The Make It Last Build Series Newsletter, Build #1, Dispatch #2!
Welcome to the second issue of the Make It Last Build Series Newsletter. In this issue, we will start from the ground up and build a "Hello World" blinky light project. We'll be using the parts mentioned in the first issue to build the circuit on a breadboard, and then use the (free) MPLAB programming environment to get the project up and running. There's a lot to talk about here, so lets get started!
Cheers,
Matt and Gareth
back to top Installing MPLAB
There are two pieces of software that you'll need to download and install for this project: MPLAB and the MPLAB-C18 compiler. Both are available for free, and you will need a computer running Windows to use them. Here are the steps to get everything going:
Download the software
First, you need to register on the Microchip website in order to be able to download the files. Next, download MPLAB IDE and MPLAB C for PIC 18 v3.36 Standard-Eval Version. Both are free; however, the compiler is an "evaluation version" and some of its features will stop working after 60 days. They aren't really important to this project, so we can safely ignore them.
Install MPLAB
Double-click on the MPLAB_IDE_v8_56.zip file to open it, then double-click on "Setup" to start the installation. After accepting the license agreement, select a complete setup, and check the default destination location. Accept the next two license agreements, then click "Next" to begin the installation. When it finishes, it will ask if you want to run the HI-TECH-C compiler as well. Click "No" (we'll be using the C18 compiler instead). If everything went well, you should now have the MPLAB environment installed. After the installation is complete, it will open a window with extra documentation, which you can safely dismiss.
Install the MPLAB C18 compiler
Double-click on the MPLAB-C18-Std-Eval-v3_36.zip file, to open it, then double-click on MPLAB-C18-Std-Eval-v3_36 to start the installation. Accept the product license, then choose the directory to install to (the default dir is fine). Click "Next" on the following three configuration screens (again, the defaults are fine), then click "Next" again to begin. Once the installation finishes, you can safely close the release notes window.
back to top Breadbording a Project
Because we'll be adding and modifying the circuit used in this project as we go, we will build it on a breadboard.
The breadboard acts as a big interconnect for the electrical parts, allowing you to easily hook up power and other control signals without running too many wires. It is divided up into three sections: two side rails for power, and one main section for connecting things up.
In the photo above, we have highlighted how the holes are connected together. Each shaded area represents a separate circuit, and all of the holes in that circuit are shorted together. Each one of these sections can be used to make a single connection, or "node" in a circuit diagram. The two side sections are reserved for power — anything plugged into the black areas become connected to ground, and anything plugged into the red areas becomes connected to power. For a more in-depth discussion about breadboards, see Tom Igoe's
breadboard page.
back to top Hello World, PIC Style
The data logger has lots of parts on it: microcontroller, temperature sensor, EEPROM chip, etc. Instead of trying to plug everything in all at once and hoping that it works, we will be building the project in stages, week by week. This week, we'll build the first stage, and verify that it works by programming a simple blinky light demo. The steps to do this are two long to detail here in the newsletter, so we've done a blog posting. Once you follow the steps in the "Hello World" blinky light on a PIC
tutorial on Make: Online, and build the above circuit, you'll be well along the path to becoming a micrcontroller pro!
back to top Microchip Discount Code
Want to pick up a PIC programmer or development kit? As part of the contest, Microchip is offering a 20% discount on the following development tools:
PICkit3
PICkit3 Debug Express
ICD3 In-Circuit Debugger
XLP 16-bit Development Board
F1 Evaluation Platform
F1 Evaluation Kit
If you've been thinking about getting started with PIC programming, this could be a great opportunity to get a good deal on a programmer. To request a discount code, send an email to makeitlast@makezine.com.
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