Watty+PIC+Pack

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Top JAL / PIC Links

JAL v2 Homepage
The best method is to use JALLIB
The editor IDE

Watty’s list of useful PIC stuff

  • A breadboard with a 16F877 PIC, serial communication to PC and an LCD panel 2 lines x 16 Characters

The Magenta PIC Real Time Emulator can’t program blank PICs, but its CPU can be loaded easily with supplied software from any version of Windows. There is no PIC Boot Loader? so any software developed will run in a blank PIC.

  • Programming Language.

The two choices I use are Assembler and JAL . The Assembler is in the FREE MP-LAB from Microchip Technology INc.external link who make the PIC. The JAL compiler is also free and should be in the JAL File Gallery on this site.

JAL is a little like C, Pascal, Modula-2 and BASIC. It is much quicker to learn than Java, Visual Basic or C++.

  • An Editor.

MP-LAB from Microchipexternal link does have an editor. But you can use Notepad if you really want. JALcc is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for PIC programming, but some people prefer the power of TextPadexternal link. Our Article on TextPad has the basic information for customising it for JAL. It is also good for Java. However JALcc is free and TextPad costs about 25 Euro. Recently I have been using JALedit, it is easy to install and very good for JAL. JALedit can be downloaded free.

  • A Programmer.

There are many kinds of PIC programmers. These put your progam into a blank chip. The commonest kinds are:
1: Uses a socket that the blank chip is plugged into. Even if the Progammer uses a ZIF, the Target HW does not. Repeated removals and reinsertions will damage the PIC.

2: Connects to your hardware that the PIC is in, but the Blank PIC must be programmed once with a PIC Bootloader?. Wisp for PIC? is a popular version.

3: A programmer like (1) but unreliable as it is powered only from the serial port of the PC and has a minimum of parts, the “no parts programmer”.

4: Connects to your hardware that the blank PIC is in and needs NO extra Hardware or Software on the PIC system you are building. I prefer this kind. I designed my own based on an old “no parts programmer” called JDM. It has extra parts to make it reliable and uses the system the blank PIC is in for power (Target System). I call the PIC In Circuit PROGRAMMER the ICP. It will program (or read) ISO cards (or SIMs) with a simple card slot adaptor and other kinds of chips including EEPROM with only a socket adaptor. This uses the free ICProg softwareexternal link which works on ALL versions of windows.

So my favorite list of parts to get going:

You will also want some LEDs, solid hookup wire for breadboard, resistors and other electronics parts. A cheap 10 Euro multimeter is really all the test gear. Your PC can have free Software to act as a audio signal generator, audio scope and spectrum analyser and simple logic signal capture/analyser.

Total cost under 100 Euro, assuming you have a PC already.biggrin

Contributors to this page: watty .
Page last modified on Tuesday 31 of January, 2006 [10:16:58 UTC].