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START HERE

• Soldering and using a prototype PC board
• PIC12F629 Data Sheet (.pdf 4,926KB)
• PIC12c508A Data Sheet (.pdf 1,600KB)
• Instruction Set for PIC12F629
• blank12F629.asm template
• Notepad++ or VS Code
• PIC12F629.asm Chip as a “D” flip flop
• Programming and using the surface Mount version
• Library of Sub-routines “Cut and Paste”
• Library of routines: A-E E-P P-Z
• PIC12F629 Project: 2-Digit Counter
• PIC12F629 Project: 20 LED Display-1
• 10 Projects using the PIC12F629
• 12 FREE PIC Books Simply download the books via Rapidshare.
• Lots of PIC micro information on this website.

You may be asking “Why do I use a PIC chip?” The answer is simple. There is nothing else.
Let me fill you in. I have been developing a range of modules similar to the talking modules and music chips in greeting cards. But these “sound” cards are so prosaic. The tunes are frightful and the speech is quite unfunny.
For a person like me, who has never bought a card in his life, it is unusual to be designing electronic cards.
Possibly because most of the cards on the market “fall between two stools,” I have decided to design something that is a pleasure to give.
I don’t like gaudy, over-designed images or wording that doesn’t fit the occasion. For that reason the cards I have designed are simple and uncluttered.
But more important, they contain an electronics module that delivers a concept that has never been produced.
For a few extra dollars you get a card that contains a gift that can keep the recipient happy for the afternoon.
Some of the ideas for the modules include a Reaction Timer, a “sky writer that produces words in the air, a 20 second timer, a game of NIM and a decision-maker.
All the circuits are designed around an 8-pin microcontroller - the PIC12F629.
At first glance this chip seems to be too expensive, at about 60 cents, and I was steered in the direction of the ATMIL TTtiny11. But it was soon realised this chip was going out of production and the ATtiny12 was heading the same way. The next chip in the range was ATtiny13 but the cost was higher than the PIC chip and I would have to transport my code as well as suffer a slightly reduced output drive current.
Then MicroChip came to the rescue with a special chip for production-runs. Not only was it cheaper but it had additional features above the PIC12F629. The only reductions on the ‘629 are 2-stack (instead of 8), fewer registers and in different locations (that’s why you use the “equ” statement), and no EEPROM (so data is lost when the chip is turned off). But the plus-values include an Analogue to Digital Converter and a precision voltage reference.
I also tried all the other manufacturers and nothing similar in price was available.
So, the decision is made and the supply is guaranteed for quantities of 100,000.
If you are thinking of designing anything for the mass-market, email me before starting anything so you don’t waste time searching in the wrong direction as there are chips that are not available to the consumer market.

Before reading this article, go to ICP article. It shows how to solder a surface-mount or through-hole PIC12F629 to a PC board with a programming socket that will accept In-Circuit Programming. Use the kit on the ICP page to write your first program. The article also shows how to use the PICkit-2 USB programmer.

In a nutshell, the simplest PIC chip is the PIC12C508. The PIC12C509 has twice the memory but both are only programmable ONCE. This type of chip is now HISTORY. We don’t use them any more.
The replacement is the PIC12F629. If you want analogue inputs, the chip to use is the PIC12F675,
None of these chip has a low-voltage programming feature.
For low-voltage in-circuit serial programming use PIC16F628.

The PIC12F629 comes in:

8-pin (through hole) 8/PDIP

8-pin SMD (surface mount) PIC12F629-I/SN 8/SOIC package

SOIC = SOP = SMD IC = 050 (1.27mm) spacing.
SOIC - pins are bent slightly at PC board
SOP - pins are flat when touching PC board

Before we start:

Although the PIC12F629 is an up-grade of the PIC12C508 and ‘509, the program from a PIC12C508 cannot be transferred directly to a PIC12F629 as there are a number of differences between the two chips. The following items cover some of the differences.

1. The CALL Instruction

The CALL instruction for a PIC12C508,9 only works to the first 256 locations.
The CALL instruction for a PIC12F629 accesses ALL MEMORY.

2. The STACK

The PIC12C508A has only a 2-CALL stack.
The PIC12F629 has an 8-CALL stack. (8-level stack).

