Tag Archives: PIC

Week in (p)review: February 13, 2011

Don’t forget to share your current project in the comments or the forum. This week our favorite project gets a free SOIC protoboard. Here’s a summary of major developments over the last week: Jawi released a new version of his client for the Logic Sniffer. This supports new features in the experimental Verilog core from […]

Week in (p)review: February 06, 2011

Don’t forget to share your current project in the comments or the forum. This week our favorite project gets a free SOIC protoboard. Here’s a summary of major developments over the last week: We released a bunch of abandoned or stalled prototypes: XT IDE disk controller, Ethernet JTAG debugger, Ethernet LED driver, PIC Z-machine emulator, […]

Microchip expands 32-bit PIC(R) microcontroller line

Microchip Technology Inc. has a new, six-member family of 32-bit PIC32MX5/6/7 microcontrollers that provide performance specs of 1.56 DMIPS/MHz, and integrating Ethernet, CAN, USB and multiple serial communication channels, while offering more cost-effective memory options. Specifically, the family offers 32 Kbytes of RAM and up to 140 Kbytes of Flash. Additionally, design enhancements have been […]

Encryption on a PIC18

Robust encryption is often difficult to achieve on a microcontroller given the limited processing power and memory. The Microchip PIC18 series are capable of some forms of limited data encryption. Four encryption algorithms including AES, XTEA, SKIPJACK® and a simple encryption algorithm using a pseudo-random binary sequence generator are described in this application note.

How to write a flash bootloader for the PIC16 and PIC18

Here’s an application note with comprehensive information on how to write your own bootloader for the Microchip PIC16 and PIC18 families. Microchip also has provided a link to the code development software. Good reading for both the beginner and experienced coder.

Bus Pirate as a serial IO bridge

Joe Desbonnet demonstrates his use of a Bus Pirate as a serial-to-PC IO bridge with a PIC 16F327A. The PIC is simultaneously connected to a PICkit2 programmer, and this setup allowed him to communicate with the newly programmed PIC using serial commands in a prototyping environment. A good basic how-to post, including sample Bus Pirate […]

Processor quick start guides

The new processor quick start guides were a big hit. Maff^ contributed a basic guide to the AVR, and Dpropicweb greatly expanded the PIC guides. We finished the MSP430 guide, and added new guides for the Coolrunner-II CPLD and Spartan 3 FPGA (in progress). Check out all the guides, and add one for your favorite […]

Processor quick start guides

Getting started with a new processor family is a minefield. Our new quick start guides for the PIC, LPC ARM, and STM32 ARM, are a collection of notes on these processor families. If you’re already familiar with one processor, these condensed guides can help you get started on a whole new platform without scouring the […]

Beta Microchip IDE for Linux, Mac

ahri tipped us to a new beta version of the Microchip development software for PIC microcontrollers, MPLABX. Looks like it’s Java based, and there’s Linux and Mac versions too. This will make a lot of people happy. Grab the preview here, and share your experience in the comments. We’re installing it now. Via the forum.

Programming PICs with a programmer

A new tutorial covers the basics of programming a PIC with a PIC programmer supported by MPLAB, like a PICkit or ICD. This frequently-requested tutorial is geared towards programming the bootloader into a project like the Bus Pirate. Bootloaders make it easy to upgrade firmware without dragging out (or owning) a programmer. Just activate the […]

Inexpensive multi-programmer update

An update of the inexpensive, medium-speed AVR/PIC/CPLD/Arduino programmer is posted in the forum. This programmer is designed for people who don’t own a programmer, and just want to rescue a bricked PIC or AVR. This version takes into account the pin connection diagram MichaelZ outlined during our last design review. The update has a single […]

piratePICprog wiki page

The new Bus Pirate PIC programmer has a wiki page with instructions and examples. The application is nearly complete, there’s just some tweaking required to get the memory settings right for each PIC family. If you’re interested in contributing, there’s a development section on the wiki with links to the source code and compiler.

Bus Pirate PIC programmer v0.2

piratePICprog programs PIC microcontrollers using the Bus Pirate. Newer PICs are programmed directly, like the 18F24J50 on the Logic Sniffer and the 24FJ64GA002 on the Bus Pirate. Older PICs, like the 12F/16F/18F require a 13volt supply to enter programming mode, an adapter will be ready soon. piratePICprog v0.2 is now available in the forum. It’s […]