byte compression

[Norbert]

Thanks for the suggestions, Skimask and SteveB.
I'll try your code, Skimask, and see if it works. Would it save any code space on the PIC (compared to my original code?)

The application logs data at very irregular intervals, from seconds to days. So SteveB's suggestion would require three bytes (or at least 21 bits anyway): two bytes for the seconds since the last incident, and 5 bits for the number of days since the last incident (and I think I would only count seconds up to 12 hours, then increment a half-day counter). A couple of bytes saved, but two different time data formats in the EEPROM: the initial time stamp, and then the incremented offsets, and post-processing required for the data.
I think I'll stick with time stamps on each event.

Norbert

[skimask]

Thanks for the suggestions, Skimask and SteveB.
I'll try your code, Skimask, and see if it works. Would it save any code space on the PIC (compared to my original code?)

I'm not sure if it'll save any code space, and it does make it a bit harder to read. About the only thing it will save for sure it space on the screen while you're looking at it.

I think I'll stick with time stamps on each event.
Norbert

There ya go. Sometimes it's a lot easier to stick with something a bit wasteful and make the hardware take up the slack (i.e. a larger eeprom or more of them)...