[geeks] Re: PICs (was: Geeky Valentine's day card)

[Jon Still]

On Friday, February 15, 2002, at 07:58 AM, Dave Kimmel wrote:

> On Fri, 15 Feb 2002, Bill Bradford wrote:
>> ANy suggestions for someone who is mainly a systems person, does some
>> programming, but wants to really learn computers at the chip 
>> architecture/
>> assembly-language level?

This is something I'd love to do more of.  In my 2nd year at university 
(a course called Computer Systems & Networks) we did a module or 2 on 
system design and implementation - we ended up implementing a circuit to 
sample and digitise an analog signal and transmit details of this to a 
PC via a serial port which would plot the data.

We didn't do too bad.  The C program on the PC did the plotting OK.  The 
circuit we built would send test data to the PC just fine.  However, the 
sampling bit didn't go quite according to plan, mainly due to the fact 
that we had studied *very* little analog electronics (esp filter design).

The digital stuff was fine tho - the semester before we had to design a 
68000 based system and produce memory maps for it.  I'm still chuffed I 
got 100% on it :)

> If you're interested in PICs specifically, take a look at "Programming 
> and
> Customizing the PICmicro Microcontrollers" by Myke Predko.  The copy I 
> got
> includes a printed circuit board which, with a few components and the
> included software, makes a fairly cheap PIC programming tool.  Its
> expensive though, around $80 Canadian.

Beyond this, what else would I need to get going with the PIC?  My 
toolbox is limited to PC repair stuff atm (read: screwdrivers and 
pliers).

J.

--
Jon Still                               E-mail: jrs at tertial.org
System Administrator                    Web:    http://www.tertial.org/
tertial.org