The PIC16(L)F184xx 8-bit product family is entering production and Microchip has a promo offer on sample boards so, for an overview of the Devices supported along with a chance to get a free board, see here  http://www.microchip.com/promo/pic16f184xx-product-family.

Great Cow BASIC and PICKit 2Plus now support Microchips newest line of Enhanced Midrange Devices, even though they are not yet in the hands of the developers, and customers.

The promotion boards are not yet shipping but Microchip kindly supplied the Great Cow BASIC development team with samples of the parts, via the South African Agents, in PDIP form factor so that we could configure and validate Great Cow BASIC & PICKIT 2Plus support prior to wide scale release.

Today, after a few false starts and some marathon intercontinental debugging, we were successful with Blinking LEDs on the PIC16F18426 and the PIC16F18456 devices.  Proving that Great Cow BASIC can support both the High and Low ends of the Product family and all variants in between.

Complete testing of existing peripheral libraries will start now to ensure full integration of the new parts by the time they ship.  The parts included are:

• PIC16F18424
• PIC16F18425          
• PIC16F18426          
• PIC16F18444          
• PIC16F18445          
• PIC16F18446          
• PIC16F18455          
• PIC16F18456            

As Great Cow BASIC goes from strength to strength it is one of the most complete toolchains for PIC and AVR Microcontrollers,  often ahead of its commercial counterparts in terms of devices supported and this new family is no exception.

Enjoy   

 

This post was originally by Chris Roper of  South Africa.  A Great Cow BASIC developer and supporter.

 

 

Boris Breuer is still busy publishing some great articles. The articles are published in the FullCirle Magazine, a magazine dedicated to Ubuntu flavours of Linux, but the Great Cow BASIC articles are great.   Those who use Linux will already know and have read the article anyway.  However, even for us non-Linux users these are a good read. And, it is always good to look beyond the horizon of Windows.

 

Issue#130 shows how to use  the Great Cow BASIC Serial capabilities - download link.

 

Links to previous articles are:

Issue#129 shows how to use  the Great Cow BASIC ADC capabilities - download link.

Issue#128 shows how to use  the Great Cow BASIC PWM capabilities - download link.

Issue#127 contains the Introduction to Great Cow BASIC and how to get an LED to flash - download link.

 

 

I have created a new installer for PicKit3 GUI.  The new installer contains 

1. The last version of the PicKit3 GUI software
2. The last version of the PicKit3 operating software
3. The latest chip library we have produced, plus, other libaries we have been shipping.
4. The PickITScriptEditor. The software to update the chip library.

See here for a forum discussion thread which will provide insights into microcontrollers supports and a method to install & use when installed with Window 10.

Install to enjoy this software.

 

 

2018 is here and the month of January is nearly over.

 

Now it's time to face the news and challenges together with Great Cow BASIC - the year will be the year of version 1.00.  New libraries are being added all the time and new users are joining the community.  It will be a busy year for all.

And, Boris Breuer is busy publishing some great articles. The articles are published in the FullCirle Magazine, a magazine dedicated to Ubuntu flavours of Linux, but the Great Cow BASIC articles are great.   Those who use Linux will already know and have read the article anyway.  However, even for us non-Linux users these are a good read. And, in this New Year it is always good to look beyond the horizon.

 

Issue#129 shows how to use  the Great Cow BASIC ADC capabilities - download link.

Issue#128 shows how to use  the Great Cow BASIC PWM capabilities - download link.

Issue#127 contains the Introduction to Great Cow BASIC and how to get an LED to flash - download link.

 

Looking forward to the rest of 2018!

 

 

 

This is a great story of 'getting a programming microcontroller from Northern Software (Buy), add the components (Make) and use the software ( Use).

 

Buy: William Roth (Bill) one of the senior developers of Great Cow BASIC recently ordered several  5v Northern Software programming microcontrollers.  The whole project cost less then $10 USD.

 

Make: The project was simple, taking less than an hour. You need some skills to assemble and solder the components. 

 

Use:  Bill put a Northern Software programmer microcontroller  on a bread board and connected it up as per the diagrams on the Northern Software  website and connected it to a PIC18F25K42.  Installed and started the NSPROG application, selected the hex source file to program the PIC18F25K42 with, and hit the "Program" button.   Wow!! His words.

Instead of taking the usual 20 seconds to program a PIC using a PicKit3 programmer using MPLAB IPE,  programming was completed in less than 0.3 seconds.   That is more than 50 times faster and he no longer has time to refill his coffee, (or plant a new garden...) while waiting for the PIC to be programmed.

There are software options to programmer a PIC microcontroller with Northern Software - the user interface software and a command line utility.  The command line utility can be used with Great Cow BASIC so that one click PIC programming (Hex/Flash) can be used from the Great Cow BASIC IDE . 

