Hello!
I'm a seasoned embedded programmer looking into getting his hands dirty in board design with a slight chance of getting horribly electrocuted.
Since i have much experience with PICs (in the software aspect) I decided to use them as a starting point (though i must admit their cuteness was also a factor in my decision). Anyways, i've read TONS of tutorials and have cross referenced many schematics. Unfortunately the majority of "getting started" guides ignore the in circuit debugging facilities completely - i understand that this adds complexity and might frighten a newbie, but i can't see myself working without a source level debugger, even as a first step.
Also, since i am going to develop code and build boards, there is a 100% chance i will fry MCUs or incorrectly wire up a peripheral. To help me isolate issues, i want a pre-built test bed to test discrete MCUs in the form of a board i will order from microchip that allows plugging in MCUs and running code on them (for example, i will use this to check that the PICkit2 + MPLab + compiler environment work well as a first step). The expensive route is to get a PICDEM2 + ICD2 (250$ - this was what i worked on when i developed for PIC) but since i don't want to dip into the crack fund, i am opting for a cheap(er) PICkit 2 + 18 pin demo board + PIC16F819 which should cost about 65$ total. Reading some forums showed that there no difference between the ICD2 and PICKit2 debugging facilities for PIC16F/18F. This is good.
Anyways, a few threads back Nigel Goodwin posted a schematic for ICSP connectivity. Reading the PICKit2 user guide i see there is no mention of extra wiring between ICSP and ICD. Therefore i assume that with the same schematic i will be able to download and debug code via PICkit2 and MPLAB.
As my first project i want to build a simple LED light flasher thingie with a regulated power supply.
Therefore, my to-buy list is:
[for testing code]
- PICkit 2
- 18 pin demo board
- PIC16F819
[for my board]
- Breadboard
- Jumper wires (Which guage is recommended?)
- PIC16F819
- Some LEDs and resistors for current limiting
- All components in Nigel's schematic
-- I see most people buy a crystal and two capacitors instead of a ceramic resonator which has this in one easy to swallow package. Why is this?
-- What do i need to know about the capacitors/resistors in terms of voltage specification, wattage, etc. I'm sure there are a million types of 10k resistors. If someone could give exact model numbers that i can reference - that would be best
- An ICSP header to connect the PICKit 2 to the breadboard. Any suggestions?
- Are my points in bold correct?
Thanks!
I'm a seasoned embedded programmer looking into getting his hands dirty in board design with a slight chance of getting horribly electrocuted.
Since i have much experience with PICs (in the software aspect) I decided to use them as a starting point (though i must admit their cuteness was also a factor in my decision). Anyways, i've read TONS of tutorials and have cross referenced many schematics. Unfortunately the majority of "getting started" guides ignore the in circuit debugging facilities completely - i understand that this adds complexity and might frighten a newbie, but i can't see myself working without a source level debugger, even as a first step.
Also, since i am going to develop code and build boards, there is a 100% chance i will fry MCUs or incorrectly wire up a peripheral. To help me isolate issues, i want a pre-built test bed to test discrete MCUs in the form of a board i will order from microchip that allows plugging in MCUs and running code on them (for example, i will use this to check that the PICkit2 + MPLab + compiler environment work well as a first step). The expensive route is to get a PICDEM2 + ICD2 (250$ - this was what i worked on when i developed for PIC) but since i don't want to dip into the crack fund, i am opting for a cheap(er) PICkit 2 + 18 pin demo board + PIC16F819 which should cost about 65$ total. Reading some forums showed that there no difference between the ICD2 and PICKit2 debugging facilities for PIC16F/18F. This is good.
Anyways, a few threads back Nigel Goodwin posted a schematic for ICSP connectivity. Reading the PICKit2 user guide i see there is no mention of extra wiring between ICSP and ICD. Therefore i assume that with the same schematic i will be able to download and debug code via PICkit2 and MPLAB.
As my first project i want to build a simple LED light flasher thingie with a regulated power supply.
Therefore, my to-buy list is:
[for testing code]
- PICkit 2
- 18 pin demo board
- PIC16F819
[for my board]
- Breadboard
- Jumper wires (Which guage is recommended?)
- PIC16F819
- Some LEDs and resistors for current limiting
- All components in Nigel's schematic
-- I see most people buy a crystal and two capacitors instead of a ceramic resonator which has this in one easy to swallow package. Why is this?
-- What do i need to know about the capacitors/resistors in terms of voltage specification, wattage, etc. I'm sure there are a million types of 10k resistors. If someone could give exact model numbers that i can reference - that would be best
- An ICSP header to connect the PICKit 2 to the breadboard. Any suggestions?
- Are my points in bold correct?
Thanks!