PIC16F88 senior design

[AlaskanEE]

I'm not sure what little green book you're refering to. The PICBasic pro program is installed in the school computers, thus there is no manual to look at. I've gone online and looked up the manual so I'm assuming that's what you're refering to. I'm a circuits electrical engineer and thus have never worked with programming or microcontrollers, no classes were ever offered so I'm just learning this simply for my senior design. Keep in mind I'm taking 16 other hours, have a part time job am on two sports teams, and am in multiple organizations on campous so I don't have oodles and oodles of time to devote to reading resources on the subject that I have to look up raondomly on the internet. For senior design they allow your groups to choose a project and run with it, they won't hold your hand anymore so I'm just trying to use the resources out there for help. I know I don't know much about these topics and I've read the PICBasic manual I found online and I've looked through the datasheet, but honestly since I've never had any help or classes on any of this stuff most of what they talk about is beyond me without me spending more time to research the research. Hopefully that helps a bit with where I'm coming from, also despite the preceeding ranting I'm extremly thankfull for the help I've recieved so far on this forum, I know you're using your time to help someone that you don't even know so thank you. I know we're not using RS232 to communicate by the way. So the 16F88 doesn't have it's own internal oscilating crystal. Is there any way to get around creating an external oscilating circuit or is that a must? Also I know PAUSE 10 doesn't pause for ten seconds, I just thought you might need a breif pause between sending the first hexadecimal command to the LCD and the second. Can I just send one right after the other with no break?

[mackrackit]

Keep in mind I'm taking 16 other hours, have a part time job am on two sports teams, and am in multiple organizations on campous so I don't have oodles and oodles of time to devote to reading resources on the subject that I have to look up raondomly on the internet.

Are you trying to make us feel sorry for you? It is not working. Ever think about priorities? The time spent playing(sports) could be spent on learning.

External oscillating circuit is a must. The data sheet gives several examples. I like the crystals with built in caps, one part top do the job and the 20Mhz is cheap.

I just thought you might need a breif pause between sending the first hexadecimal command to the LCD and the second. Can I just send one right after the other with no break?

Normally I would say no, but with out knowing exactly which module you are using I can not look up the DATA sheet to give you a good answer.

Fix the things Shimask pointed out, do some more reading and get back to us if you still need help.

[skimask]

I'm not sure what little green book you're refering to. The PICBasic pro program is installed in the school computers, thus there is no manual to look at.

That right there sounds a bit fishy to me...ok...a LOT fishy...

For senior design they allow your groups to choose a project and run with it, they won't hold your hand anymore so I'm just trying to use the resources out there for help.

Well, don't expect me (I can't speak for 'us') to hold you hand, but I expect the sentiment is the same.

I'm extremly thankfull for the help I've recieved so far on this forum

Thankful doesn't pay the bills...BUT...if you learn, then usually that's enough, 'cause the more you learn, the less you ask.

So the 16F88 doesn't have it's own internal oscilating crystal.

It doesn't? Maybe I've got a different version of the 16F88.

[AlaskanEE]

The reason there is no green book is because the university bought the lisence for the PICBasic Pro software for only three computers in the lab(the program isn't on any of the other computers), the manual probably is somewhere in the university, but since it's a large campous I'm at a loss to know where it is, simply it's not inside the lab anymore. So if it got missplaced or taken I don't know. Also I am thankful for the help, I was under the impression that this was an open forum for the exchange of ideas and to help those that need help with the knowlege you have. Thus I can only offer my thanks, if this is some form of a forum that requires money I will remove myself so as to no longer leach off of it. Also there have allready been two insults to my university posted, and I truly love my university, please try to avoid using replies that imply my university is sub-par and trying to cheat the system. I mean no disrespect to anyone, I'm just trying to use the resources around me to get this done. The only reason I'm even doing any programming is because no one else in the group wanted to step up, so I did. Programming isn't part of my major, nor have I ever done it, I'm just trying to finish my part. If this forum isn't supposed to be used to ask questions, I'm sorry for my posting I didn't mean to do anything wrong.

[skimask]

Whoa...ease up there Sparky...
Ya gotta figure...somebody comes on-line, asking questions which should be obvious 'cause they're in the manul, says there is no manual, is doing some sort of senior project at a University... Again, it all sounds fishy to me...but that's not the point...
The posts I've given here are MINE...nobody's else, just mine and only mine. Don't take my 'opinions' as the rules around here. There may be people around here that are a lot more giving than I am, good for them. I look for a bit of 'one hand washes the other' type thing. You ask a question, I give you the answer, hopefully that answer can lead you to other answers, so you don't have to ask as many questions.

As a 'for instance'...you stated in post #4 that the 16F88 doesn't have an internal oscillating crystal. Well, you would've known that the 16F88 had it's own internal oscillator block that can run at a number of speeds if you'd have read the datasheet, and not even read it, but at least skimmed over it fairly well.
That's the kind of thing I'm talking about...the blatently obvious question that could've been avoided by the least bit of 'research'. And there ya go...

So...after you have taken my advice written in post #3 into account and have made some changes to your code. Recompile the code, work the hardware, try it out, and let us know what's up...

