Amazing where you find PIC's?

For those who don't know, the UK used to use 405 line B&W VHF TV, and we introduced 625 line UHF Colour TV in the mid-late 60's - with the 405 gradually (and eventually) been phased out.

The reason for this history lesson is that I've just been stripping the insides from a GEC BT302 TV (1959/1960), in order to fit an LCD TV inside for an exhibition. So I googled, and found examples of the set on the net, including YouTube videos of one working.

In order to use one you need a standards converter (and I'm getting to the point now), I found the plans for a discontinued one - and it uses two PIC16F627's to control it.

DOMINO 625 to 405 Line Standards Converter

Brings back memories of the time when only BBC2 was broadcast on 625 lines, and the sets of that time had tuners and electronics for both standards.
And two TV aerial were required as well, IIRC ?
And I seem to remember great big 'clunkly' multifunction, multipole, mecahnical switches to change over from one standard to the other......

I have found PICs in quite a few things since I started fiddling with them.

To name a few:
A Canon ip6600 ink cartridge resetter. (For CLI-8 cartridges)
Humminbird Smartcast fish finder "duck". ( **broken link removed** )
X-Vision parking sensor system control unit.
Temic automotive SRS control unit.

rogs said:

Brings back memories of the time when only BBC2 was broadcast on 625 lines, and the sets of that time had tuners and electronics for both standards.
And two TV aerial were required as well, IIRC ?

Click to expand...

Actually THREE aerials, Band I (BBC1), Band III (ITV), Band IV/V (BBC2).

And I seem to remember great big 'clunkly' multifunction, multipole, mecahnical switches to change over from one standard to the other......

Click to expand...

Yes, huge great slider switches - they were quite troublesome as well.

The Microsoft serial mouse 2.0 version used a PIC controller for the encoder wheels and serial formatting.
http://www.tcocd.de/Pictures/Peripheral/Microsoft/homemouseserial.shtml
TCoCD: Microsoft Serial-Mouse Port Compatible Mouse 2.0

I was totally blown away when I found out that most of the big traffic signs on the motorway's use the small 8052.

Kinda make you think ..... bigger. doesn't it

Ian

I'm guessing that, at the time the road signs were originally commissioned, the 8052 was probably 'state of the art'?
And these days, the old adage - 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it,' may still apply?

I remember a project - not that many years ago - where a client had had such a bad time using 8048/8051 microcontrollers in previous projects, he absolutely banned their use for his new project.

In fact, he went further. He insisted on a 'hardware only' control system for his new project!

Interesting challenge, bi-directional data comms with no processing power at all, but we did it! (Only minimal data transferred required, I hasten to add!).

I'm thinking PICs are probably easier, and more reliable to use, than these older microcontrollers? -

Or maybe that one client had just been really unlucky, with the quality of his 8048/8051 project designs??

As Nigel says, PICs are everywhere now. I can't imagine anyone doing a 'hardware only' control system for virtually anything, other than hobby projects, these days.