A programmer is *recommended* to keep the firmware up to date. It is *necessary* if you are working on the firmware or software drivers for the Oncilla.
The programmer should be compatible with ##dsPIC33FJ128MC802## ##dsPIC33FJ128MC804## ##dsPIC33FJ128GP802## microhip processors. The most convenient way is to use the [[http://www.microchip.com/pagehandler/en-us/family/mplabx/ | MPLAB X IDE ]] so please also check the compatibilty of your tool with it.
The following product from microchip are known to work well with the latest MPLAB X IDE and the Oncilla boards :
* PicKit 2
* PicKit 3 (recommended) (revision is making troubles, revision <6 preferred)