The "Warnings" history in ClonixConfig (MPASM).

[Diego Diaz]

Hi all,

Several users have mailed me during the past years (decades? :-o... I'm getting older! :-D) asking about the "Warnings" that show up in the MPASM compiler window when
configuring their modules: Clonix, NoV or USB.

I often reply that the "Warnings" are just informative and do not affect the compilation process or the module's programming and functionality; which is of course true.

However, I'm aware that some users may wonder, why are these Warnings are still there after so many updates and bug removal over the years (decades :-)

So I'll explain why these Warnings happen and why they haven't been removed.

First, all the Warnings are referred to the configuration words in the Microchip microcontroller (AKA 'fuses').

In the first macroassembler platforms from Microchip, the directive "__config" was in charge to program these configuration words with the corresponding data.

That controls the clock source & rate as well as a number of different static values required for the chip to behave as expected for the desired application.

Newer assemblers have chosen the command "CONFIG" to do the same job in a (somehow) more friendly way.

Whenever the new Assembler finds "__config" where "CONFIG" is supposed to be, it issues a Warning remembering the programmer the convenience to adopt the newer syntax.

The compilation is done and the generated .HEX file is of course fully functional, otherwise none of my modules will work. But (yes, there is a 'but') the .HEX file
build when using "__config" is slightly different from the one generated if "CONFIG" is used.

(I'll skip the details of such difference since they have no effect whatsoever in the function of the modules)

When the "standard" programmer for the modules was changed from serial to USB for the first time I chose the K-149 and later the K-150 from Kitsrus; it has a simple SW
that can be called directly from the ClonixConfig utility and was fairly cheap.

That small difference in the .HEX file makes it incompatible with the SW for the K-149 & K150, and since there are a good number of users who own such programmers I decided to keep the harmless "Warnings".

Later, Windows 8 and then 10, etc. caused problems with the Prolific driver required for these programmers hence the new design of the PicKit-2 programmer which is currently provided with the modules.

Of course, the PicKit-2 does not have any issue handling the .HEX file build using the "CONFIG" command, or the one created with the previous "__config" directive, therefore I found no good reason to remove these "Warnings" at this moment, which will cause a big trouble to the users with K-149/150 and provide no benefit to the user with PicKit-2.

Comments and questions are welcome as usual. :-)

Thanks for your support and best wishes from the Caribbean.

Diego.