For a more details on using the Northern Software programmer  with Great Cow BASIC please see  the forum at this link

 

 

 

 

This quick review of the 8-bit boards available from Microchip. 

This includes Curiosity, Xpress, PICDEM and others.  This is not intended to be comprehensive or a complete review of every board product - we collated this information for a discussion with Microchip and we thought this may be useful to see the information all in once place.

 

Bill Roth, Chris Roper and Evan Venn authored and edited this information.

 

Item	Part #	Name	Rational	Characteristics	Usage	Cost
1	DM164137	Curiosity LPC Development Board	These two boards (#1 and #2) will support development and testing of MikroBUS drivers on many of the current generation 8, 14, 20, 28 and 40 Pin PIC devices.     These are suitable for beginners as a known working environment to learn on and are also suited to be used to develop revised Tutorial Guides and Videos as they have an integrated Programmer. A DIP board with interchangeable devices, rather than a board with a dedicated processor, as a major part of the appeal of Great Cow BASIC is portability amongst devices in the 8 Bit family.	LVP, PKOB, Mikrobus, Very limited populated board, Can add PK3 programming port	Users & Developers	$20
2	DM164136	Curiosity HPC Development Board		LVP, PKOB, Mikrobus, Very limited populated board, Can add PK3 programming port	Users & Developers	$32
3	DM160228	Explorer 8 Development Kit	Whilst the Curiosity boards are suitable for development, testing and training, there is a large body of PIC devices in the 18 PIN packages as well as other older devices in use by the Great Cow BASIC community.     This board will support testing the libraries and drivers on these older devices with HVP as well as the newer LVP devices.	Supports all 8-bit Chips, MikroBus, Ext. programmer required	Developer	$75
4	DM164140	MPLAB Xpress PIC16F18855 Evaluation Board	Great Cow BASIC demonstrations suite produced in 2016.	MikroBus, LVP, Integrated Programmer, Bed of nail port * 2	Users & Developers	$12
5	DM164141	MPLAB Xpress PIC16F18345 Evaluation Board	No Great Cow BASIC demonstrations	MikroBus, LVP, Integrated Programmer, Bed of nail port * 2	Users & Developers	$12
6	DM164142	MPLAB Xpress PIC16F18877 Evaluation Board	No Great Cow BASIC demonstrations	MikroBus, LVP, Integrated Programmer, Bed of nail port * 2	Users & Developers	$12
7	DM163046	PICDEM Lab II Development Platform.	This board supports MikroBUS drivers, that have been developed on the Curiosity Boards, with older Devices like the 18 PIN or older 14/20 pin PIC devices.   It would be assumed that the developer has a suitable PICKit available to use in that case.   However, as the PICDEM Lab has no onboard programmer, it is not really suited for developing beginner tutorials.	IO Pins no, MikroBus, Ext Programmer Required	Developers	$100
8	PKSERIAL-SPI1	PICkit Serial SPI demo board	This board will allow testing of SPI drivers against a known good reference source when  developing for and debugging, unknown SPI based Click Boards and user programmes.	SPI Interface only	Developers	$35
9	PKSERIAL-I2C1	PICkit Serial I2C demo board	This board will allow testing of I2C drivers against a known good reference source when  developing for and debugging, unknown I2C based Click Boards and user programmes.	I2C Interface only	Developers	$2

Great Cow BASIC on the front page of the November issues of the Full Circle Magazine.

 

 

Full Circle Magazine #127 https://fullcirclemagazine.org/2017/11/24/full-circle-magazine-127/

This is a review of the Northern Software solution.

I needed a faster method of programming microcontrollers when developing Great Cow BASIC and I went on the hunt for an alternative to the MicroChip PICKit I was using.   The Northern Software solution is an alternative method to program Microchip PIC microcontrollers. 

I did some research and this is a summary of my research and how I have integrated this into the Great Cow BASIC IDE.

Northern Software

Northern Software’s is not just about a programmer(s). Northern Software has a mission to provide high quality tools tailored to microcontroller firmware development.     

What is the intent of Northern Software Development System?

To be the fastest method to program Microchip PIC microcontrollers.    

The tool suite is called Northern Software Development System (NSDS) and it is designed to support most Microchip PIC® microcontrollers. 

The system is still under development – the developer has completed the hardware programmers and he is developing a programming suite for Microchip PIC microcontrollers.  

 

What are the components of NSDS?

 

NSDS is a suite of programmers and supporting software.  There are two main components the programmers and the software are:

 

Northern Software Development Programmers (NSDP)

NSDPs are programmer/debuggers for Northern Software Development System, but , NSDPs can also be used with software programs like Great Cow BASIC. 