3. The In/Out Port

The IN/OUT port on a PIC12F629 is file 05h. This port corresponds to pins 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 for GP0, GP1, GP2, GP3 GP4 and GP5.Remember: GPIO,3 (GP3) (pin 4) is an INPUT-ONLY pin.
When writing a program, use GPIO,0 GPIO,1 GPIO,2 GPIO,3 GPIO,4 GPIO,5 in your program and the compiler will do the rest. (GPIO = General Purpose Input/Output).
For instance, If you want to SET (make HIGH) pin 7, you must do two things:

1. Make sure GPIO,0 is an OUTPUT bit by making the corresponding bit in the TRISIO register “0.” This is done via the following instructions: Remember: “0” = output, “1” = input

  bsf   status, rp0   ;bank 1
  movlw  b'xxxxxxx0'  ;(x= don't care = does not matter)
  movwf  TRISIO       ;the lowest bit will be an OUTPUT
  bcf   status, rp0  ;bank 0

2. Make the lowest bit of the output port = 1 (HIGH). This is done via the following instruction:

  bsf   GPIO,0

Do not set more than one bit at a time in the GPIO (in/out) port. In other words, do not create two instructions such as:

bsf   GPIO,0
bsf   GPIO,2

If you need to clear or set two or more output lines, perform the operation via a single instruction, thus:

movlw  b'xxxxx1x1'
movwf  GPIO  ```

You need to know the state of all the outputs and include this in the value you are going to load into GPIO via movlw b’xxxxxxxx’ etc.

As can be seen from the above, the six lower bits of file 05 are connected to 6 pins of the chip to connect the microprocessor to the outside world. This file is like all the other files (from 20h to 5F - 64 files) as it can be operated-upon (incremented, decremented, shifted left or right, plus the other operations). The only difference is the contents of file 05 can be exported to the outside world and the outside world can influence the file. When any of the bits of file 05 are configured as “out,” the value of the bit will make the corresponding pin of the chip either HIGH or LOW. When it is “set” (=1), the pin will be HIGH. When it is “clear” (=0), the pin will be LOW.

READING AN INPUT LINE

When any of the bits of file 05 are configured as “input,” (this is done via the TRISIO instruction) the HIGH or LOW on the pin of the chip (this HIGH or LOW will be created by something in the outside world making the line HIGH or LOW) will be read by the micro as a HIGH or LOW, (when the file is read via an instruction such as btfss GPIO,1 or btfsc GPIO,1 - bit test1 in file 05h, skip if set or bit test1 file 05h, skip if clear).
This “reading process” can also be done when the contents of file 05 (GPIO) is moved to W. The instruction to do this is movf 05h,0 This instruction tells the micro to move the in/out port to the working register. The working register is called “W” and has the destination “0” - a file has the destination “1.” The contents can also be shifted, incremented, plus other instructions.
Here are some instructions to read the input bit:
In most cases, the first bit (or line) to use in a program is pin 4 as this line is INPUT ONLY. It corresponds to GPIO,3.
Using the instructions from above, we have GPIO,3 as an INPUT and all other lines are OUTPUT.
We are looking for a HIGH on the input line.
To read the bit, use the following instructions:

  btfsc  GPIO,3  ;This will test the input bit and if it is LOW, the micro goes to movlw xx
  GOTO   PhaseA  ;This instruction takes the micro to a new sub-routine
  movlw  xx

If you don’t know the state of some of the bits (or don’t want to alter them - by mistake), you can use the XOR instruction.
For example, to turn ON bits 0, 1 and 2, the instructions can be:

bsf  GPIO,0  b'00000001'
bsf  GPIO,1  b'00000010'
bsf  GPIO,2  b'00000100'

But this will result in only the third instruction being carried out. We mentioned above, not to use multiple bit-setting as it will fail to work.
The answer is to use the XOR instruction
Combine the 3 instructions to get: b’00000111’

movlw  07h
xorwf  GPIO

Only the three lowest outputs will go HIGH.
To turn OFF the three lowest outputs, repeat the same instructions:

movlw  07h
xorwf  GPIO

Only the three lowest outputs will go LOW.
Actually, the bits will TOGGLE.

The in/out port (file 05h for PIC12F629) is shown in RED in the following map. It is called GPIO:

Voltage on an Input line

Most input lines are classified as TTL and the voltage must be above 2v (for 5v rail) for the chip to detect a HIGH. GP2 is Schmitt Trigger input a it TMR0 clock input. This line requires 2.5v to detect a HIGH and 1.75v to detect a LOW. The TTL input have a very small gap between HIGH and LOW and to make sure the input line detects correctly, the input voltage must be much higher or much lower than the detection-point.