[T.Jackson]

Whoa...ease up there Sparky...
Ya gotta figure...somebody comes on-line, asking questions which should be obvious 'cause they're in the manul, says there is no manual, is doing some sort of senior project at a University... Again, it all sounds fishy to me...but that's not the point...
The posts I've given here are MINE...nobody's else, just mine and only mine. Don't take my 'opinions' as the rules around here. There may be people around here that are a lot more giving than I am, good for them. I look for a bit of 'one hand washes the other' type thing. You ask a question, I give you the answer, hopefully that answer can lead you to other answers, so you don't have to ask as many questions.

As a 'for instance'...you stated in post #4 that the 16F88 doesn't have an internal oscillating crystal. Well, you would've known that the 16F88 had it's own internal oscillator block that can run at a number of speeds if you'd have read the datasheet, and not even read it, but at least skimmed over it fairly well.
That's the kind of thing I'm talking about...the blatently obvious question that could've been avoided by the least bit of 'research'. And there ya go...

So...after you have taken my advice written in post #3 into account and have made some changes to your code. Recompile the code, work the hardware, try it out, and let us know what's up...

I'm convinced that someone comes to this forum looking to strike up arguments.

[skimask]

I'm convinced that someone comes to this forum looking to strike up arguments.

Yep...that's my only function...
Actually, here's my only function:

nuffsaid var bit : nuffsaid = 1
Argument var bit : Argument = 0
blatentlyobvious var bit : blatentlyobvious = 0

main:
argument = 1
if argument then
gosub skimask
endif
goto main

skimask:
blatentlyobvious = nuffsaid
return

Any questions?

[mackrackit]

I think sometimes you might need to use WORD size VAR.

blatentlyobvious var bit : blatentlyobvious = 0

Check the DATA sheet, bit is not big enough.

[dhouston]

I'm convinced that someone comes to this forum looking to strike up arguments.

Some forums allow members to create an Ignore List so they don't have to read posts from unhelpful misfits.

[skimask]

Some forums allow members to create an Ignore List so they don't have to read posts from unhelpful misfits.

A forum such as this one, yes...
...and I would use it...but I don't, and some of the comments, whether pointed at me (or anybody else) directly or indirectly... they amuse me...

[T.Jackson]

Some forums allow members to create an Ignore List so they don't have to read posts from unhelpful misfits.

What astonishes me the most is how tolerant the admins on this forum are.
I personally wouldn't put up with some of it.

[Pic_User]

Hi AlaskanEE,

Welcome to the forum.

I'm a circuits electrical engineer and thus have never worked with programming or microcontrollers

You picked the right microcontroller for an analog guy. The PIC devices have comparators, voltage references, A to D converters, etc.. You are going to love these microcontrollers. A perfect fit with the analog world.

So the 16F88 doesn't have it's own internal oscilating crystal. Is there any way to get around creating an external oscilating circuit or is that a must?

You may have based this on what Dave correctly said:

External oscillating circuit is a must. The data sheet gives several examples. I like the crystals with built in caps, one part to do the job and the 20Mhz is cheap.

The only (out-side the PIC) components needed for the "External oscillating circuit", are a simple three terminal ceramic resonator or a crystal with two capacitors to ground.
Some of the serial stuff needs a more stable oscillator than the drifty one internal to the PIC. The one in the PIC is okay for a lot of projects.

Don’t give up on the forum, you are an equal member. Keep asking questions. That’s what it is here for. When a person comes along with a similar question, they won’t have to ask. Don’t forget to search for your question / answer before posting. Have fun. Learn.
-Adam-

[AlaskanEE]

Sorry skimask I was just trying to step gengerly in the forum since I'm new, but was trying to get my point across without ticking anyone off. I know it came off pansy, but I was playing it safe. I misunderstood what you were saying about the internal oscilator. I had skimmed the data sheet and accidentally lumped the statement "the PIC16F88 CAN be set to 20MHz" in with the preceeding paragraph saying that the PIC's internal oscilator can be set to multiple frequencies. So when you said that the DEFINE OSC command doesn't set anything to 20MHz I was confused and the sentance "so the 16F88 doesn't have an internal oscilator" should have had a question mark cause I was asking. Also I was just trying to let everyone know what I'm doing and show the code I was using so that they could comment on what I had done, if it would work or not. I wasn't trying to get everyone to write my code for me and I'm sorry for my lack of clarity on that point. Again sorry for the miscommuniactions and lack of clarity. Also thanks Adam for the suport, I just blew this up too quickly, was getting frustrated with the programming. Chalk it up to experience I guess.

[mackrackit]

I should have been a little more clear. If you want something reliable, external oscillator is a must. Being that serial communications are involved. The internals work fine but sometimes the timing will get a little off.

The oscillator you choose will need to be defined in the *.inc file for the chip you are using along with the other fuses. In the *.bas file you tell PBP what the oscillator speed is for timing. These are the same yet different.

You will find a line in the *.inc file something like this.

__config _XT_OSC & _WDT_ON & _PWRTE_ON & _BODEN_ON & _LVP_OFF & _CP_OFF

Look at the data sheet and it will tell you what each one does.