CodeLoader is a bootloader for Microchip PIC Microcontrollers written in CCS PIC-C. A sampling of pre-compiled HEX files and full source code is provided. CodeLoader is copyright Gary Smithson of theByteFactory.com but may be freely used and distributed with the copyright notice intact.
Generally speaking, a bootloader is an application that remains resident in a microprocessor and accepts a compilers output file as an ASCII stream, parses it, and updates the program space accordingly. Any microcontroller is a candidate for utilizing a bootloader if it has both a serial communications interface (SCI/UART) and self-programming program space (FLASH/EEPROM). Bootloaders provide firmware developers with an easy and quick method of replacing the firmware in a microcontroller without the use of a device programmer. In fact, the microcontroller will not even be removed from the prototype circuit, which typically saves a significant amount of time and reduces the opportunity for electrostatic discharge.
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