4. Reading the Input Port

To read the individual pins of the input port of a PIC12F629, use one of the following instructions. (GPIO,3 (GP3) (pin 4) is an INPUT-ONLY pin and this pin is the first to use.
If the input pin is normally low and goes HIGH when a signal is sent to the micro, use one of the following:

  btfsc 05h,0  (This the same as:  btfsc  GPIO,0)
  btfsc 05h,1
  btfsc 05h,2
  btfsc 05h,3  - this is pin 4 - GPIO,3  - use first in your program
  btfsc 05h,4
  btfsc 05h,5

The next instruction will be:

  goto  task1  - input has been detected

It may be difficult to read the same input bit further down a program.
This is solved by setting and clearing the bit, thus:

   bsf   status, rp0   ;Bank 1
   bcf   TRISIO,0
   nop
   bsf   TRISIO,0
   bcf   status, rp0   ;bank 0

5. The General Purpose Files - called GPR’s (General Purpose Registers)**

The General Purpose Files are the files you use in your program for sub-routines such as delays, comparison, incrementing, decrementing, etc. A program can start by loading a value into GPIO and outputting it to the outside world (such as a LED). A value (called a literal) is loaded into a file (a General Purpose File) and decremented until it is zero. This allows the LED to be viewed.
In the diagram above, you can see the 25 General Purpose Files in a PIC12C508/9 do not match up with the 64 files in a PIC12F629.
This means any program written for a ‘508 will not work in a PIC12F629.
The solution is to add 20h to the files that have been used in a ‘508 program to move them so they align with the PIC12F629 files.
The following table shows the result:

6. Incrementing a File

When incrementing a file such as:

  incf  2Ah,1

The result is placed in the file and the working register “W” is not affected.
With the instruction:

  incf  2Ah,0

only the working register “W” contains the result. In other words, the file is
NOT INCREMENTED!!!
With the instruction:

  incf  2Ah

the assembler assumes “,1” and increments the file. But it is best to always include the directive.

In the above, W=0 and f=1 where W is the working register and f is the file being incremented.

7. Current of an Output Line**

The maximum current of an output line is 25mA. In the following diagram, no current-limiting resistors have been included and the current through the red LED will be more than 25mA as the voltage across the LED is 1.7v and theoretically the current will be as high as the battery can deliver. The chip will provide some current-limiting but the flow will be higher than 25mA and the chip may be damaged. A PIC12F629 will deliver about 33mA if a current-limiting resistor is not included, or is too-low in value.

Two 47R resistors are needed as shown in the schematic below:

8. Driving a LOAD

The output current of each line of a microcontroller is very small. It is only 25mA. The only two items that can be driven directly from an output are a LED and a mini piezo diaphragm.
The following diagram shows how these items can be connected (interfaced).

For a current greater than 25mA, a transistor will be needed. A transistor will be able to deliver about 500mA to 1Amp. This is assuming the transistor has a gain of 20 - 40 and this about the capability of a transistor - called a small-signal transistor.
For larger currents, a MOSFET will be needed. These devices will deliver 20 amps or more to a load.
There are two ways to describe the requirement of “driving a load.”
You can say you want to “drive the transistor as an amplifier” or “drive the transistor as a switch.”
When a transistor is used in an analogue situation, there is a big difference between these two statements.
In an audio amplifier, when the transistor is amplifying the signal, the output is a faithful reproduction of the input, but with a larger amplitude. Or the shape of the signal will be identical but with a larger current capability.
But if the transistor in an audio amplifier is driven as a switch, the output will rise very high as soon as the input waveform starts to rise. In most audio cases this will create distortion.
But with a microcontroller we are dealing with a digital circuit and the output is either 0v or rail volts (5v).
Any transistor connected to the microcontroller can only have two states. When the output is zero, the transistor is turned off. This is called CUTOFF. When the output is high, the transistor is turned ON fully. This is called SATURATION.
These two states are called SWITCHING STATES. When a transistor is in either of these two states, it dissipates the least amount of heat. When a transistor is CUTOFF it is obvious that the heat dissipation is low as it is zero.
When a transistor is SATURATED, it has the lowest voltage across it and although the current flow is the highest, the heat dissipated is the lowest as the heat loss is multiplication of current and voltage.
Suppose we want to drive a wailing siren from a microcontroller. If the microcontroller delivers the varying tone to the speaker, we say the transistor is acting as an amplifier. It is acting as a DIGITAL AMPLIFIER. It is being switched ON and OFF at different rates and the result is a wailing sound.
When we refer to the transistor as a SWITCH, we often require it to turn on a device for a long period of time - such as a relay or LED.

