30. March 2011 by admin.

Thanks for sending this one in YK!

Check out http://mchp.us/dFBf6I

Get product information on this site and  participate in two competitions online & share your opinions on the blog page!  The first phrase of this promotional campaign is ONLINE QUIZ!  By answering all 10 questions correctly, you can be enrolled to the lucky draw automatically!

- 20 lucky winners will be awarded with either one PIC24FJ256DA210 Development Kit (DM240312 + AC164127-6) or one Multimedia Expansion Board (DM320005).

- Another first 100 participants who attain full mark will be awarded with a corporate gift.

- All participants will get a 20% off discount coupon on Microchip development tool.

Posted in Human Interface, Survey, Graphics, Touch Sensing, Free Stuff, Microchip, Sweepstakes, Development Tool | Print | 1 Comment »

29. March 2011 by admin.

Just came across devcoder’s tweet. He’s looking for deal before he pays full price. Can anyone help?

Posted in Coupon Code Needed, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

29. March 2011 by admin.

From http://www.visualtft.com/contents/view/kits/

Visual TFT is a standalone application used for rapid development of graphical user interfaces for TFT displays. Software generates code compatible with mikroElektronika compilers: mikroC, mikroBasic and mikroPascal, for all suported MCU architectures: PIC, dsPIC30/33 & PIC24, PIC32 . Software implements intuitive environment and many drag-and-drop components which can be used for building applications easily and fast.

You can still save money and purchase Visual TFT at a discount price, even after the promotional period. We have created twelve new great Visual TFT kits for you. Whether you are a developer, or a designer, whether you own a compiler or not, you’ll find the offers truly attractive.

Posted in MikroElektronika, Graphics, Touch Sensing, Development Tool | Print | 1 Comment »

23. March 2011 by admin.

Enter now at http://www.microchip.com/mplabx_contest/Get the MPLAB X Beta at http://www.microchip.com/en_US/family/mplabx/index.html

Posted in Sweepstakes, MPLAB | Print | 1 Comment »

21. March 2011 by admin.

The “Lifetime Power Energy Harvesting Development Kit for Wireless Sensors” enables the development of battery-less, wireless devices powered by RF energy at a range of approximately 40-45 feet.  The power source is Powercast’s RF transmitter and P2110 Powerharvester receiver.  Microchip PIC24F and 802.15.4 radios are used for processing and communications, and the XLP development board is used as the access point.  The software is pre-loaded which enables a working demo out of the box.

This kit was joint developed by Powercast and Microchip, and we are offering a 25% discount on the kit through the end of March when ordered through microchipDIRECT.

Powercast part #: P2110-EVAL-01

microchipDIRECT part number: TPWR001

Video of parts of the kit powering a battery-less, wireless sensor from an iPhone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uox8Rmm9_c4

Order page on microchipDIRECT

http://www.microchipdirect.com/ProductSearch.aspx?keywords=tpwr001

Coupon code for a 25% discount: RFV4J25P (valid through 3/31/2011)

Posted in Powercast, Energy Harvesting, microchipdirect | Print | 1 Comment »

15. March 2011 by admin.

From http://www.microchipc.com/PIC_tips/PIC_tips_2.php

I had a new user to PIC micros ask me what he should learn. This is what I told him, the 3 most important techniques that I use in all my programming.

• Interrupts
• Ring Buffering
• State machines

Interrupts

Learn how to use interrupts - they are used in buffering. In my experience, usually the arrangement is a main() loop, with interrupts collecting data to be processed by main().

Ring Buffering

Any PIC micro must collect data, then analyze it or process it. Most of the time, theres not enough time to analyze the data as its collected.

Therefore, use ring buffering. Collect the data in the background, with interrupts, filling up a ring buffer with routines such as ring_buffer_put(). In the background, at the programs leisure, use ring_buffer_get() to get the data out, and process it.

State Machines

Most problems can be simplified using state machines. Learn them - trust me, it’ll save you time. Links

Search the web, using terms like ’state machine c’ or ‘ring buffer c’ on www.google.com. The following web will get you started:http://www.bknd.com/cc5x/multitasking.shtml.

Posted in Tips & Tricks, Programming Language | Print | 1 Comment »

5. March 2011 by admin.

Thanks to Joe L for sumitting this one.

To win a FREE Microstick, simply complete and submit this form!

This is an exclusive invitation for attendees of Microchip’s Embedded Designers Forum, MASTERs Conference and regional training classes in Asia Pacific from December 2010 to June 2011. Winners will be personally presented with the Microstick by our sales representatives in their workplace. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about Microchip’s products and solutions and to ease your 16-bit development.

More details on the tool at http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1406&dDocName=en548414:

The Microstick for dsPIC33F and PIC24H devices is designed to provide designers with an easy to use, economical development environment for 16-bit Digital Signal Controllers and Microcontrollers.

Microstick provides all you need to get started at a very low cost. It has an integrated programmer / debugger. It can be used stand-alone or plugged into a prototyping board for extremely flexible development. The device under test is socketed for easy change-out, and Microchip’s MPLAB Integrated Development Environment supports Microstick. It has never been more affordable to get started with Microchip 16-bit devices!

Posted in Programmer, Prototyping, Debugger, MASTERs Conference, Training & Education, PIC, Sweepstakes, dsPIC, 16-bit, Microchip | Print | 1 Comment »

2. March 2011 by admin.

.Explore in detail microcontroller interfacing techniques using the popular PIC 16F877
.Work through step-by-step examples interactively using circuit simulation software, supplied as assembly source code
.Gain the knowledge of a wide range of peripheral devices such as keyboards, displays, sensors and drives and serial communication with other processors, memory and more
.Use interactive simulation software to design and test circuits

Interfacing PIC Microcontrollers provides a thorough introduction to interfacing techniques for students, hobbyists and engineers looking to take their knowledge of PIC application development to the next level. Each chapter ends with suggestions for further applications, based on the examples given, and numerous line drawings illustrate application of the hardware.

Step-by-step examples in assembly language are used to illustrate a comprehensive set of interfaces, and these can be run interactively on circuit simulation software, used to aid understanding without the need to build real hardware.

A companion website includes all examples in the text which can be downloaded together with a free version of Proteus’s ISIS Lite: www.picmicros.org.uk 

*Comprehensive coverage of a topic not widely explored in the wealth of PIC books on the market, concentrating on the popular PIC16F877 device
*Circuit simulation software allows step-by-step examples, supplied as assembly source code, to be run interactively - aiding student, technician and hobbyist learning.
*A companion website includes all examples in the text which can be downloaded together with a free version of Proteus’s ISIS Lite: www.picmicros.org.uk

Posted in Books | Print | 3 Comments »