choosing microcontrollers

grim said:

oh i completely agree. but i also like running before i can walk

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Unfortunately it's more like crawling before you can walk!

Looking back, I really don’t think that assembly was worth the trouble. Once you learn the dynamics of the particular PIC you’re using, i.e. analogue pin-outs, comparator pins (anything PIC specific) you’re rolling, as when you declare what device you use, it handles everything else. But some people beg to differ.. I guess it's also in the development suit you choose.

There’s no need to re-invent the wheel and develop all your own routines that would at the end of the day perform a minor fraction of what’s available with a development tool, and Proton+ is one of the compilers that is forging its way to be the best development suite available. That said, assembly would teach you a few things about the inner working of the PIC micro that I doubt you would consider with the simplicity of basic.

gramo said:

That said, assembly would teach you a few things about the inner working of the PIC micro that I doubt you would consider with the simplicity of basic.

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That's why a working knowledge of assembler is important, BASIC insulates you from the hardware, assembler forces you to understand it. The lack of hardware understanding seriously restricts what you can do in BASIC, because you don't understand why it does what it does, and why it doesn't do what you wanted it to (if that makes sense?).

I have every intention of learning assembler. compared with hi level languages the 35 odd instructions are very simple. and extremely long winded.

i suppose it is like writting my name with a pen. my hi level instruction is
WRITE YOUR NAME

in assembler this becomes
pick up pen
move pen 2mm left
move pen 1mm down
move pen 3mm riht
etc etc

and in machine code just to move the pen 2mm left
increase tension in muscle group 1
increase muscle tension in muscle group 2
reduce muscle tension in third tendon little finger
call feedback optical system
loop until
etc etc

grim said:

i suppose it is like writting my name with a pen. my hi level instruction is
WRITE YOUR NAME

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To carry that analogy further, the problem occurs because BASIC doesn't know what a pen is, and neither do you, because you've never seen one and don't know what it does!

Nigel Goodwin said:

To carry that analogy further, the problem occurs because BASIC doesn't know what a pen is, and neither do you, because you've never seen one and don't know what it does!

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surely it's the other way round, as THE programmer of WRITENAME I know what a pen is, what paper is and what my name is

However i have absolutely no understanding of muscle control.

I can look at my fingers and i can hear the command MOVE FINGERS in my head and nothing happens at all.

or i can just [movemyfingers] and have no idea how it works!