Microcontroller book?

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Wond3rboy

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i am a starter at ucontroller so starting with the 89c51. then i will upgrade to pic.what book should i be using? presently i am using one from Mazidi.also how i should approach it? like hardware oriented i-e do hardware along side theory or first do theory and then move on to hard ware?
 
Well, once you've learned one flavor of assembly language, the rest are easy. They're all very similar, and you can pick up a new CPU assembler very quickly once you understand the fundamentals. I started out in the early 80's in Motorola 6809 assembly language. After that I went to Zilog Z-80, Motorola 68000, Motorola 68030, Intel 80x86, Microchip PICs, Atmel AVRs, Motorola 68HC11/12's and others that I've forgotten. All were just kind of more of the same, only a bit different, after the 6809.

I believe it's best to learn an assembly language first and then move to C if you want. Having the assembler knowledge makes you a better C programmer. C is quicker and easier to do stuff in than asm. And it's universal. There's C compilers for virtually every computer there is.

C is also very portable, meaning you can take code written on one machine and (usually) with fairly minor changes, get it to run on a totally different machine. This is especially true for a family of chips like the PICs. Write it for one chip and it'll run with only minor changes on almost any PIC. Try that with assembler!
 
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hi,
I think 'futz' post sums up my intended response.

I know some of my fellow members will be on my case, but I would advise anyone starting to program,
is to learn assembler first.
When you move onto the 'C' language you will have an insight into the what the PIC/program is actually doing,
by using your assembler knowledge.
 
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hi Eric, hope you are able to reply.i had finished doing ds89c45x chips and have done the general theory of the pic microcontroller.since i see everywhere that 16f84 is obsolete and a few advices for the 18f1320 as a starter so i wanted to ask that should i do the specific code part in the book that you posted because i am not going to do it in hardware.i am half way thru my Junebug clone but not making the tutor part which i guess will not be a problem cause i can do the connectons(most likely).If you say to stop where i am so what am i supposed to do for doing the 18f1320.

PS:Very long? i know but sorry.If you have any other pics that i should be working on then please specify their names also so i can get them all in one go.

Thanks
 
will someone reply?

Depends what you want to go for, the 18F example is fine if you want 18F series - if you want a more basic processor the 16F series are a simpler bet - with the 16F628A, a replacement for the old 16F84, or the 16F88, which is a really 'souped up' version of the 84, with many extra facilities.
 
A good book I found when I started learning the PIC micro basics, is the "The PIC Microcontroller, Your personal Introductory Course" by John Morton. isbn 0750666641. I found it quite good as a reference when I was doing some of my first adc work and lcd stuff. It contains alot of "ready to use" code, albeit for different pics ranging from 12F to 16F , but it's easy to modify.

Another useful reference for anyone suffering with LCD usage, based on the HD44780 was the EPE mag's article in '97 about interfacing this LCD with the PIC.
uploaded here: https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2008/10/lcd1.pdf and https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2008/10/lcd2.pdf

If your starting with the PIC's, best to start with the 16F series. As their powerful, have lots of features and easier code than the 18F. (few tricky bits with them i'v found, but newer features eg usb)

Hope this helps.
 
Here you have plenty of choice:

Books

Remember, a book is not enough. You should have some real hardware (development board or something) to experiment with. And if you have problems or questions don't forget to ask Google. Good luck!
 
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