Making a timer, 32.768kHz+555+DT_INT. Good idea?

[Bruce]

With Timer1 you'll normally want to stop it, add in your reload value to the existing count (+ whatever time is involved for instructions after stopping it), then restart it. This can throw you off if you're not right on.

This could be a lot easier with Timer2 since it gets automatically reset - so you don't need to mess with reloading the timer.

Here's an example that keeps spot-on with my PC time clock to the second;

DEFINE OSC 4  ' using a 4MHz crystal
 
' setup vars for clock
Time    VAR BYTE   ' accumulates TMR2 to PR2 match counts
Minutes VAR BYTE   ' minutes
Hours   VAR BYTE   ' hours
Seconds VAR BYTE
Match   VAR PIR1.1 ' TMR2 to PR2 match interrupt flag bit
 
CMCON = 7          ' disable comparators
INTCON = 0         ' not using interupts. Just monitoring int flag bits
 
Time = 0           ' clear TMR2 to PR2 match counter
Hours = 11         ' set clock starting hour here
Minutes = 52       ' set clock starting minutes here
Seconds = 0
 
PR2 = 249           ' 249 +1 extra cycle for TMR2 reset = 250*5*16*1uS=20mS
Match = 0           ' clear match flag
 
' setup & start TMR2
T2CON = %00100110   ' 1:5 postscale, 1:16 prescale, TMR2 on
 
Main:
   ' every 20mS the TMR2IF flag is set, and this routine is entered.
   ' Plenty of time to do other stuff.
   IF Match THEN          ' has TMR2 matched PR2? (should happen every 20mS)
      Match = 0           ' yes. clear TMR2 to PR2 match flag bit
      Time = Time + 1     ' increment 20mS count     
      IF Time = 50 THEN   ' 50 x 20mS = 1 second
         Time = 0         ' show time in 1 second intervals
         HSEROUT ["Time = ", DEC2 Hours,":",DEC2 Minutes,":",DEC2 Seconds,13,10]
         Seconds = Seconds + 1
      ENDIF    
      IF Seconds = 60 THEN     ' has 60 seconds passed?
         Seconds = 0
         Minutes = Minutes + 1 ' increment minute count
         IF Minutes = 60 THEN  ' have 60 minutes passed?
            Minutes = 0        ' yes. roll-over minutes 00
            Hours = Hours + 1  ' update hours
            IF Hours = 24 THEN Hours = 0 ' roll-over hours from 24 to 00
         ENDIF ' end IF Minutes = 60                
      ENDIF    ' end IF Seconds = 60
   ENDIF       ' end IF Match
 
   GOTO Main
   END

Of course you'll want a 4MHz osc that's right on the money if you need really precise timing.

[Darrel Taylor]

Of course you'll want a 4MHz osc that's right on the money if you need really precise timing.

He's using a 32768 crystal for the primary OSC.

[Bruce]

Not a great idea with PBP since it doesn't support a 32,768 primary osc, but it could still work with;

Load PR2 with 31. Set TMR2 prescaler & postscaler to 16. That would give you 1 second per match period.

Try this with your sim program;

' setup vars for clock
Time    VAR BYTE   ' accumulates TMR2 to PR2 match counts
Minutes VAR BYTE   ' minutes
Hours   VAR BYTE   ' hours
Seconds VAR BYTE
 
Match   VAR PIR1.1 ' TMR2 to PR2 match interrupt flag bit
 
CMCON = 7          ' disable comparators
INTCON = 0         ' not using interupts. Just monitoring int flag bits
 
Time = 0           ' clear TMR2 to PR2 match counter
Hours = 11         ' set clock starting hour here
Minutes = 52       ' set clock starting minutes here
Seconds = 0
 
PR2 = 31           ' 31 +1 extra cycle for TMR2 reset = 1/8192*256*32=1 second
Match = 0           ' clear match flag
 
' setup & start TMR2
T2CON = %01111110   ' 1:16 prescale, 1:16 postscale, TMR2 on
TRISB.0 = 0
PORTB.0 = 0
 
Main:
   ' every 1S the TMR2IF flag is set, and this routine is entered.
   ' Plenty of time to do other stuff.
   IF Match THEN          ' has TMR2 matched PR2? (should happen every 20mS)
      Match = 0           ' yes. clear TMR2 to PR2 match flag bit
      TOGGLE 0            ' toggles RB0 at ~1 second intervals
      Seconds = Seconds + 1 
      IF Seconds = 60 THEN     ' has 60 seconds passed?
         Seconds = 0
         Minutes = Minutes + 1 ' increment minute count
         IF Minutes = 60 THEN  ' have 60 minutes passed?
            Minutes = 0        ' yes. roll-over minutes 00
            Hours = Hours + 1  ' update hours
            IF Hours = 24 THEN Hours = 0 ' roll-over hours from 24 to 00
         ENDIF ' end IF Minutes = 60                
      ENDIF    ' end IF Seconds = 60
   ENDIF       ' end IF Match
 
   GOTO Main
   END

[financecatalyst]

Thanks everyone.
@Bruce - You are not using DT_INT in your sample code. Would it be possible to use these settings when using DT_INT. Because what you are doing in main, in my code it is done in ISR, because code also has sub_routines to look after, it will not stay in main all the time.

[Bruce]

Yes. They can definitely be used with DT_INTs. I was just trying to show you that with Timer2/PR2 match you don't need to reload any timer values. Timer2 interrupts for sure work with DT_INTs.

Any interrupt the PIC has should.

[financecatalyst]

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate the intention to help. But I think I have to give up on using timer for my purposes. Luckily I laid my hands on few DS1307, got them only for £0.55 each which is surely not what I expected them to cost (Everywhere I saw they were min £2-£2.50). They will be with me in few days time. Until then I will be using Proteus.

For this I will start a new thread. Thanks again for the above answers.