PIC indirect addressing

[futz]

Though I love tinkering with PICs, I sometimes hate that they're missing stuff I've come to take for granted when programming the MCUs I started out with (lovely Motorolas). No real stack (oh ya, it's there, but there's no instructions to use it properly on a 16F886). No proper 16-bit instructions or registers. Indirect addressing is limited to one register instead of being useable anywhere and everywhere. No index registers. Snivel snivel snivel! RISC machines can be a bear to program sometimes.

What's bugging me today is that I need indirect addressing badly in a subroutine, but my FSR is tied up in the ISR. I can't use it or of course the program crashes harshly the instant the ISR gets triggered while the PC is inside the subroutine.

Hmm... Maybe if I stack and unstack the FSR register inside the ISR so it's available outside the ISR... Hey! I just answered my own question!

 

[Pommie]

In my ISR I save Status, W, FSR and PCLATH (on larger projects). Don't forget to set/clr the IRP bit.

Mike.

 

[futz]

In my ISR I save Status, W, FSR and PCLATH (on larger projects). Don't forget to set/clr the IRP bit.

Mike.

Ya, I was saving just Status and W (PCLATH not an issue with this little prog). Now I'm saving FSR too.

What's an IRP bit?

 

[Pommie]

The IRP bit is the 9th bit of the FSR register and it lives in the status register.

Mike.

 

[futz]

The IRP bit is the 9th bit of the FSR register and it lives in the status register.

Mike.

Oooooohhhh! I didn't know that was there. Very good to know. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[donniedj]

For more robust registers and addressing use the 18F or the overkill 24F series.

As for the 16F series, I use multiple FSRs regularly. FSR, FSR2, FSRtemp. I just push FSR into FSRtemp and copy FSR2 into FSR. Then when fished copy FSR into FSR2 and pop FSRtemp back into FSR. If FSR will be used unexpectedly, add another FSRtemp2 to the mix.

There are many other aspects I hate having to CODE AROUND. But I learn to get it done and push product out because the customer cares not for the inner workings at the end of the day.

 

[futz]

For more robust registers and addressing use the 18F or the overkill 24F series.

I have dozens of different PICs, including quite a few various 18F's. The 18F's are really nice to code for. Not nearly so funky as the 16F's.

As for the 16F series, I use multiple FSRs regularly. FSR, FSR2, FSRtemp. I just push FSR into FSRtemp and copy FSR2 into FSR. Then when fished copy FSR into FSR2 and pop FSRtemp back into FSR. If FSR will be used unexpectedly, add another FSRtemp2 to the mix.

Exactly what I'm now doing. Thanks.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

I wish I could come up with a dsPIC30F series kit.

 

[futz]

I wish I could come up with a dsPIC30F series kit.

You could! What's stopping you? Can program those with the Inchworm+, right?

If it's surface mount that's worrying you, I have no fear of soldering them. I've built several surface mount kits and they all work fine. They're not for newb solderers though. You'd have to offer a pre-soldered version for them.

 

[Diver300]

The PIC24FJ64GA002 series are available in DIL28 packages. If you want more I/O you have to go to surface mount.

They have 16 working registers, most of which can be used for indirect addressing. The stack is available. They are 16 bit processors.

In programming them I have found a lot of useful features such as:-

BRA Wn ;Branch with an offset of the contents of Wn
;Lookup tables in one line

Repeat Wn ;Repeat the following line Wn times

SL Wb,Wns,Wnd ;Wnd = Left Shift Wb by Wns
;This removes the need for loops in computed shifts

The biggest problem that I found with them is that the assembler is very different than for the Pic10 - pic18

 

[blueroomelectronics]

You could! What's stopping you? Can program those with the Inchworm+, right?

If it's surface mount that's worrying you, I have no fear of soldering them. I've built several surface mount kits and they all work fine. They're not for newb solderers though. You'd have to offer a pre-soldered version for them.

Some dsPIC30F have DIP packages and they are compatible with the 5V Inchworm / Junebug. I just don't know what sort of things you'd specifically need them for.

 

[Pommie]

Some dsPIC30F have DIP packages and they are compatible with the 5V Inchworm / Junebug. I just don't know what sort of things you'd specifically need them for.

To play with.

mike.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

To play with.

mike.

Problem is a little blobby black IC isn't a whole lot o' fun without something on the I/O pins. An MP3 decoder might be interesting, speech, sound?

 

[futz]

Problem is a little blobby black IC isn't a whole lot o' fun without something on the I/O pins. An MP3 decoder might be interesting, speech, sound?

Oh no!!! Bill has run out of ideas!

 

[skyhawk]

Problem is a little blobby black IC isn't a whole lot o' fun without something on the I/O pins. An MP3 decoder might be interesting, speech, sound?

A couple ideas from professor Mark Csele

http://www.technology.niagarac.on.ca/people/mcsele/FlatPanel.html

**broken link removed**

 

[blueroomelectronics]

I like Marks site, been there before. Mark really like lasers and Nixie tubes.
I personally wouldn't use a 16bit dsPIC to decode IR is a bit of overkill. It's also easy to do that with a lowly 12F508 and I doubt any dsp instructions are really required for IR decoding.
As for the flat-panel that's cool but not really kit material.
**broken link removed**