ID programming and reading - 08AW and 08QD

[utall]

Hi all,
This is my actual need: I've to secure the micro (AW and QD series) but I need to save a firmware ID for "office" reasons. This ID is needed only by me and I need to read it when a board comes back from a customer so I can know the exact version of the firmware. When I used the Microchip micro I wrote this number in "Memory ID" field.
I see I can use a secret key to unsecure the flash but I can't use the BDM but I must use a serial connection, but the QD doesn't have a serial out. How can I solve this?

Thanks a lot
Andrea

Added p/n to subject.

Message Edited by NLFSJ on 2008-05-15 07:44 AM

[PeterHouse]

Andrea,

Do you have an extra pin?  Send out you ID in morse code!  I wouldn't really use Morse code but the idea is the same.  Send out a stream of pulses you or your equipment can recognize.  It could be as simple as a train of pulses and you count them using a 'scope, attach an LED, or count it with another micro.   It could be as complex as using a software UART and sending a byte stream and you hook up a serial level shifter.

If you don't have an extra pin, try sending pulse on an IO line at power on.  If your device has an LED you could send pulses short enough to not light the LED which you could see on a 'scope or you could send to the LED using a software UART and make a light detector for your office so you could put it over the LED to read the ID.

Good Luck,

Peter House

[utall]

Thanks for the reply Peter,
I hoped to find another solution but I see I must work a bit :smileywink:. Thanks again

Andrea

[Midas]

Hi utall,

    Refers to Peter's advise,he's right ~ you might implement your firmware with

some bootloader code and send out some information such as LED blinking formed

of ASCII,and then you bootloader is continuely running to timer overflow.Then enforce MCI reset and check the associated system-reset bit whether is forced by time-out,thus your firmware will turn into user code continuely.

    I got some customers who are using this scheme and it works fine.

B.R.

Midas