Martin Clausen, Homebrew Hero

Martin Clausen created a PIC programmer back when I first started using PIC microcontrollers around the turn of the 21st century:

https://web.archive.org/web/20051226170059/http://www.rotgradpsi.de/mc/picprog/picproge.html

The programmer hardware was driven by a PC parallel port, remember those ?  It was a command line DOS program that could be invoked in a batch file.  I used it with my late, lamented Sharp laptop.  It was a perfect way for me to develop PIC code.  Note that this was still the bad old days of EPROM PICs so I had my trusty Walling EPROM eraser right next to my keyboard.  Crash and Burn development ?  More like Erase, Burn and then crash !

But then the Sharp met an untimely death due to a bad hard drive.  I moved on to a Thinkpad and Windows.  The PIC programmer was a PICkit which could handle the newer parts like PIC12F683 which was used for the PK-4 keyer chip.  I depopulated the Clausen Picprog:

and then in 2003, built a different project on it (an oscillator for an LC meter).  I also stuck the Walling UV eraser back in the box and put it away.

However Martin's programmer was an excellent way to try PIC programming with very little monetary investment.  Thanks, Martin !

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm