Re: im new and confuzed.
One good way to program a PIC is to use an external programmer called a PICkit2 produced by Microchip. MELabs also makes a programmer module.
One MAJOR difference between a raw PIC microcontroller and a Basic Stamp module is that you have to set up each of the pins you want to use as an input, output, analog input, pulse width modulated output, etc. using the PIC registers. You will find out about these registers by reading the associated data sheet for the PIC you are wanting to use. These registers and the capability to define what each pin will do also make the PIC MUCH, MUCH more powerful and capable than the Stamp. They (PIC microcontrollers) are also MUCH cheaper, say $2 instead of $49, than the Stamp.
You might want to take a look at some of the example programs listed in the "projects" section on the home page of this forum (left side). Like > this < article (one I authored 
) about communicating with "one-wire" temperature sensors. You can also see the PICkit2 programmer in the article.
By studying others code examples you can see how they set up the various pins and registers on the PIC.
These registers can be overwhelming at first... you MUST have the datasheet for the PIC available to reference the register names and bits in order to correctly configure them in your program.
good luck and don't give up!
Dwight
These PIC's are like intricate puzzles just waiting for one to discover their secrets and MASTER their capabilities.
Originally Posted by gadelhas
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