Programming PIC Microcontrollers with PICBASIC

Rating:
Summary: Hands on guide to PicBasic
Review: Excellent book about PicBasic and the PIC Microcontroller. The book briefly discusses each of the PicBasic and PicBasic Pro commands (with lots of code snippets and examples) without trying to duplicate the information in the PicBasic manual.

Despite the product description given above and on the back cover, the book does not use the PIC15F84 (sic) but the much more advanced PIC16F876.

Examples are provided for BOTH the standard and Pro versions of the compiler, not one or the other as in other books. If you use the Pro version of the compiler you are not required to read the examples provided for the standard version since the relevant information is duplicated.

The Projects include:

The obligatory LED experiments.
Analog to Digital Conversion
Driving a Servo Motor
Using a Parallel LCD module
Serial Communications
Using External Memory
Making Music

There's a nice chapter on Robotics which demonstrates Line Tracking and Obstacle Detection and Avoidance.

Two of the Schematic Diagrams contain errors such as hooking 5 volts up to the ground pin (ouch!). These diagrams are on pages 140 (figure 5-4) and 147 (figure 5-6). You should be able to spot the problems right away, or at least as you are wiring the circuit.

Rating:
Summary: Whoops...
Review: If youre programming your Pic microcontroller in PicBasic, chances are youre using one of the PicBasic compilers from MicroEngineering Labs, Inc. The informative manual that comes with the compiler makes Programming PIC Microcontrollers With PicBasic (PPMWP) redundant at best. However, the PicBasic manuals dont have example programs -- just snippets. The example programs in PPMWP are clearly meant for beginners, but dont offer much in the way of explanation. They are also fairly repetitive, and dont employ a very useful range of commands. Roughly half of PPMWP is mirrored (although with less detail) in the manuals, and half of that is useless unless youre using BOTH versions of the compilers. The other half of the book is example code, given in both compiler versions. Use caution, as this book has some major editing errors. For example, the pinouts on several of the wiring diagrams might end up costing you money if you follow them! I cant complain about the price, though, as I got the book free of charge (thanks?!) when I ordered the PicBasic Pro compiler through Mr. Hellebuyck's website.

Rating:
Summary: Good overall coverage of topic
Review: This book covers many topics dealing with PICs, as well as multiple code examples for each project in both the PICBasic and PICBasic Pro languages. The code is fairly well explained and as a result most of the projects are fairly straightforward. However, this book has the problem many PIC books have, if you are not using the exact same programmer/interface/PIC chip as the author, you are left in a guessing game of how to modify the code in order to adapt it to your setup. Not the best intro book, but better than most.

Rating:
Summary: Authors comments
Review: When I began with PicBasic, there wasn't a lot of information or example projects to help me get started. Eventually I advanced my skills and moved to the PicBasic Pro compiler when it was released. The biggest complaint from beginner to experienced user was the lack of examples in the PicBasic manuals. I set out to fill that gap and help others with what I had learned the "hard way".

The book begins by explaining the Microchip PICs and the PicBasic compiler history. Then the book covers both the PicBasic compiler and the PicBasic Pro compiler commands. With each command I try to pass on what each command does, in my own way, and include a brief example for each one of the commands, something the manuals still do not do today.

From there the book takes you inside the most common internal features of the Microchip PICs and I try to describe those features in a simpler way than the often times confusing Microchip PIC data sheets.

After that, the book jumps to the fun part where I try to pass on my project experience to the reader by taking them through building block type projects that start out simple by flashing an LED and grow more complex. The projects get more involved as I show how to use the Analog to Digital port, and how to drive an LCD, and how to read switches and drive servo motors and how to communicate serially with a PC and store data in external memory. I finish the 15 projects with three robot projects that show how to drive a servo powered robot and how to make it follow a line and then become an obstacle avoiding robot.

In each project I take you through key sections of the code and describe what each command is doing so the reader can understand and learn how to program themselves. After completing the projects my hope was that the reader had gained enough confidence and knowledge to program Microchip PICs with PicBasic on their own without the trial and error learning curve many others, including me, had to work through.

I didn't want to leave anybody out so I offer examples in both PicBasic and PicBasic Pro. The explanations are written so a PicBasic Pro user can skip over the PicBasic sections if they choose and not miss a thing.

Based on the loads of reader feedback, I am pleased that I have succeeded and helped so many enjoy programming Microchip PICs with PicBasic. From engineers to teachers to hobbyists, my book has helped 1000's learn how to program Microchip PICs with PicBasic. I personally want to thank all the readers of my book and all future readers.

I also want you to know that I try to offer support for all the readers through email. It's through this feedback that I both help and learn what readers want. From that information I can write future "Programming PICs in Basic" books and articles that can help even more.

I even maintain an update page at my website www.elproducts.com to point out corrections such as the schematic shifts the publisher made on pages 140 and 147 after I had proof-read the book.

Thank you for reading this note and for considering my book.