This page provides a collection of links for those interested in PICs.
Last update 7/5/07
Software for PICs
Mike Bolton advises that a full PIC development package called Mplab4 can be freely
downloaded from the Microchip site and will allow
you to assemble the source files he has provided for the DCC components.
There's too much stuff here for me to check on, so please let me know as well if you find links that no longer work.
First suggestion is to look for stuff on this site:
Alternatively have a look for something in the following collection of links related to PIC (aka PICmicro) microcontrollers. The links have been carefully listed in a totally random order. (Note that this list is unchecked, there are bound to be links that no longer work, tell me about those and I will delete them)
You can probably turn up many more PIC related links yourself with a WWW search.
Visit this site to get free PIC development tools plus PDF data sheets and application notes. A gold mine of information as you would expect from the makers of the PIC. Many regreted the demise of Microchip's dial-up bulletin board but they now have several online discussion groups with much the same content.
Manufacturers of PIC programmers and the PIC-based BASIC Stamps. Christer Johansson maintains a List of Stamp Applications. UK agents for Parallax are Milford Instruments.
For electronic hobbyists keen to dabble with microcontrollers the PIC16F84 (or the older 16C84) is one of the best chips to get started with (nowadays it has strong competition from the Atmel AVR chips and look out for the new 16F87x family). One of the most compelling reasons for starting with the 16F84 is that it uses EEPROM technology; this means the edit-assemble-program-test cycle can be very rapid indeed - you'll never want to use UV erasable chips again. Most hobbyists are also attracted to this device because Microchip provide free development tools and it is easy to homebrew a cheap and cheerful programmer. For example, a guide to getting started is provided by Sam Engström. If you are confident you can develop PIC based projects then you are likely to have all the skills necessary to build a simple PIC16C84 programmer so have a go. . Peter Anderson provides lots of introductory material and more projects you can try. DIY Electronics sell PIC-based kits including a PIC programmer kit designed by Charles Manning.
Personally I think Microchip's PIC databook and Embedded Control Handbook are the most useful PIC books. Virtually everything in both is available on-line from Microchip's WWW site or CD-ROM. Nigel Gardner's "A Beginner's Guide to the Microchip PIC" is now available in revised form (revision 2.0). The book includes basic facts about the baseline and midrange PICs and illustrates the steps involved in PIC project development. My feeling is you'll soon outgrow the book, however, it does contain some useful advice and is less intimidating than a datasheet if you are meeting PICs for the first time. Nigel Gardner and Peter Birnie have produced a followup to the beginner's guide called the "PIC Cookbook - Volume 1" (Volume 2 should be around by now). The authors manage to describe 40 working applications in a 162 page A5 format book which is only possible by leaving out the program listings, however, fully commented source is provided on a companion disk. Whatever stage you are at, seeing examples of PIC hardware and PIC source code is useful. Another book mentioned in the FAQ is David Benson's "Easy PIC'n" which by all accounts is a good introduction (pity about the title :-). This book is large format and has a very informal style. It has some useful things to say and although the examples don't really get you beyond the LED flashing, key pushing stage that's certainly a good start. Other books I've heard about include one from PICLIST regular Myke Predko entitled "Programming and Customizing the PIC Microcontroller" (I've heard good things about this one) and a book dedicated to the 8-pin PICs by Gordon MacNee called "The Greatest Little PIC Book" (available from Farnell). John Peatman wrote a textbook I used during my undergrad days and he has recently turned his attention to the PIC with "Design with PIC Microcontrollers" . A search for PIC on http://www.amazon.com/ may turn up even more.
Microchip tools are of limited use if you don't use a PC with a Microsoft operating system. Furthermore, the only readily available PIC programming hardware is aimed at PC owners. The rest of you are on your own. The Warp-17 17CXX programmer from Newfound Electronics can be used with Macs (both 68K and Power PC based).
Here I've tried to collect links to companies that have useful PIC tools or PIC-based products but haven't already got a mention elsewhere on this page. (For some others Arrick Robotics provide contact addresses rather than links). This list will never be complete ...
Erik Hermann designed an ultra-simple PIC16C84 programmer which plugs into the serial port of a PC and doesn't need an external power supply. It's very neat but may not work on PCs that have less than ideal serial ports (like most laptops). There are several versions described on the net including: Rolan Yang's PICBlaster. Ralph Metzler wrote a C++ driver so that an ultra-simple programmer can be used with Linux. Luigi Rizzo's PIC related tools page has another variant.
