User manual

MPLAB

PM3 User’s Guide

7.4.6 Read

To copy the firmware from a programmed PIC MCU device into an unprogrammed

device, read the programmed firmware (program memory, Configuration bits, etc.) into

MPLAB IDE, then program the new device based on this information.

To read the entire device (i.e., all of program memory, Configuration bits, etc.), click

Programmer>Read

To read selectively (e.g., part of program memory, only Configuration bits), select

Programmer>Settings>Memory Ranges

to display the Memory Ranges dialog. Select

the options to be read, then click OK in this dialog. Areas that are grayed out are not

available on the device. Then, select Programmer>Read

. The memory area

corresponding to the checked boxes will be read.

Once the Read is complete, the Program Memory window will display the data read

from the device master. Save that data as a hex file and insert a new device into

MPLAB PM3 to copy that same data into a new device, or modify the data in MPLAB

IDE before saving to a hex file or program another device.

Attempting to read a code-protected device displays a warning indicating that the

device is code-protected, and that the program memory may be invalid. If this happens,

obtain the original hex code from a file or a non-protected device.

If an MPLAB ICE emulator is connected to MPLAB IDE, the code will be downloaded

to the emulated program memory of the MPLAB ICE. If a project is open, the system

asks if you want to close it before reading memory from a device.

7.4.7 Blank Check All

After inserting the device in the socket, select Programmer>Blank Check All from the

MPLAB PM3 menu. This check will verify that the device is completely blank (all bits

are set to

‘1’) and all Configuration bits are set to the default value.

When complete, the results will be displayed in the Output window, for example:

Configuration memory is blank.

EEData memory is blank.

ID memory is blank.

Program memory is blank.

If using a One-Time Programmable (OTP) device, some Configuration bits (e.g.,

oscillator bits) might have already been programmed at the factory. Make sure the

Configuration bits are set to the factory settings and select Programmer>Blank

Check OTP. This will check that all program memory bits are set to ‘1’, and that the

Configuration bits match the value in the dialog. An OTP device cannot be erased and

reprogrammed.

Note: If the project is kept open, the Absolute Listing window and the Source

Code window may not match the data previously read into the Program

Memory window. Symbols may not match the proper addresses in the

Program Memory window.