OT - Old laptop for on-site CCS debugging?

Guest · Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 3:16 pm

Hi all,
I am thinking of getting a Toshiba Libretto (in case you don't know this is a VHS tape sized laptop with a Pentium 166Mhz Processor running windows 98).
I plan to use it with CCS PCWH and an old RS232 ICD.
Does anyone use the compiler/ide on such old hardware, does it work well?

Keep well,

Will

newguy · Joined: 24 Jun 2004 Posts: 1908

Can't comment about the ICD, but I only upgraded to windows xp about 1.5 years ago. Prior to that I was using win 98 2nd edition.

I had absolutely no issues with PCWH under '98 se. Under xp, there's an annoying but harmless problem when I shut down PCWH - it takes a long time to actually shut down.

Hope this helps.

MGP · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 57

I have run PCWH under Win98SE on a Dell LM166ST laptop (same CPU) and it ran OK. Not super speedy but acceptable to me. I keep this laptop very stripped down, software-wise and use it mostly as a development and debug/test system.

edhaslam · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 89 Location: UK

I bought a Libretto for exactly the same reason! It had Win95 on it though and I've had a nightmare ever since trying to get it networked to my home PC in order to get a newer OS on it!

Let me know if you have any tips. I bought a PCMCIA CD drive for it but I think the Libretto had a type 1 card slot on it as it didn't fit...

Ed

Will Reeve · Joined: 30 Oct 2003 Posts: 209 Location: Norfolk, England

The Litretto is on it's way! I think I will install Windows NT4 on it for stability. Toshiba supply NT4 drivers on it's web site. I have an old RS232 ICD programed with the CCS firmware. I'll let you know how I get on. It should (I hope) be a cheap and reliable field programmer / debugger.

Will Reeve · Joined: 30 Oct 2003 Posts: 209 Location: Norfolk, England

Update on my field system as promised:
Libretto 100CT (from eBay!) over clocked to 233MHz with a sample resistor change.
32Mb RAM!
2.1Gb HD!
Netgear wireless card (from eBay!).

Windows98SE (frantic search for an old license!). 98lite (20USD web download) to strip out IE.
Opera web browser
CCS ICDS application and flashed Microchip ICD1
CCS IDE and compiler
Picotech parallel port oscilloscope.

A cheap and simple system which allows single channel oscilloscope and full ICD debug and programing.
The CCS IDE is slow to load but once in memory works quite well The icons are all over the place at first but it is like that on my XP desk top so nothing new!
The ICDS application works fine, a little slow but programs and reads PIC18 devices OK.

All from a VHS sized laptop which fits into a toolbox!

I am more surprised at how SLOW my 3.2GHz 2Gb XP system is compared to a 233MHz 98SE system!

edhaslam · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 89 Location: UK