Pic asm

[Tsukasa]

I'm interested in learning to program the PIC microcontrollers. I'm not sure where to start. I want to learn pic assembly. Are there any guides available?

[CPUWIZ]

I'm interested in learning to program the PIC microcontrollers. I'm not sure where to start. I want to learn pic assembly. Are there any guides available?

 

http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?I...GrpID=PIC%20MCU

 

Pic's rule.

[frax]

Join PicList (http://www.piclist.com) THE mailing list for PIC hackers.

 

/frax

[Tom]

If you don't absolutely need to use PICs (for instance, if you need to work with an existing design that uses one), I'd also recommend you to look at Atmel's AVR controllers. They're pretty good, easy to program in assembly and GCC is available for them aswell.

[Tsukasa]

I can get free samples of PICs from microchip, I already have a lot of them anyways. My programmer suports them, and it's much cheaper than buying a pal programmer, which is the main reason that I want to learn to program them. I plan to use them as substitutes for the bankswitching logic in atari carts. That way I can implement multiple kinds of bankswitching on a single multicart with the flip of a switch! I've seen plenty of projects that use them, and built a few as well.

[+5-11under]

The question is whether the PIC will be fast enough to do the bank switching, which is typically done with discrete logic (or fpga, which should be the same). I think there's an old thread about someone who tried this method, and failed. I'm not saying it can't be done, though... .

5-11under

[Delicon]

The 16 series of PICs is definitely not even close to fast enough. Its been a while since I have used them, but I think the fastest clock is 20MHz. But the PICs are not one clock to one instruction, they are four clocks per instruction, which means 5 Mips. Not possible. Maybe the other series like the 18, I have never used or looked at them.

 

I have been experimenting with what I call Chimera Sr. Its has a 66MHz 32 bit ARM7 from Atmel in it. I am hoping it is going to be fast enough, but I think even that is going to be cutting it close. My goal is a GameShark like device. Where the processor can make changes to the code it sends to the 2600 on the fly.

 

You should really look into CPLDs. They are super cheap, easy to use (you just draw your logic on the screen using free tools, no need to know VHDL or verilog), and they are more than fast enough to do bankswitching.

 

Check this out for a quick tutorial on CPLDs:

 

http://tutor.al-williams.com/pldx-1.htm

 

Their start up kits are a bit pricey, but its possible to program CPLDs with a PIC, I did it. The code is available on Xilinxs web site. I am now using the same code to program CPLDs with an Atmel AVR.

 

Vern

[Delicon]

Check out these schematics for a real simple parallel port programmer for xilinx CPLDs and FPGAs. Its works with Xilinx's free design software.

 

http://www.xilinx.com/support/programr/fil...les/0380507.pdf

 

If you would be interested in Altera devices, information is available for them also.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Vern

[Curt Vendel]

I learned a great deal from the McGraw Hill "Programming and Customized PIC Microcontrollers"

 

ISBN 0-07-136172-3

 

 

Comes with a CDROM with sources to all of the experiments in the booard, also has a lot in an web browser interface too... Its a good book, starts you with basic electronics and moves into simple to moderate to advaced stuff.

 

Its a good place to start, even comes with a PCB board to do work with (You supply the PIC of your choice - 28 or 40 pin)

 

 

 

 

 

Curt