Microchips PICkit 3 In-Circuit Debugger/Programmer uses in-circuit debugging logic incorporated into each chip with Flash memory to provide a low-cost hardware debugger and programmer. In-circuit debugging offers these benefits:
Expensive sockets or adapters are not requiredThe PICkit 3 can now also reprogram any PIC microcontroller with a simple push of a button
Features
Some 8-, 14- and 18-pin devices use small header boards with a special MCU for debugging. This special MCU has extra pins for PICkit 3 communication and therefore allows the use of all pins on the part for the application. The header board is not used or needed for programming. However, when debugging these devices the header must be used. See the "Header Specification" document below.