What are your thoughts on the PIC12F629?

[Peter_wadley]

Hi,

Just wondering what everyone thinks about the PIC12F629 and why.

I was going to buy about 20 of them since most of my projects dont require more then a couple input/outputs.

 

[kchriste]

I would buy 12F675s instead just in case you need a 10bit A/D converter for a small project. They are the same otherwise.

 

[Pommie]

Or, if you want one that's twice as fast and with double the memory then the 12F683 is a good choice. You also get the advantage of timer2 and the PWM module.

Mike.

 

[Peter_wadley]

Thanks,

Ill check both of those chips out now.

 

[Peter_wadley]

Sorry for the n00b question..

but can you name a few things general things that can be done with the Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converter?

 

[Sceadwian]

Audio sensor interface. Visual sensor interface. Piezo sensor interface. Resistive force sensor interface. Capacitve load sensor interface. Human tuned ambient light interface. Any device on this earth that is capable of producing an electric field can be measured through an opamp buffer/filter at the ADC of a micro controller, at up to the rate the micro controller allows. Which is pretty much eveything.

 

[Leftyretro]

Audio sensor interface. Visual sensor interface. Piezo sensor interface. Resistive force sensor interface. Capacitve load sensor interface. Human tuned ambient light interface. Any device on this earth that is capable of producing an electric field can be measured through an opamp buffer/filter at the ADC of a micro controller, at up to the rate the micro controller allows. Which is pretty much eveything.

I agree, the real power of today's microcontrollers are their wonderful I/O funtionality, A/D, PWM, UART, I2C, etc,etc. The combining of flash memory and feature rich I/O has developed a hobbyist dream component, cheap, reusable, programmable. They are fast enough for most all applications and many applications require almost no external parts. I can't think of a time where there was more cost effective solutions avalible.

However I guess we should never forget that a big complex PC is a needed component to make all this DIY hobby stuff practical, I would hate to have to burn a program by pushing switches and buttons like the old minicomputer front panel days (however those front panels were works of art and functionality!).

Lefty

 

[Brevor]

I would not recommend you buy all 12F629's, I've used them and there good but I would suggest you buy a few others also. That way you have a few to choose from for different project needs. One I use a lot and would recommend is the
16F630 basically the same as the 12F629 but with 12 I/O lines instead of 6.
Also it only costs about 40 cents more than the 629.

 

[Peter_wadley]

I would not recommend you buy all 12F629's, I've used them and there good but I would suggest you buy a few others also. That way you have a few to choose from for different project needs. One I use a lot and would recommend is the
16F630 basically the same as the 12F629 but with 12 I/O lines instead of 6.
Also it only costs about 40 cents more than the 629.

Yes, I think I am going to get a mix of PICs

Probably:
(5) of each of the following:

12F629
12F675
16F628

&

one other undetermined chip (any thoughts?)

 

[Sceadwian]

18F series? Many users here hail them as being great chips. Not a PIC person myself I prefer AVR's.

 

[gramo]

Grab an 18F1320 while your out. Its a great little piece of kit, and if you want read more about it, have a look **broken link removed**

Its an 18 Pin DIP package, great intro to 18F PIC's. Also has,
* Internal OSC
* ADC channels
* 8K Bytes of Program Space
* 10 MIPS (100 nanosecond instruction execution)
* Fist full of hardware based toys

What PIC Programmer do you use?

 

[Peter_wadley]

Right now I use a cheap-o JDM programmer then ONLY works for 16F84As so i will definately need to make programmer for these new chips.

Here is another n00b question:

What does the the first number and letter represent for PICs?

12X - 18X What is the difference as # increases?

What is different about 12C and 12F ??
I will check out that link also.

 

[gramo]

Right now I use a cheap-o JDM programmer then ONLY works for 16F84As so i will definately need to make programmer for these new chips.

Here is another n00b question:

What does the the first number and letter represent for PICs?

12X - 18X What is the difference as # increases?

What is different about 12C and 12F ??
I will check out that link also.

