Post by thread:New PIC user needs help

I have just got the Microchip PICSTART development system. I am developing a system where I hope to use 3 PIC16C74's to control a signal processing circuit. I will be reading in voltages into the A/D and using the result to compare against a lookup table, then output to a D/A to set up another circuit. I have never used the PIC's before. The Microchip manuals ( PIC16/ 17 Microcontroller Databook & Embedded Control Handbook) both have lots of programming info, but very little circuit hardware applications / examples. Is there any good books / web sites that would help in this respect? Are there any inexpensive demo / prototype boards available? Any help would be appreciated. P.s. This looks like a great list/group! Paul Hanson spam_OUThansonTakeThisOuTaero.org

In <.....32DD15E0KILLspam@spam@ms-smtp-gw.aero.org>, on 01/15/97 at 09:26 AM, "Hanson, Paul E." <HansonKILLspamCOURIER6.AERO.ORG> said: >I have never used the PIC's before. The Microchip manuals ( PIC16/ 17 >Microcontroller Databook & Embedded Control Handbook) both have lots of >programming info, but very little circuit hardware applications / >examples. Is there any good books / web sites that would help in this >respect? Are there any inexpensive demo / prototype boards available? I guess it's time someone posted the URL for "Easy PIC'n" - so here goes; http://www.zapcom.net/~squareone/ This seems to be the only available book at the moment that everyone agrees is a valuable beginning text. It makes use of the Microchip mnemonics and covers some of the hardware details of getting started with the PIC. The author is preparing some follow up books that should be available later this year. One is an extension of the first book. The other deals with serial interfacing. "Easy PIC'n" is a good beginning text for those that can't jump right in to the Microchip Databook and ECHB and start building projects. I think the only source for information at the level between "Easy PIC'n" and the Microchip texts is right here on this list. (**insert advert for PIC FUND here**) David Benson's Square 1 book can be ordered directly from their web site. Other sources are DonTronics in Australia, microEngineering Labs, Wirz Electronics, or ITU Technologies - these last three in the US. I don't know where the European folks easily can get a copy of "Easy PIC'n." Maybe they have as much trouble as I did trying to find a source for the Nigel Gardiner book in Indonesia. (I never did.) microEngineering Labs make some nice proto boards for all sizes of DIP style PICs. Parallax also has some prototype PIC boards, but I have no experience with these. Another possibility is to look into the slick, new Silicon Studio SIMM Stick. The DonTronics web page has the best information available at the moment, complete with PDF-formatted details. Don is the Australian dealer. Wirz Electronics is the source for the US. There's a SIMM Stick mail list which I can recommend if you decide to go the SIMM Stick route. Hope this helps. Best regards, Mark //Mark Timpany .....mtimpanyKILLspam.....broadcast.net //Jakarta, Indonesia US Toll Free Fax 1-888-316-2357