How does one go about programming a PIC microcontroller?

Question

I am working on my first project using a PIC microncontroller, a PIC12F675.

How do I load a program onto the microcontroller?

I bought this programmer to start, but don't really know how to use it.

I'm working with Windows 7.
I installed WinPic800 but it doesnt seem to be detecting the programmer when I plug it in via USB. When I click "Read All" (or any other function for that matter), I get the error "Failed to open Ind.#0".

Can anyone tell me what I could be doing wrong?

Thanks

• Brian Carlton: Multiple questions; pick one or expect this to be closed.
• Shubham: Ok. I want to know why WinPic isn't detecting the programmer and microcontroller, but we'll let a moderator decide if this is too many questions. Oh and be nicer or expect no one to ever love you.
• Kellenjb: @Shubham I don't thin Brain was rude at all. I do agree that this question is overly broad with several unrelated questions. As for your comment on letting a moderator decide, this is a community moderated site with mods only around to help out the community. Brian and any other users have full right to say that a question should be closed, if 5 users agree, it will be closed.
• Shubham: Ok I edited the question to be less broad.

Answer 1

Get a better programmer, such as the Microchip PICkit 2 or PICkit 3. They work "out of the box" with the MPLAB IDE, and you get in-circuit debugging as well as programming (you need a special header if you want to debug the 12F675 as it doesn't have on-chip debug hardware). You will also get plenty of help from other users on the Microchip support forums, and you can use it with Microchip's low-cost development boards.

Here is a little test program for the 12F675:

 
 ;flasher.asm
;simple program for PIC12F675 to flash LED on pin 5
;uses Timer0 for delay

list p=12f675 ;list directive to define processor
#include "p12f675.inc" ;processor specific variable definitions
errorlevel -302 ;suppress "not in bank 0" message
__CONFIG _INTRC_OSC_CLKOUT

;-----------------------------------------------------------------
;defines
;-----------------------------------------------------------------
#define LED 2 ;GP2 (pin 5)
#define INIT_COUNT 10 ;

;-----------------------------------------------------------------
;variables
;-----------------------------------------------------------------
 cblock 0x20
 tick_counter
 endc
;------------------------------------------------------------------
;initialisation
;------------------------------------------------------------------
;reset vector
org 0
nop
goto Main
;interrupt vector
org 4
banksel INTCON
bcf INTCON,T0IF ;clear Timer0 interrupt flag
movlw INIT_COUNT ;re-initialise count
movwf TMR0
decf tick_counter,f
retfie

Main:
 banksel OSCCAL ;calibrate oscillator
 call 0x3FF ;Get the cal value
 movwf OSCCAL ;Calibrate
 banksel ANSEL
 movlw 11h ;AN0 as analog input,conversion clock Fosc/8
 movwf ANSEL
 bankseL CMCON
 movlw 07h ;comparators off
 movwf CMCON
 banksel TRISIO

 bcf TRISIO,LED ;LED output GPIO5 (pin 2)
 banksel OPTION_REG
 movlw b'00000011' ;prescaler 1/128
 movwf OPTION_REG ;
 banksel TMR0
 movlw INIT_COUNT ;initialise timer count value
 clrf tick_counter
 movwf TMR0
 bsf INTCON,GIE ;enable global interrupt
 bsf INTCON,T0IE ;enable Timer0 interrupt
 banksel GPIO
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------
;main program loop
;-----------------------------------------------------------------------
loop:
 bsf GPIO,LED
 call dly
 bcf GPIO,LED
 call dly
 goto loop
dly:
 movlw 0x10
 movwf tick_counter
dly1:
 movf tick_counter,f
 skpz
 goto dly1
 return
end

• Shubham: Why is this a bad programmer? The reason I got this one was because it was cheap...the PICKit programmers can be quite expensive compared to cheap ones like this.
• Wouter van Ooijen: If you don't know how to use it it is very expensive for what it can do for you! Either get the manual and read it fron to back, and get the programmer to work, or ditch it. Your ebay link suggests that it might be second hand, so it could be defective.