PIC, etc, I forgot to mention!!

[BJ]

I forgot to mentinon that the dev tools
are "free" ar called "Kick start" the kit
contains, relocatable macro assembler,linker
C compiler,simulator and Flash burner and a debugger.

It is simmliare to the AVR studio and MPLAB.
Its not as good as the AVR Studio but its a
hell of a lot better then MPLAB 16 bit crudity!

REG
BJ

[simeon webber]

Re: PIC, etc, I forgot to mention!!

i think BJ you got stuck at mplab not pic micro

i fully agree the lowest form of life mplab much like the bacteria it is it is only good for assemling other low forms of life
called macros

these can also be writen in c langages like CCS and hitech
these cross macro compiles
do a far superiour job
after all the guys who write mplab know that it is a "low level macro assembler"

BUT what i dont agree with is tossing something in the bin
instead of using some descent software to write your program

forinstance

a serial coms from a pic16f84

the would take half a chip too do this using pic mplab langauage
but by the miricle of science

and macro driven c compilers
you simply write a one line comand like
ser in or ser out and send a string


this makes things like ports and how to use them without floading the ship

easy stuff

as the cross compiler simply inc all the right stuff for you

so crap are they

they are used in 50% of mcu casses

with the biggeset use being most bank cards and just about all smart cards
pic 84c versions.....



other than too add
simply port load a byte rather than switch ports then send individual commands



do this on an interupt

so as each task is finished it will interupt back to the control routine

i will agree someone with no nothing experiance of programing
shouldnt even concider mplab

and instead start with picbasic before moving on to macro c languages like ccs hitec gnupic amoungst others

i can compare your situation with
getting a spectrum for xmas and only having a low level assembler compiler to use to write the command set you still need to make it work


never having realised the assembler your using {mplab} has no librarys of upper functions

so your barking to use mplab in the first place for pic mcu

i agree dsp can be good
under the correct conditions

so knowing this TI simply make higher level functions in there lab already macro driven {past the mplab stage}

so inexperianced programmers like your-self's
have no problem to understand whats going on

and what functions you need

ie they give you an operating system with your spectrum


pic's have there place
and as was pointed out in a heated debate below topic's

dsp's do also
{at the heart of every dsp lives a risc micro at the heart of every pic lives a dsp}
if you know how to use them correctly
without jumping up and down on the spot
or resorting to mplab

your laughting



as you will soon discover....

when 4 metal engine is finished

[simeon webber]

Re: pic etc barriers

however

my strongest advice is

do the pwm with a smaller type of pic like an 84
make a rock solid tight routine for shifting into the pwm port or ports..
on interupt any data from the sampling chip controler chip {877}
this way you can then base your flow on a chip routines and codes that never stops running
instead runs in RT

{this way you can sync the sample gates and the pwm to the driver fet and simply using the same xtal for both micros get rock solid continuious pwm}

while the other gets on with the a/d and control

a TI mcu costs much more than just an 877 $1.99 and an f84 99cents {my local shops pices are £1.99 and expensive £4 for the pic 877 20mhz
for the TI chip it costs £140 for the single platform dev kit and nearly the same if you just buy a chip
direct i dont know ...???possibly 20 - 25£

so for pics if i buy them from the states instead
or simply ask for a sample from microchip

i get them cheeper or for no cost

but
the cost is in the software you use

and CCS is the best one for pic
with hitec having also some very competative extras ......

these cost about 200- 300 US$ for a descent usable package.....

with pic basic costing 250US$ the c versions makes sense if you already have any sort of foundation in c at all


as for picbasic
well this is very usefull

runs a little slower than c
until you optimise the routines using a few tricks....

but good to learn pic from a distance

[simeon webber]

Re: pic etc barriers

p.s
if you think mplab and pic is bad

try a non risc core like a z 80 or a 6800 or 6502

then you will beg pic's & mplab for forgivness...


i have done all this before

[BJ]

Re: pic etc no barriears only possible solutions.

>a TI mcu costs much more than just an 877
>$1.99 and an f84 99cents {my local shops
>pices are £1.99 and expensive £4 for the >pic 877 20mhz

I dont know where you are buying and in what quantity but even if i buy 877 in 10's i have
to pay at least 10USD each. For me the price
is not the factor who decide.

>>for the TI chip it costs £140 for the >>single platform dev kit and nearly the
>>same if you just buy a chip

No, i pay aprox 9USD for the MSPF148 in 10's.
And there are a whole line of "lower priced"
units.When it comes down to pricing nor TI or
PIC or anyone else are not foolish enought
not to make competetive pricing.

Its simply regular marketing behaviour. MSP is
a rather new device, its un advertised, not
yet fully supported by the comunity its still
16bit has MAC unit, are simple to program.

And if you had checked out better you would
have found out MSP EVM's for 49USD inc soft
wich is less or equal the rest MCU
manufacturers offerings.

>>the cost is in the software you use.......

Offcourse thats "why" i using the MSP
instead of PIC and AVR's,HC11, etc.

>>PIC,,, using a few tricks....[/i]

Thats "exactly" what i "dont" have to do
with the MSP, its fast whith just regular programming!!
And thats what other PIC programmers have
found out too!

BTW ,this starts to sound quite silly,
arguing about PIC's MSP, AVR etc etc.

Actually i dont give a **** about TI ATMEL or
whatever, i simply go to what's understandable
has low learning tresholds, productive, fairly
pricing, i dont mind if the crap cost 1 usd
more or less as long as i understand the thing!

My posting was only about to inform MD list
about just "another" possible solution to MD
design. If people find out that they dont
like the MSP ,well dont use it then!!

Simple as that!

REG
BJ

[Nicko]

Re: PIC, etc, I forgot to mention!!

BJ,

Just got back from holiday today and saw your note. I've already been looking at this VERY nice processor. There is a series of recent articles in Circuit Cellar magazine about it - they've just had a design competition using it.

It certainly looks like an interesting contender. Its power-to-speed rating is unbeatable...

Good advice - worth looking at.

Nicko.