Assembly Programming with the PicKit

1
Assembly Programming with the PicKit

• ACSE Annual Conference
• November 2006
• Erin Lester

2
Microchips PicKit

• USB flash microcontroller programmer
• Costs approx. 30 US
• Can be programmed in C or Assembly
• Comes with a free IDE - MPLAB (complete with
  programming and debugging facilities)
• Can get free sample chips (6 of each type) from
  Microchip every 2 months

3
PicKit components

• Comes with 2 microcontroller chips - the
  PIC12F675 and PIC16F684
• Supports other 8 and 14-pin Flash PIC
  microcontrollers
• Board has 8 LEDs, a potentiometer, input jumpers,
  and a push-button switch
• Additional components can be added to the board
• Additional I/O facilities can be added via
  daughter boards such as the PICTail

4
Using the PicKit for ICE 4MI

• Mike Devoy has developed a set of activities (see
  resources slide for URL)
• Can be used to cover assembly, computer
  architecture, debugging expectations
• Teach assembly, microcontroller architecture,
  using a debugger and IDE, and using the PicKit to
  program a microcontroller
• Build up to controlling a traffic light
  intersection (or many other applications)

5
Assembly

• Low-level programming
• Common misconceptions
• More difficult
• More efficient
• Analogy - walking instructions
• Instructions versus statements
• Instructions consist of an opcode (specifies the
  operation) and 1 operand (parameter)

6
Resources - Websites

• Mike Devoys ICE4M website - http//doyle.wcdsb.ed
  u.on.ca/ICE4MI/index.htm
• Microchip - http//www.microchip.com

7
Resources - Books

• PIC Microcontroller Project Book -
  http//www.amazon.com/Microcontroller-Project-Book
  -John-Iovine/dp/0071354794
• PIC Microcontroller Experiments for the Evil
  Genius - http//www.amazon.com/123-Microcontroller
  -Experiments-Evil-Genius/dp/0071451420/sr1-10/qid
  1164507347/refsr_1_10/104-5782250-8415102?ieUTF
  8sbooks
• PIC in Practice - A Project-Based Approach -
  http//www.amazon.com/PIC-Practice-Second-Project-
  Approach/dp/0750668261/sr1-6/qid1164513519/refs
  r_1_6/104-5782250-8415102?ieUTF8sbooks