Thanks Nigel, I was wondering just how old the '54 was.
Most of the requirements for the design are pretty straight-forward ( methinks ) , such as the CDS cell being connected to a transistor, so that it is set to switch at a certain light level, so A2D may not be needed for that. The only real challenge is getting PWM at 2 frequencies, and scanning the 5 membrane switches ( matrix ) to see if any have been pressed.
The idea is to have a flashing sequence occur, ( PWM based on the hi/low from the CDS cell circuit ) appear on up to 5 outputs depending on which switches have been pressed.
I am currently doing this with discrete gates/comparators, but modifying any parameters is such a hassle, changing time constants, redoing logic, you get the idea.
I was hoping to do a more generic design based on a PIC, so I could alter flash rates, levels, sequence, etc all in code, leaving the circuit alone.
From some rough designs, I think I could get what is now a PCB with about 60 components down to around 20 or less.
I have d/l the MPLAB software, and have barely started to use it. What I was wondering is, if there are any really basic programs available that I could play with so as to have something tangeble to work with as a starting point. Doesn't matter what they do, it's just that I am a practical experience kind of guy, and seem to learn faster when I have something to work with. even something that, say makes an output go high when an input appears. Does Microchip have any fragments on their site? Or is there any really basic stuff to begin with on your site? ( I had a quick look but wasn't sure what I was looking for yet )
Thanks for your response!