8a. Driving a LOAD - circuit TRICK:

You can increase the current to a pair of Infra-red LEDs from 25mA to 39mA by adding the 120R resistor.
To do this there are a number of calculations to remember:
The voltage across an IR LED is about 1.5v to 1.7v and an IR LED can be driven at a higher current than an ordinary LED.
Some IR LEDs accept 100mA or more for a very short pulsed duration and this arrangement will produce 39mA.
When the drive-line is HIGH, it delivers 25mA and the 120R delivers 13mA, making a total of 39mA.
When the drive-line is LOW, it sinks the current through the 68R and 120R (in series) and this is 25mA. The voltage across the two IR LEDs is 1.8v and this is below the “turn-ON” voltage for the two LEDs.

Increasing the output current

9. GP3 - pin 4 Driving a LOAD

GP3 is an INPUT Only and cannot be used to drive a load.
The only drive-lines for PIC12f series are:
GP 0 - pin 7
GP 1 - pin 6
GP 2 - pin 5
GP 4 - pin 3
GP 5 - pin 2

10. 100n across the micro

Don’t forget the 100n across the power rails. Place it near the micro. It stops the micro starting-up half-way through the program! Without the capacitor, the micro can start anywhere down the program and create all sorts of unusual effects.

11. The Hysteresis

The input lines of a PIC chip need about 5v to detect a HIGH and about 0v to detect a LOW.
But when the voltage is about 2.5v, it will register a HIGH at about 2.01v and a low at about 1.99v.
This means the gap between a HIGH and LOW is very small and this gap is called the HYSTERESIS.

SOME APPLICATIONS:

Although the PIC12F629 is the simplest device in the PIC range, it can can carry out operations such as monitoring and controlling:

Battery Monitoring and Voltage Detection

Watchdog Timing

Circuit Resetting

Voltage Detecting

There are many specially-designed chips for these applications, but they must be purchased in large quantities. To keep your inventory down, you can use a PIC chip with a few external components to perform the operation. All you have to do is design the circuit (the detection section) and program the chip.

READING A PIC CHIP

If you have a PIC12C508/9 chip and want to get the program and convert it to suit a PIC12F629, you will need to fit it into the socket of our Multi Chip Programmer and read it via ICProg.
To do this you will need to pick PIC12C508 from the list of microprocessors from the “drop down” menu. You will also need disasm.dll or the Disassembler link above.
For disasm.dll, use the “lightening” symbol to import the code from the chip. It will appear in the frame on the screen. Use the “A” button (next to the “H” button) to see the disassembled program.
You can then copy and save the program in Notepad. Only chips that are not Code Protected, can be read. We only have some information on reading chips that are Code Protected: Cracking a PIC Chip If you have the .hex file, you can get the assembly file via disasm.zip as explained above.
Once you have the assembly file, you can change the files as shown above.

SOME PROGRAMMING TRICKS:

The author has found problems with some instructions.
The PIC12F629 does not like setting a bit on the in/out port and then setting or clearing another bit in the next instruction.
The problem instructions are something like this:

  bsf  05,2
  bsf  05,4

The micro does not set the second bit when it is executing the program. The answer is to work out the value in file 05 before the two instructions, add the value of the bits and place the value in the in/out port via the following two instructions:

  movlw  xxh
  movwf  05h

Alternatively, a meaningless instruction can be inserted between the two “bsf” instructions. This MAY work but is not as guaranteed as the method above.

  bsf  05,2
  nop
  bsf  05,4

Each new program or modification MUST be saved with a new name as either MPASM or IC_Prog will not detect the changes and you will get the old program burnt into the chip and wonder why the changes did not fix the problem!

