Mplab Sim

[steelman]

Hi everyone! Let me start by saying that I'm new to PIC, I have done some programing VB, C, C++, and some others. I have written a program in MCSP, it appears to compile fine. I then loaded the *.hex file in to MPLab and started the simulator with simulator logic analyzer, and stimulus. When if fire an input nothig changes, and it some times crashes, is there a trick to get it to work right? Or is there a better way of checking out a program before building the circut and programing a chip?

[paul borgmeier]

show us your code - otherwise the sky is the limit for guesses as to why you are having issues

[steelman]

this go in a car, it plays a sound track and flashes some leds with the sound track. It also lights the leds with the head lights and flashes them with the turn signals. there are two diffrent way it plays the soundtrack dependingon rather the car is running or not. I have to make the circut board for this as well so I need to know that this runs correctly so the PCB will work or if I need to change the PCB. That's where MPLAB SIM comes in, But I can't get it to work. I have till mid june to have everything complete and instaled in the car for a national show, that is design and make the PCB program the PIC and the sound track, put it all together and instal it. BTW I'm using a 16F628 chip.

'Declared variables
PLAYOUT var PORTA.0
RESET VAR PORTA.1
CAT_EYE_l VAR PORTA.2
CAT_EYE_R VAR PORTA.3
ARMED VAR PORTA.4
ACC VAR PORTB.0
LIGHTS VAR PORTB.1
TURN_L VAR PORTB.2
TURN_R VAR PORTB.3
PIR VAR PORTB.4
PUSH_BUTTON VAR PORTB.5
WAITOUT VAR PORTB.7

'DEFINE PORT DIRECTIONS & VALUES
TRISA = %11111111
TRISB = %11000000 'portb.6 and .7 out puts all others in put
'================================================= ==============================
'///////set initial pin states/////////////////////////
'================================================= ==============================
LOW PLAYOUT
LOW RESET
LOW CAT_EYE_L
LOW CAT_EYE_R
LOW ARMED
HIGH WAITOUT
'================================================= ==============================
'////////MAIN PROGRAM STARTS HERE//////////////
'================================================= ==============================
Pause 30000
LOW WAITOUT
HIGH ARMED
'================================================= ==============================
'///////MAIN LOOP STARTS HERE
'================================================= ==============================
MAIN:
IF ACC = 1 THEN
GOSUB RUN
ELSE
GOSUB SHOW
ENDIF
GOTO MAIN
'================================================= ==============================
'RUN LOOP STARTS HERE
'================================================= ==============================
RUN:

IF LIGHTS = 1 THEN
HIGH CAT_EYE_L
HIGH CAT_EYE_R
ELSE
LOW CAT_EYE_L
LOW CAT_EYE_R
ENDIF
IF PUSH_BUTTON = 1 THEN
GOSUB PLAY
HIGH ARMED
LOW WAITOUT
ENDIF
GOSUB TURN
RETURN
'================================================= ==============================
'SHOW LOOP STARTS HERE
'================================================= ==============================
SHOW:
IF PIR = 1 THEN
LOW ARMED
HIGH WAITOUT
GOSUB PLAY
PAUSE 60000
LOW WAITOUT
HIGH ARMED
ENDIF
RETURN
'================================================= ==============================
'PLAY STARTS HERE
'================================================= ==============================
PLAY:
LOW ARMED
HIGH WAITOUT

HIGH CAT_EYE_L
HIGH CAT_EYE_R

PulsOut RESET,10
Pause 100

PulsOut PLAYOUT,10
Pause 820

LOW CAT_EYE_L
LOW CAT_EYE_R
Pause 50

HIGH CAT_EYE_L
HIGH CAT_EYE_R
Pause 2550

LOW CAT_EYE_L
LOW CAT_EYE_R
Pause 50

HIGH CAT_EYE_L
HIGH CAT_EYE_R
Pause 5500

LOW CAT_EYE_L
LOW CAT_EYE_R
RETURN
'================================================= ==============================
'TURN STARTS HERE
'================================================= ==============================
TURN:
IF LIGHTS = 1 THEN
IF TURN_L = 1 THEN
LOW CAT_EYE_L
ELSE
HIGH CAT_EYE_L
ENDIF
IF TURN_R = 1 THEN
LOW CAT_EYE_R
ELSE
HIGH CAT_EYE_R
ENDIF
ELSE
IF TURN_L = 1 THEN
HIGH CAT_EYE_L
ELSE
LOW CAT_EYE_L
ENDIF
IF TURN_R = 1 THEN
HIGH CAT_EYE_R
ELSE
LOW CAT_EYE_R
ENDIF
ENDIF
RETURN

