User manual

5
6- Downloading Firmware to the PingPong board:
a- PIC Programmer:
The PingPong board has 5 SMD pins for downloading a firmware to the microcontroller on board.
The pins are referenced in the picture below and are from right to left: Master clear (MCLR), VDD,
GND, PGD, and PGC. A non-expensive programmer is Microchip PicKit3 programmer which can be
used to download the firmware. Pinouts are shown below. Other programmer and emulators such
as ICD3 and REAL ICE are available from Microchip for
extensive debugging.
Fig (a)
The Microchip PICKit3 is integrated with MPLABX and the firmware can downloaded directly from
the IDE when it is connected to it.
b- USB Boot Loader:
Alternatively, hex files can be
downloaded via USB CDC. Digital input 4
(DI4) has to be tied to ground to lunch
the Boot Loader in the PingPong on
power up. The Bootloader software is
used to download hex files. The steps
are Connect  Load Hex File Erase 
Program  Verify. As USB CDC creates a
virtual COM Port, the user has to select
the proper COM port and set the baud
are to 115200 for prompt download of
hex files. Fig (b)
Once Connect is clicked, the application requests the version of the boot loader inside the
PingPong. The current version should be higher than 1.4. Hex files that will be downloaded with the
Projects output that will be downloaded using the Bootloader should have their the linker script