 

NSDS features

• USB connectivity - interfaced to the host computer via USB that did not require any special drivers 
• In-circuit programming and on-chip debugging
• Uses low voltage programming (LVP) and by never applying high voltage to the target microcontrolllers
• Can use High Volt Programming (HVP) with an external circuit
• Can supply up to 200mA of USB power to the target circuit
• Very easy to use.  The NSDP does not require firmware changes to program the microcontroller.  The same NSDP firmware works for all supported microcontrollers

The NSDSP’s use a 10-pin connector designed to keep it attached in the breadboard for prototyping.    If breadboard is not used.... just use a short cable to connect to your development board through Microchip 6-pin ICSP connector!  Very simple.

 

Northern Software - NSDS

The main software program is used to setup and program a microcontroller.   The software can be used for development as well as production programming, including serialized or parallel programming.

 

Software features

• The operating speed of the NDSP can be set from 6MHz  to 50kHz to support a wide variety of operating conditions.
• Supports for multiple NDSP devices connected to the host computer at the same time.
• Serial communications – the NSDSP can work as UART-to-USB converter for the target PIC (as well as for any other device) with speeds from 1200 baud to 2Mbaud.
• Supports Windows, Linux and Mac OS X

 

Installation

Installation is simple – I downloaded from the website and follow the dialogs.  

The main programming software has a MS-Window like interface.   It is easy to use but is not a user interface that I personally like.  The  main programming software enables you to select the parameters like the microcontroller type, the hex file and other tweaks that you may need.   From my experience the software is robust and very usable – small improvements to the user experience would make me very happy!

The software suite also has a number of command line utilities that support command line programming, serial communication and device discovery – again, these command line utilities are very good.   See below for the use of the command line utility when using with Great Cow BASIC.

The serial software is published for user development programs.

What are the five NSDSP options?

There are four NSDSP models, which operate at different target voltages, plus a pre-programmed chip for embedded into solutions.

• NSDSP-1-3V3 - 3.3V
• NSDSP-1-5V - 5V
• NSDSP-1-U - 1.7 to 5.5V
• NSDSP-1-I - 2.5 to 5.5V with galvanic isolation
• Pre-programmed NSDSP chips to mount a NSDSP directly into a production circuit. This is a cost effective alternative to USB bootloader, but also works as a USB-to-UART converter for the application.

I have and use the NSDSP-1-U - 1.7 to 5.5V.  The green one - I have made a 3D case for mine to protect it.

What is the status of the development program?

 

The development program is active.    The hardware and software is available from http://www.northernsoftware.com.

The software is highly usable with issues being resolved quickly.  I was very impressed with requests for information and the resolution for a specific microcontroller to be supported was very fast.

What does the NSDS look like?

 

The user interface is shown below.  

 

Not my favorite user interface but as I use the command line utilities this very usable.

Does NSDS work?

Yes.

Programming is fast.  Very fast.  From my benchmarks  - 13s to 0.4s!! Stunning.

 

Works from the user interface, as shown above and it works from the command line, see later in this article.

 

How does NSDS work?

 

This is my overview... the architecture is relatively simple.   

 

At the core of the solution is the NSDSP Chip. A pre-programmed PIC16LF1454.  This chip handles the USB interface to the host computer and the programming and the serial interface to the target microcontroller.  There are other key passive components but the PIC16LF1454 is the smart part of the architecture.

 

The software is key.  This has the details ‘how to’ program the microcontroller.  The software is where the developer has embedded the ‘knowledge’ of vast array of supported microcontrollers.  When I started the review a specific was microcontroller not supported – I contacted the developer and the same day  I downloaded and installed the latest software with the specific microcontroller support. 

 

The software is a closed development.  Critics of closed developments will easily say 'the closed software means that there an issue' (not a risk as risk needs to be a specific stated time/date!) 'with respect to the future support of microcontroller in the future'.  This issue can be resolved by requesting licensing the software with an escrow agreement.

 

 

How does NSDS work with Great Cow BASIC?

 

Simple.

Download and install the command line utilities to the GCB@SYN directory into folder called ..GCB@SYN\NS.
Edit FLASHPIC.BAT and add the following to call the command programmer. You may wish to review the following TOPIC  https://sourceforge.net/p/gcbasic/discussion/projects%26guides/thread/81f52ddf/ to enable the support  of multiple programmers.

 

:NS
"ns\nsprog.exe" p -d "PIC%2" -i %1 -v

Then,  in you user program you need to ensure you have Low Voltage Programming enable by adding the following to your user program.

#config LVP=ON
 

The compile, program and enjoy the speed!

