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TK3 MESSAGE SEND/READ NOTES - 22FEB03

Some of this information may update that given in the published EPE TK3 text.

Always check the Updates file for any information that affects these notes. It is normally issued whenever an update to TK3 is released and is accessible via the "Latest Updates" button at the bottom of the main TK3 screen.


Update 28MAY02 - TK3 Message Send now allows values greater than 255 to be entered, the high byte sent first, followed by low byte. HIGH and LOW not recognised here.

Update 08JAN03 - TK3 Message Send now allows use of B' and H' value formats (MPASM) as well as % and $ formats (TASM).

Clarification - several statements separated by commas may be placed on the same line.

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Before any attempt at communication with the PIC is made from any function button, and if the Verifying option is in use (see Verifying notes viewable via the Check PCB button on the main screen), a check is made to determine if the printer port cable is connected and the PCB power is on. A message box appears if either of these conditions is false.

Toolkit TK3 allows the PIC's internal Eeprom Data Memory to be programmed and for its data to be read back.

This is a facility that some other programmers do not offer. The data format used when sending data to the EEPROM memory is specific to Toolkit, evolved when Toolkit Mk2 was being developed. It may not be the same format as used by other programmers.

A notated and fully comprehensive example of the format is shown in the file named TK3MESSG1.MSG (accompanying the TK3 software), which can be accessed and examined through the EEPROM Message panel buttons.

Files TK3MESSG2.MSG and TK3MESSG.MSG show two un-notated examples of the code in use. Send and read back all three data sets and observe the results via the EDIT MSG buttons.

As with program data disassembly, it is necessary to select the PIC type before sending or reading message data. If too much data is sent for a particular selected PIC you will be advised so on screen. You are not told if you set the read back capacity for less than the PIC actually being used.

Note that EEPROM data can also be embedded in an ASM code file - see the Assembly Notes.

CREATING NEW FILES

New files may be created from within TK3's Directory (DIR) screen. The files are automatically assigned the same directory (folder) path and extension that is current for the route from which DIR has been called. DO NOT attempt to change these parameters from within the Directory option, since unpredictable errors could occur. If you need to change a file's path and extension, this should only be done outside Toolkit's environment (i.e. through Windows own facilities). 

File creation is limited to extensions ASM, INC (from the Assembly DIR buttons) and MSG (via the Message DIR button). The Directory's file creation options are hidden when entering from other DIR buttons. If you think this limitation is unreasonable, tell us, but it seems improbable that creation of OBJ and HEX files could ever be needed through manual data entry, or the creation of files that then need conversion from one dialect to another. Text files may be created via the EDIT TXT button.

ADDING YOUR OWN NOTES

These notes are displayed via an "Active" text editor and you may add your own notes to them, saving them to disk in the usual way.