USING A SIMULATOR AND DEBUGGER

To help developers get a program to work successfully, a number of programming tools have been created. Two of these are a SIMULATOR and a DE-BUGGER. These are software programs and a simulator runs your program and lets you know if it will work. It seems to be the answer to a dream. But a simulator has many limitations. It assumes any hardware devices connected to the program are “ideal devices.”
For example, it will assume a switch has no “contact bounce” and is pressed and released very quickly. This does not happen in real life, so your program must be re-tested in actuality.
Also, any output to LEDs etc assume the items are connected around the correct way. You will still have to test the actual circuit and make sure the current is within the limits of the micro.
A de-bugger is also another piece of software that tries to locate a fault in your code.
It has a “single step mode” in which it shows the contents of each register after an operation.
Sometimes these program will assist but let me assure you that they can also lead you “down the garden path” and in the wrong direction.
I have used them and concluded that they create more frustration than assistance.
The best method is to start with a small number of instructions and make sure the program works. Add a few more instructions and re-test the program. Re-name the file each time you add instructions and slowly build up the program. This is the best way to avoid frustration.
We have provided explanations and helpful advice in our Library of routines: A-E E-P P-Z
and provided a number of programs for you to analyse and use. The main thing is not to use an instruction unless you know exactly what it does. Do not try any “clever” programming, with exotic instructions as the result can be completely different to what you expect.
The first thing to do create a subroutine called a delay. Call it ”_200mS” for 200milliseconds delay.

_200mS  movlw   0C8h  ; equal to 200
        movwf   fileB
AA      decfsz  fileA,1
        goto    AA
        decfsz  fileB,1
        goto    AA
        retlw   00

Create a routine to turn a LED “on” and “off” using the delay.

such as:

On_Off  bsf   gpio,0   ; put a LED on pin 7 with a 470R resistor.
        call   _200mS
        bcf   gpio,0
        call   _200mS
        goto  On_Off

If you want to see if the micro has advanced down a program to a particular location, put:

goto  On_Off  and the LED will blink.

SOME CIRCUIT TRICKS:

The author has found the PIC12F629 chip must be fitted to a circuit when the voltage on the rail is ZERO. If a voltage is present, some of the files in the chip will get corrupted and the program will not run correctly. For example, some of the outputs will not go HIGH when required. The remedy is to turn off the project and wait for the electrolytics to discharge. You can also remove and replace the chip if you find it is performing incorrectly.
The addition of a 10k resistor across the power rails will discharge the electrolytics to zero and help solve this problem. Also, the addition of a 100n (very close to the chip rails) will provide stability for the chip and allow the internal oscillator to work correctly and prevent outside spikes from upsetting the chip.

THE PIC12F629 - some preliminary points:

The PIC12F629 is an 8 pin chip that can be re-programmed up to 1,000 times.
It is an up-grade of the PIC12C508 and ‘509 as it can be re-programmed.
(The PIC12F629 does not have analogue inputs - the PIC12F675 has 4 analogue inputs.)

For more details on PIC chips, see our Chip Data Ebook.

Here is a list of the chips we suggest for the beginner to microcontroller programming.
Start with the 8-pin 12F629 if you have only 1 to 5 items to “drive” (GP3 is input only). Or use the PIC16F628A if you want to drive up to 15 items (RA5 is input only).

The smallest, simplest, and latest 8-pin microcontroller chip in the PIC series is the PIC12F629. It has 8 pins, will accept over 1022 lines of code and can be re-programmed over 1,000 times. It has 6 in/out lines (GP3 is input only) and will deliver about 25mA on each output.
Programs and projects written for the PIC12C508 and ‘509 can be converted to PIC12F629 by using our blank12F629.asm template.
The only items that have to be converted are:
(a) The config values. ( __config) The configuration values that turn things on or off, such as the watchdog timer, internal oscillator, plus others, to suit the PIC12F629.
(b) The GPIO values.
GPIO for PIC12C508A is location 06h
GPIO for PIC12F629 is location 05h
To convert a PIC12C508 assembly program to 12F629, the in/out instructions (such as 06,0 06,1 etc) are converted to GPIO,0 GPIO,1 etc.
In one of our articles we explained how to produce a program in a PIC16F84A and when the project is working perfectly, the program can be burnt into a PIC12C508A. This was necessary as the PIC12C508A was One-Time Programmable device. The GPIO’s for PIC12C508A are in location 06h. This is Port B for a PIC16F84A or 06h. (Port A for a PIC16F84A is 05h).
If you use the PIC12F629, you do not have to create your program in a PIC16F84A as the PIC12F629 can be programmed up to 1,000 times.
(c) The TRISIO for a PIC12F629 is address 85h in bank 1. Use the instruction TRISIO when programming a PIC12F629. For a PIC12C508, the instruction is TRIS. It has no address.

