larrykeegan
New Member
I am retired and have a good deal of time. I am totally fixated on programming the PIC, specifially the PIC16F628 microcontroller. I've done all my own software and hardware.
There was a period of time where I saw no signs of life whatsoever in my PIC! I've used QBASIC as my software language to program the chip. I follow the 160 pages of specifications that can be found out on the internet and 30 more pages on the programming of the chip.
I have a background in programming and electronics, and therefore do not advise everyone to jump in and do it the way I have. But I am enjoying every bit of it even the frustration. To do programming - and electronics - you have to have some patience.
Where am I now? I am writing assembler language programs, still rather simple ones, and loading them onto the PICs, which I have been able to get for $2 each at Mouser electronics.
Example of a program: count in binary and display the count at a slow rate on 4 LEDs.
Generate a series of tones, and repeat them continuously. Program a list or array of values into the EEPROM data memory (it's not that easy, either). Access those values from a PIC program, say - one to generate musical tones, or a series of codes suitable for driving a stepping motor.
Some experimentors will go the way of the Basic Stamp, but I looked at a $49 price and decided for my $2 PIC & assembler programming.
For some more info you might want to check in on my BLOG (weblog) at
keegan.org/larry/blog
Larry Keegan in Stoneham, MA, USA
There was a period of time where I saw no signs of life whatsoever in my PIC! I've used QBASIC as my software language to program the chip. I follow the 160 pages of specifications that can be found out on the internet and 30 more pages on the programming of the chip.
I have a background in programming and electronics, and therefore do not advise everyone to jump in and do it the way I have. But I am enjoying every bit of it even the frustration. To do programming - and electronics - you have to have some patience.
Where am I now? I am writing assembler language programs, still rather simple ones, and loading them onto the PICs, which I have been able to get for $2 each at Mouser electronics.
Example of a program: count in binary and display the count at a slow rate on 4 LEDs.
Generate a series of tones, and repeat them continuously. Program a list or array of values into the EEPROM data memory (it's not that easy, either). Access those values from a PIC program, say - one to generate musical tones, or a series of codes suitable for driving a stepping motor.
Some experimentors will go the way of the Basic Stamp, but I looked at a $49 price and decided for my $2 PIC & assembler programming.
For some more info you might want to check in on my BLOG (weblog) at
keegan.org/larry/blog
Larry Keegan in Stoneham, MA, USA
