PIC 16C57c or PIC 16F57

Nagu

I just want to know what is the difference between these to microcontrollers.The Stamp_Specs_(Released).pdf file says that the Microcontroller is Microchip PIC16C57c having 24-pin DIP·but my·BS2 Rev G has PIC16F57 which is 28 pin DIP. Can any one help me out in knowing the difference in this BS2..............

The file Stamp_Specs_(Released).pdf is attached for reference.

Mike Green

Here's a link to a document from Microchip that describes the differences in this technology upgrade from the 16C57c to the 16F57: ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/41221a.pdf

Functionally, you would not notice any difference since most of the changes involve the programming of the internal flash memory of the processor which is only used by Parallax to program in the PBasic interpreter and is not accessible to the customer.

Post Edited (Mike Green) : 4/6/2007 3:15:31 PM GMT

LoopyByteloose

Yes, one has Flash memory that can be reprogrammed if something come up and the other is a one-time programming.

Since this is the 'encrypted' code [noparse][[/noparse]the firmware] to boot and interpret PBasic tokens, you would never need to change it. I imagine that Parallax found that the Flash was as cheap as the other and allows them to make revisions to inventory if there ever is a problem. That is the reason that most of the industry has moved over to Flash -- more lattitude for correcting firmware.

If you ever needed to have one reprogrammed, Parallax would just probably exchange this item. This would be better for everyone. Since it has been bug free and stable for so many years, I doubt if anything will ever need this kind of service.

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