IDENTIFYING THE PINS

The pinout of the PIC12F629 is the same as the PIC12C508A and all projects using a ‘508A can be converted to PIC12F629 by fitting a PIC12F629 and turning the project on.
All you have to do is burn the ‘508A program into the PIC12F629 before fitting it.
Only a few lines of the program and a few instructions are different for the PIC12F629 - these are the setting-up instructions and the location of the GPIO file. The differences have been discussed above.

Many of the pins have a dual function and the first thing to do is decide on the function of each pin. In most cases you will want to use the oscillator inside the chip and this will allow you to use all the 6 in/out lines.
The functions for the chip will be simplified to:

The setting-up of the pins, plus the other functions of the chip, is done via an instruction called ”CONFIG.” - Note the double under-bar:
This instruction also determines a number of other things for the chip, such as code protection, and watchdog timer.
During experimenting, turn Code Protection OFF and Watchdog Timer OFF.
This will allow you to read a chip. Before marketing the final design, the code protection is turned on and the chip is “protected.” If the watchdog timer is turned off, you will not have to include instructions in your program to keep resetting the timer. This is a complex thing to do and will be discussed later. Keep things simple for the moment.

MCLR

Pin 4 can be configured as an “Input line” (GP3) or “Master Clear.”
To configure Pin 4 as MCLR (also written as /MCLR or /MCLRE ) the configuration bit setting is: _MCLRE_ON
When this pin is configured as /MCLRE, the pin resets the chip when it is taken LOW.
To configure Pin 4 as GP3, the configuration bit setting is: _MCLRE_OFF
This instruction tells the PIC to use its internal MCLR circuitry (to keep /MCLRE high), and leaves pin 4 free as an Input line. Note: MCLR pin (GP3) is INPUT ONLY.

OSCILLATOR CALIBRATION VALUE

Calibration of the oscillator is only necessary when you need precise timing, as for serial communication. In most cases you will not have to worry about this.
The oscillation calibration value can be changed from the value supplied in the chip by adding the following instructions to the end of your program, (BEFORE the “end” instruction of the program).

;****************************************************************
;* OSCCAL calibration value   * ;****************************************************************

   org    0x3ff
   retlw  0x20

   END

During the programming of the chip, the above instruction will cause the burner to go to location 3FF and insert the value 20h as well as the instruction “return with the value 20h in W.”
To create the maximum frequency, use: 3fh
Centre frequency = 20h
Minimum frequency = 00h
During the running of the program (when the chip is in the project), this value is put into the OSCCAL location, to adjust the frequency of the internal oscillator.
To get the micro to do this, the following instructions are added to your program:

;****************************************************************
;* Calibrating the internal oscillator    * ;****************************************************************

   bsf    status,rp0  ;bank 1
   call   3ffh        ;get the calibration value
   movwf  OSCCAL      ;calibrate
   bcf    status,rp0  ;bank 0

The location of the oscillator calibration register is 90h. This is in Bank 1 and is identified in your program by writing: “OSCCAL” It is a 6-bit register, with values from 00h to 3fh.

SURFACE MOUNT PIC12F629

The surface mount PIC12F629 is just as easy to use as the through-hole version and makes a project very small and compact.
You can reprogram the chip after you have soldered it to a project by using the PIC Burner Board from Talking Electronics and PICkit2 programmer and buying an 8-pin surface mount holder for the chip and soldering it to a socket as shown below. The second images shows the surface-mount holder with the chip. Remove the divider in the centre of the holder so you can use tweezers to fit the chip.

Then fit the 14 pin IC socket to the burner board and the socket gives additional stability.
If the chip is driving LEDs, the output pins of the chip can be driven high enough so the chip can be re-programmed after it has been fitted to a project.
To re-program the chip you will need an 8-pin socket and 5 wires. These wires can easily be soldered to the pins when the chip is in the project and quickly desoldered when the new program is working.
I have not damaged or wasted a chip and re-programmed then with a new program in an old project. I have also soldered and de-soldered and resoldered a chip and it worked perfectly.

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