October | 2010 | Embedded Lab

Monthly Archives: October 2010

Lab 2: Basic digital input and output

Posted on October 10, 2010 by R-B 21 comments

Description Today we will learn how to read digital inputs from a push button switch. A digital input has only two values: 1 and 0. The configuration of the push button switch is same as that of the reset switch except it goes to a different port pin. The status of the switch will be read through RC1 and every time when it is pressed, an LED connected to RC0 will be toggled ON and OFF. Required Theory You must be familiar with the digital I/O ports of PIC16F688 and their direction settings. If you are not, read Digital I/O

Getting ready for the first lab

Posted on October 9, 2010 by R-B 12 comments

This is to be followed after you have successfully completed the following steps: Installed mikroC Pro for PIC on your PC. Installed the programmer software that came with your PIC programmer. If you have got an iCP01 USB PIC programmer from iCircuit Technologies, you should install Microchip’s PICkit programming software. Got a breadboard and a regulated +5V power source. Basic setup on the breadboard As mentioned before all the experimental circuits will be constructed on the breadboard because it is easy to modify the circuit and correct any wiring error. Figure 1 shows the pin diagrams of PIC16F688. It is

Simplest Temperature Data Logger based on PIC12F683

Posted on October 7, 2010 by R-B Leave a comment

This one chip data logger uses PIC12F683 microcontroller to read temperature from a DS1820 sensor and store it inside its internal EEPROM memory. The process is repeated in every 1 sec, 1 min, or 10 min interval as selected by user. The stored values can be transferred to a host PC through serial port. The serial communication uses a transistor based TTL to RS232 Level converter circuit to transfer data to PC. This logger can store up to 254 temperature measurements in its internal EEPROM. Each data is 8-bit and the temperature resolution is 1 degree C. With three tact

Open Source USB AVR Programmer for Students and Hobbyists

Posted on October 6, 2010 by R-B 3 comments

If you cannot afford to buy a USB programmer for AVR, don’t worry, you can make one by yourself. This programmer uses a Atmega8 microcontroller with a few external passive components. The good thing is you don’t need any USB controller because it is implemented in the firmware inside Atmega8. Yes, you are right, you need an AVR programmer once to load the firmware inside Atmega8. You figure out how you gonna manage that. This programmer has been tested under Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux and worked well. It can program a chip at speed up to 5Kbytes/sec. The

Regulated Power Supply for Your Breadboard

Posted on October 6, 2010 by R-B 9 comments

Embedded systems require electric power to operate. Most of the components in them including the processors can operate at a wide range of voltages. For example, the operating voltage range for PIC16F688 is from 2 to 5.5 V. It means you can supply power from three AA size batteries (4.5 V) and it will work just fine as long as the battery voltage doesn’t fall below 2 V. But there are certain applications where you need a regulated constant voltage for safer operation of the embedded system. For instance, any application that uses analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). ADCs require a fixed

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