C = one time programmable
F = Flash memory, can be reprogrammed thousands of times

12 = Old Old School
16 = Old School
18 = Enhanced PIC (none of the 12/16 flaws)
24 = New School (Not much support as yet)
dsPIC = New School (Not much support as yet)

The following 2-4 digits is the type of PIC. For the 18F series;

18F1xxx = 18 Pin
18F2xxx = 28 Pin
18F4xxx = 40 Pin

If this value is four digits and ends with a zero, then its an enhanced version of its predecessor, with many improvements and upgrades, eg,

18F452
18F4520 (Enhanced Model)

18F458
18F4580

 

[Peter_wadley]

C = one time programmable
F = Flash memory, can be reprogrammed thousands of times

12 = Old Old School
16 = Old School
18 = Enhanced PIC (none of the 12/16 flaws)
24 = New School (Not much support as yet)
dsPIC = New School (Not much support as yet)

The following 2-4 digits is the type of PIC. For the 18F series;

18F1xxx = 18 Pin
18F2xxx = 28 Pin
18F4xxx = 40 Pin

If this value is four digits and end with a zero, then its an enhanced version of its predecessor, with many improvements and upgrades, eg,

18F452
18F4520 (Enhanced Model)

18F458
18F4580

Thanks gramo!

that definately clears things up while PIC browsing. You obviously know your PICS

Thanks again

 

[Peter_wadley]

Maybe gramo can help me out with this one :

What is the difference between:

PIC12F629-I/P
&
PIC12F629-E/P

Also do you buy from MicrochipDirect? Are their prices good?

 

[gramo]

Maybe gramo can help me out with this one :

What is the difference between:

PIC12F629-I/P
&
PIC12F629-E/P

Also do you buy from MicrochipDirect? Are their prices good?

I'll give it a go

The PIC will operate exactly the same, just that some come in different packages/heat ratings. These are common packages/heat ratings;

E/P = DIP -40C to +125C
I/P = DIP -40C to +85C
I/SO = SOIC -40C to +85C
I/SS = SSOP -40C to +85C

Do I buy from microchip direct? Well to be honest, I got two samples from them;
3 * 18F452
3 * 18F252

And haven’t brought another PIC since... But I used to buy them from www.newark.com with a bundle of other things at the same time

As for a decent programmer/development board, have you looked at the EasyPIC4?

**broken link removed**

$119 built. Probably the best on the market.

 

[3v0]

Also do you buy from MicrochipDirect? Are their prices good?

Newark has a lot of the Microchip processors. The prices are within a few cents of Microchp Direct, actualy lower on the ones I checked. If you order from Newark you can get other stuff on the same order instead of just the processors.

 

[kchriste]

What is the difference between:
PIC12F629-I/P
&
PIC12F629-E/P

About +40 degrees C.....
The I version is the industrial temperature (-40 to +85C) range and the E is the extended temperature (-40 to +125C) range>

Also note that microchip provides a free student edition C compiler for the 18F series only. The 18F series instruction set is optimized for C where as the 12F and 16F are not, but you can buy C compilers for them also.... Something to think about if you want to go beyond assembler in the future.

 

[aussiepoof]

Good point re C compiler kchriste... I find using C on the 18F's has had me up and running on my first PIC projects WAY faster than using PIC's assembly language. It has allowed me to concentrate on the design of the project and software functionality without as steep a learning curve on the implementation side.

Using the USB capable 18F[24]550 series allows the quickest compile-download-boot-test cycle I've ever enjoyed with microprocessor developments (30 years of that here!) I know a 2 or 3 dollars means a lot in a large production run, but seriously, why would a hobbiest bother using the lesser PICs for the sake of those few dollars??

OH, and Microchip Direct ROCKS!! Buy direct from Microchip and you'll enjoy the experience. Even if you live in the most isolated capital city in the world... Perth, Western Australia

Regards,
Paul

 

[Peter_wadley]

I will try out MicrochipDirect and let you know how it goes

as for using C .. I will try it in the future but right now im very happy with assembly