected to the ICSP port in the board without any additional ports.

Using PICkit3 as a programmer

PICkit3 can be used as an ICSP programmer using the software called PICkit 3 programmer from Microchip. It doesn’t need any extra setup apart from selecting the device from the dropdown menu.

pickit3-programmer

Software download link: http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/PICkit_3_Programmer_1_0_Setup_A.zip in Software archive page (http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=2115).

How to use the software

  • Connect PICkit 3 to the ICSP connector and start the application.
  • Now from the Device Family tab select the PIC18 and choose the Device from the dropdown menu.
  • Load the hex file by going File->Import Hex
  • Then Use the Write button to burn the code to the PIC microcontroller