UPC EETAC Bachelor's Degree in Telecommunications Systems and in Network Engineering EEL

Legacy tools: Microchip ICD3/PICkit3  in-circuit debugger

Legacy

(1) Dual_MUX_4      (2) Counter_BCD_1digit      (3) Adder_BCD_1digit      (4) Counter_mod1572

Prototype specifications Planning Development and Test & Measurements

Let us adapt the circuit represented in Fig. 1 to the PICDEM2 board for the target chips: PIC18F4520. Specifications and ideas in LAB9.

Truth table

Fig. 1. Symbol and truth table.

  

Prototype specifications Planning Development and Test & Measurements

This project is planned step by step in LAB9.

We will use the Windows 7 virtual machine with an older installation of MPLAB-X IDE and XC8 compiler. We choose the programmer tool simply as an option in the project.

Project location:

C:\CSD\LEGACY\Dual_MUX_4\PICDEM2p\(files)

 

Prototype specifications Planning Development and Test & Measurements

This project is developed in LAB9.

 The same example (hardware and software source C code) for three microcontrollers:

Example 1: Board Picdem2+, target microcontroller: PIC18F4520, tools: MPLAB X + XC8 + Proteus + PicKit 3 in circuit debugger/programmer.

PicDem2Plus

virtual board

PICDEM2 simulated in Proteus-VSM

Board with PIC18F4520

Demo default for the PIC16F877 (old board)

ICD3 programmer

ICD3 programmer

PICkit3

ICD programmer

 

(1) Dual_MUX_4      (2) Counter_BCD_1digit      (3) Adder_BCD_1digit      (4) Counter_mod1572

Prototype specifications Planning Development and Test & Measurements

Let us adapt the circuit represented in Fig. 1 to the PICDEM2 board for the target chips: PIC18F4520.

Symbols and function table

Fig. 1. Symbol and function table as studied in Chapter 2.

Design phase #1: Basic counter

Design phase #2: Basic counter with LCD

Design phase #3: Basic counter with LCD and TMR0

 

Prototype specifications Planning Development and Test & Measurements

Design phase #1: Basic counter planned step by step in LAB10.

Design phase #2: Basic counter with LCD planned in

Design phase #3: Basic counter with LCD and TMR0

 

 

Prototype specifications Planning Development and Test & Measurements

This project is developed step by step in LAB10.

 Board PICDEM2plus, target microcontroller: PIC18F4520, tools: MPLAB X + XC8 + Proteus + Pickit3 or ICD3 debugger/programmer.

We can use the prototyping area for soldering push-buttons, switches and LED. 

Project location:

C:\CSD\LEGACY\Counter_BCD_1digit\PICDEM2p\(files)

PICDEM2 prototype

Fig. 2. Prototype built on a PICDEM2 board.

The complete project Counter_BCD_1digit.zip.

 

Example 2: Board PICDEM, target microcontroller: PIC18F46K22, tools: MPLAB X + XC8 + Proteus + MPLAB SNAP in-circuit debugger/programmer

We can try the same experiment using another target board  and developing resources. Fig. 1 shows the adaptations for connecting a similar microcontroller. The hardware circuit "Counter_BCD_1digit.pdsprj" and the source file Counter_BCD_1digit.c so that we can pay attention on how to initialise configuration bits and ports for this specific target microcontroller PIC18F46K22.

Circuit using the PIC18F46K22

Fig. 1. Circuit connecting the PIC18F46K22.

We can program and debug the circuit as we did already did in Proteus. Fig. 2 shows the setup using the MPLAB SNAP.

Adapting the Snap to the target board

Fig. 2. Laboratory setup to verify our design.

The prototyping are is quite limited, thus, is is a good idea is to make a target PCB connected through the expansion 40-pin connector. In this way the same PICDEM can be used repeatedly with different shields or protoboards to verify application circuits.

 

Example 3: Board Explorer 8, target microcontroller: PIC18F4520, tools: MPLAB X + XC8 + Proteus + PicKit 3 in circuit debugger/programmer.

The same project but changing the pins to adapt to port connections as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. 

Project location:

C:\CSD\LEGACY\Counter_BCD_1digit\Exp8\(files)

Hardware circuit

Fig. 1. Microcontroller pins for Explorer 8 board. Button S1 will generate external CLK interrupts.  Button S2 will be CE_L control input. Schematic for COSC and MCRL_L are also represented pasted from the board's user manual.

reset circuit and OSC
Switches and LED

The schematic connections are different thus hardware functions read_inputs() and write_outptuts() have to be modified accordingly. This is the advantage of programming the application using our style, only minor adaptations are necessary when changing prototyping platforms. This is the adapted project counter_BCD_1digit.pdsprj and counter_BCD_1digit.c.

The design can be also emulated in hardware using for instance ICD 3 tool monitoring variables, breakpoints, watch windows, etc.

Explorer 8 board application prototype

Fig. 2. Prototype built on Explorer 8 board.

Instrument such Analog Discovery 2 or VB8012 may be used to drive CLK signal using the waveform generator and measuring outputs connecting the logic analyser.

 

(1) Dual_MUX_4      (2) Counter_BCD_1digit      (3) Adder_BCD_1digit      (4) Counter_mod1572

Prototype specifications Planning Development and Test & Measurements

Let us adapt the circuit represented in Fig. 1 to the PICDEM2 board for the target chips: PIC18F4520.

Symbol and truth table

Fig 1. Symbol of the 1-digit BCD adder indicating the port pins where to connect input and outputs.  

 
Prototype specifications Planning Development and Test & Measurements

This project is planned step by step in P9.

 

 

Prototype specifications Planning Development and Test & Measurements

This project is developed step by step in P9.

 

Example 1: Board Picdem2+, target microcontroller: PIC18F4520, tools: MPLAB X + XC8 + Proteus + + legacy PICkit3 in-circuit debugger-programmer.

PicDem2Plus

Fig. 1. PICDEM2+ board to be used with a PIC18F4520 chip. Expansion connectors or prototyping area can be used to connect switches and LED.

Note on peripheral libraries. To solve projects involving specialised and complex peripherals you have to rely on external libraries, and there are a variety of them for the same purpose, depending as well on the C compiler. For instance, when installing the PLIBS for the XC8 compiler you can access to a variety of libraries including enhanced LCD functions (XLCD). Try this example circuit where all the required functions and header files from PLIBs are copied in the project folder allowing you to compile and run.

 

Example 2: Board Explorer 8, target microcontroller: PIC18F4520, tools: MPLAB X + XC8 + Proteus + legacy PICkit3 in-circuit debugger-programmer.

 

(1) Dual_MUX_4      (2) Counter_BCD_1digit      (3) Adder_BCD_1digit      (4) Counter_mod1572

Prototype specifications Planning Development and Test & Measurements

 

Board PICDEM, target microcontroller: PIC18F46K22. Tools: MPLAB X + XC8 + Proteus MPLAB SNAP in-circuit debugger/programmer.

Prototyping tools

Fig. 1. (update) Basic elements for prototyping a microcontroller application. For new MPLAB X IDE versions, legacy tools and some target mC chips are no longer supported, thus you can choose the programmer/debugger to be ICD5 or PICkit 5 or MPLAB SNAP.