Simple parallel port designs can be used as near universal PIC programmers. For example, Tato computers' ProPic programmer design comes with Windows software for programming a wide selection of PICs and EEPROMS. A similar design is described by Bojan Dobaj. The latter design can be bought as a kit (kit 96) from DIY Electronics or DonTronics Kit 96 page. G. Mueller has developed programmers for several popular microcontrollers.
Although Microchip maintains an extensive list of approved sales offices (some have their own WWW sites), nowadays you can buy PICs from almost any distributor. In the UK the two best known are Farnell and RS Components. Possibly hobbyists are more familiar with Maplin and their high-street outlets. Although PICs are relatively cheap the prices in the Farnell, RS and Maplin catalogues don't compare favourably with US distributors like Digikey. Going by their price list another good source is Kestrel Electronics. Crownhill, Keymaster and several others advertise cheap PICs and EEPROMs on Usenet in the alt.satellite.tv forsale and crypt newsgroups.
An interesting site that describes a variety of pretty inventive things to do with PICs. Eric is now developing things using the ultrafast Scenix chip.
Started by Rick Miller but now maintained by James Bowman, the GNUPIC project is an effort to produce free PIC development tools for multiple platforms.
Fast Forward let you ask PIC related questions via their embedded systems programming answer line. The answers are provided by PIC guru Andrew Warren.
I guess everyone has at least few links on their pages but here's a few sites with more comprehensive lists. Industry watcher EG3 Communications has trawled the net for PIC resources. Other useful lists are provided DonTronics. Another way of finding links is by traversing the PICmicro webring.
DonTronics, based in Australia and run by Don McKenzie offers PIC programmer kits and lots more. Don has a page devoted to Silicon Studio's little PIC (or whatever) project boards called SimmSticks. US residents can purchase Don's PIC stuff from Wirz Electronics. You can also find DOS/Windows/NT software there.
A Source of inexpensive PIC programmers. Newfound show how a low-cost single PIC interface can permit simple DIY parallel port programmers to be used directly from MPLAB. Bob Blick has built his programmer around one.
Microchip have introduced some security measures in newer PICs that can hit the unsuspecting hobbyist in the wallet. If any of these PICs is protected it cannot be reprogrammed because once code-protection is enabled it is permanent even if the chip is UV erasable; quite a blow as windowed PICs are quite expensive in one-offs (some people claim it is possible to recover such PICs by prolonged - several hours - exposure to UV).
Undoubtedly most people program PICs in assembly language (there are two main variants: Microchip's own and an 8051-like language from Parallax). For higher level programming BASIC, C and Forth compilers are available. For those who prefer C there is a lot of choice. MPC from Byte Craft and Microchip's MPLAB-C apparently started out the same but are now quite different from each other. PCM from CCS is a relatively inexpensive compiler for PIC16CXX microcontrollers and seems quite popular. Don McKenzie resells the CCS compiler but he offers an impartial user review of four popular C compilers. Randy Rasa has more information about PIC C compilers including a review of MPC. Hi-Tech have a working demo of their PIC ANSI C compiler available for evaluation purposes and this is the only compiler I've tried much - I liked it. The stack-oriented language Forth seems an unlikely candidate for programming the stack starved mid-range PICs but Michael Josefsson has managed to produce a Forth compiler for the PIC16C84.
Respected technical author Don Lancaster seems pretty enthusiastic about the PIC as you can see for yourself by reading his PIC related articles. It's probably worth your while sifting through Don's haphazard list of PIC Web sites as there is bound to be many that I don't have on this page.
Nowadays virtually every magazine for the electronics hobbyist features PIC based projects from time to time. Some magazines have WWW sites. The UK magazine Everyday Practical Electronics (EPE) has featured the PIC in several projects recently, for example a simple 16C84 programmer, a mains power meter and a novel digital clock (a row of LEDs on the end of a pendulum produces the display). The source code for EPE's PIC projects is available by FTP and via Thomas Stratford's WWW mirror. EPE is now available in an online edition. Elektor Electronics have featured some very interesting PIC projects including the obligatory PIC programmer and a transistor tester based on a 16C71. (Elektor is a trans-European magazine and you might find more their German WWW site worth a look.) Steve Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar Ink often features PIC based projects and makes support material available. Nuts & Volts carries Scott Edward's BASIC Stamp applications column (if you have never seen Nuts & Volts try a sample copy). Another magazine with a WWW presence is the Canadian Micro Control Journal. One of my favourites for on-line browsing is EDN; you'll need to register to look at back issues but registration is free. PICs are sometimes featured in the "Design Ideas" pages. Spread spectrum enthusiasts have their own online magazine and some PIC stuff.
This is a list of a few PIC experimenters I have come across while "surfing" or reading the PICLIST - most have useful information or files to share.