 

 

But... NSDS needs LVP and I have used HVP on my  microcontroller?

If you have used a PICKit or another HVP then the microcontroller will have the LVP flag unset.

 

Very simple to resolve.

 

Using High Voltage Programmer, either a PICKit2 / PICKit3 or alternative, and use the approoiate software for the specific chip.  Erase the program and this will reset the LVP flag within the microcontroller.  

 

Remember, PIC microcontrollers are shipped with LVP enabled - so if you use a brand new microcontroller you can use it in LVP mode with ease.  You just may to erase previously programmed microcontrollers.

 

 

Summary

NSDS suite works.  

 

NSDS is a development program.  

• There may be issues - report this issues via the developer – he can only fix what they are told is broken
• There may be microcontrollers not supported - just ask.
•  

These programmers and the supporting software rock! 

 

This will save you hours of value time and lots of angst.
 

 

 

The development of Great Cow BASIC is moving faster and faster.   We have more and more developers on board to grow the libraries, improve the libraries and provide quality improvements to the tool chain, demonstrations and the Help.

Since the last release we have many changes - some major, some minor but all will add value to some users.

So, there is a need to provide a regular patch kit, in a consistent way, to share these new capabilities and improvements.

 

The community of developers is improving the quality of Great Cow BASIC.

Publishing the Help source here.  Many of you have updated the source to the Help - thank you.

We share the Help on a daily basis.  This is built and published here

Publishing the Demonstration source code here.  Again, a number of the developers have added demonstrations and/or corrected the existing demonstrations.

 

Releases

The release of Great Cow BASIC is about every six months.  We collate changes into a coherent build, package up, test and test and then publish.  These releases are available for a growing range of use cases and operating systems.

 

Patch Kit

So, what could it be? A patch kit is a distribution that MUST be applied to an existing installation.  Simple put - it would be additive to an existing installation.  Unpack the patch kit distribution and then update with the new files.

The patch kit is going to contain the following mandated components

• Compiler
• Latest Help
• Latest demonstrations
• Updated hardware libraries
• Updated lowlevel libraries
• Updated PPSTool and supporting XML
• Updated IDE Lex
• Updated IDE Helpers
• PPSTool and the XML files
• Updated readme.txt!

The patch kit is NOT going to contain the following components:

• Batch files for programming
• Any tools - programmers etc

The patch kit would be consistent in terms of an operational toolchain.  This means using the compiler and the libraries as a consistent installation is most important - you cannot, and should not, take just the compiler and not the libraries.  Things could break! We do have time to figure what does not work with what.   The patch kit NEEDS to be consistent in terms of an operational toolchain.

The patch kit could have little issues (as I call them.... you may call the bugs!!!) but the purpose of the patch kit is to share the ongoing development so you can leverage the investment of the community.

 

Summary

Look out for the patch kits soon!

Please do not use PatchKits unless you have been asked to via the Forum.

 

 

The Great Cow BASIC development team have published another new capability - Pulse Width Modulation for the 16-bit Microchip module.

You can now add 16-bit PWM to your PIC projects.   The high-precision 16-bit PWM available in various PIC16 devices such as the PIC16F157X product family, provides advanced features beyond those found on standard PWM modules or the CCP/PWM modules.

16-bit PWM allows you to easily enable PWM output.   The high-precision 16-bit PWM is ideal for power supplies, LED lighting, color mixing, and motor control applications. In addition, when not using the PWM outputs the module can be used to add up to four additional general purpose 16-bit timers.

Pete Everett has led the development of the new library - our thanks go to Pete.  The library supports:

• Support for 12 channels - all independently programmable
• Optmisation of generated code included
• Fixed Mode Frequency Mode and Duty with differing frequency and duty across all 12 channels with very few lines of user program and with a very small program size
• Backwards compatibility with other PWM and CCP/PWM features
• Variable Mode Frequency and Duty Mode with differing frequency and duty across all 12 channels with a simple to use Public method and with small program size being generated
• Includes demonstration code on GitHub.   See https://github.com/Anobium/Great-Cow-BASIC-Demonstration-Sources/tree/master/PWM%20Solutions/PIC%20PWM16%20Examples
• The library has the capability to support Phase and Offset.
• The IDE Helpers and Help will be updated as soon as practical

To enable this capability ensure you have v0.98.01 installed, and, obtain the libraries from the Sourceforge Forum and then add to you installation.   Install the three files from to your installation.  Of course, versions of the Great Cow BASIC distribution after v0.98.01 will have this capability installed.  

For more information on 16-bit PWM see http://www.microchip.com/design-centers/8-bit/peripherals/core-independent/16-bit-pulse-width-modulation-16-bitpwm