[Acetronics2]

Hi,

The first thing I see is you have mixed inputs and outputs ...

ex; if PIR = 1 then ... etc.etc. ... and PIR is declared as an output ( possible ... but really surprising here !!! )

same for "lights" ...

Begin by checking all your I/0 declares ... ( 0 for OUTPUT and 1 for Input = simple !!! )

Alain

[steelman]

That is " if pir is high then...", same with the lights "if lights high then...".
Or have I done something wrong?

[Acetronics2]

Hi,

I've just tried to explain you you were reading your outputs instead of the inputs ...

Of course, MPSIM has some trouble with that !!!

Alain

[skimask]

Hi,
I've just tried to explain you you were reading your outputs instead of the inputs ...
Of course, MPSIM has some trouble with that !!!
Alain

The HIGH and LOW commands automatically set the respective pins to outputs....but the few input statement still won't work....

Also, PIR is a named register on PICs. You might not want to use that name for a variable. Might mess you up in the future. Same with RESET (could be confused with the MCLR function somewhere sometime) and ACC (some might confuse that with Accumulator).

[Acetronics2]

Hi, Skimask

the "reserved word" is PIR1 ... then, no Pb with PIR.


Now look at output initialisation :

- the named outputs are declared as inputs in the TRIS ... and vice-versa.

Alain

[skimask]

Hi, Skimask
the "reserved word" is PIR1 ... then, no Pb with PIR.

Now look at output initialisation :
- the named outputs are declared as inputs in the TRIS ... and vice-versa.

Alain

PIR - just pointing the PIR out as well as the others for future reference, something that might cause a problem in the future.

I/O - yep, noticed that right away, but you got to it first :)

[Acetronics2]

Hi, Skimask

You know what ???

I really DO HATE "tuning" ....

LOL

Alain

[paul borgmeier]

More to try

1)Turn the Comparators OFF to get PORTA to work as intended

2)
TRISA = %11111111 You set all of PORTA inputs here but make them outputs in your code

3)
TRISB = %11000000 'portb.6 and .7 out puts all others in put You got the comment backwards (0=output, 1 = Input)

4)Remember RA4 is open drain so it needs a pullup on your real circuit

5)
Oh, and it it were me, I would start with this and make this work with the Simulator


TRISB=1
MAIN:
IF PORTB.0 = 1 then
PORTB.1=1
ELSE
PORTB.1=0
ENDIF
GOTO MAIN
Post back after you try some of these

[steelman]

I have made these changes:
1 trisa is now %00000000
2 trisb is now %00111111
3 pir is now pirin this should reduse any confusition.
Would this be correct? I will later change armed from porta.4 to portb.6 to not have to use a pull up resister and reduse current draw to a min.

[skimask]

I really DO HATE "tuning" ....
Alain

I think I missed something in the translation...

[steelman]

Now that i have the input output thing fixed, I have determined that the program is hanging in the "pause" statments, is there a trick to get thes to work? I changed them to "pauseus" and everything seem to be perfict. Thank you to all that help this noobe.

[Acetronics2]

Now that i have the input output thing fixed, I have determined that the program is hanging in the "pause" statments, is there a trick to get thes to work? I changed them to "pauseus" and everything seem to be perfict. Thank you to all that help this noobe.


Hi,

your answer is in the FAQs ... MPSIM is a simulator, yes ... but not a REAL TIME simulator !!!

See MPSIM Help section will show you that ... in official details.

Time to understand the difference between simulated world and real World ... LOL !

Alain

[skimask]

I have determined that the program is hanging in the "pause" statments, is there a trick to get thes to work? I changed them to "pauseus" and everything seem to be perfict. Thank you to all that help this noobe.

Is it actually hanging up in the pause statement in the sim or is MPSIM just simulating them really slowly? Try changing the pause statements in the program to something a lot lower than you have and see what happens.