[SOLVED] Retrieving PIC 16F84 Software from CHIP

[NishantSood]

i want to retrieve Software file from the PIC 16F84 that was burned initially ,can it happen?

---------- Post added at 16:31 ---------- Previous post was at 16:29 ----------

is the same PIC Programmer having the capability to do that?

 

[betwixt]

You can read from the IC and extract the original binary data that was burned into it - but only if the protection bits are not set. If you read a protected device back you will either see nothing or data that cannot be reverse engineered back to the original.

Almost all programmers can also read devices.

Brian.

 

[nikhilele]

Mostly your PIC programmer has facility to read the chip, in your programming software there should be a option to read the chip.

but as betwixt told if protection bits are set you cannot read the chip, if this is not your chip or this chip you have removed from some product then mostly it will be locked and you wont be able to read the chip..

although you can reuse the chip by wirtting new code to it

 

[NishantSood]

Thank You! betwixt and Thank! You nikhilele but how i may know that if "Protection Bits" are set or not?

 

[betwixt]

The programming unit should be able to read the "configuration fuses" back and tell you. These are not part of the functional program in the PIC, although their settings can be embedded into the hex file by the assembler or compiler. They can only be set during the actual burning process.

Another check is to read the data from the PIC, if all the program locations are zero, it is protected. A blank chip will return all bits set (0x3FF) at all locations.

Brian.

 

[pranam77]

Thank You! betwixt and Thank! You nikhilele but how i may know that if "Protection Bits" are set or not?

To know this put the chip in the programmer and click "Read" if the buffer what you get is all "0000" then the lock bits are enabled and you get nothing out of it.
Cheers