Looking for Microcontroller Recommendations
in [Design]
|
From: Rich Webb on 16 Jan 2010 19:53 On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:02:33 GMT, Jan Panteltje <pNaonStpealmtje(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >Well, I sort of like the PIC16 - PIC12 instruction set, >although too many bank switching instructions make the asm bigger. >It is a good instruction set, and it works. But the register layout <shudder>. I wanted to like PICs, I really did. And I do see some places where they're the optimal choice. But, to try to squeeze everything through the one W register?! -- Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
From: krw on 16 Jan 2010 20:49 On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:42:15 -0700, Jim Thompson <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)My-Web-Site.com/Snicker> wrote: >On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:09:16 -0600, krw <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: > >>On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:41:17 -0600, "RogerN" <regor(a)midwest.net> >>wrote: >> >>> >>>"krw" <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote in message >>>news:e524l51tm7q1rb4sk0e6v8dq8sbv8squud(a)4ax.com... >>>> On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:38:42 -0600, "RogerN" <regor(a)midwest.net> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>>Thanks for all the fantastic recommendations! It seems like for many of >>>>>the >>>>>microcontrollers it doesn't cost much to get going at a hobby level. I >>>>>ordered a PIC18 something starter kit that comes with a PICkit2 >>>>>programmer/debugger and I ordered a PICkit3 Debug Express. >>>>>I also have an Atmel STK500 starter kit that I bought around 10 years ago >>>>>and have hardly used. I downloaded Arduino software and GNU C compiler >>>>>for >>>>>the AVRs. >>>>>I plan to look into the other stuff that I'm not familiar with but sounds >>>>>interesting, such as the Texas Instruments, Silabs, Arm, etc. >>>>> >>>>>At work some of our electricians hacked into alarm clocks to automatically >>>>>start their car a few minutes before the end of their shift. They have >>>>>the >>>>>Bulldog security remote starter and said it has an input you can use to >>>>>start your car, where we work is too far from the parking lot to use the >>>>>remote. That would be a nice microcontroller project, use a temperature >>>>>sensor and RTCC, if it's freezing out, start the car so many minutes >>>>>before >>>>>the end of shift, the colder it is, the more warm up time is allowed. >>>> >>>> Be careful here. It's very easy to burn up a starter, wiring, or at >>>> least kill a battery, when you least want a dead battery (BT). Even >>>> professionally installed car starters cause enough problems to >>>> invalidate car warranties. There is a *lot* to consider here. I >>>> certainly wouldn't play with a car starter. I found it easier to move >>>> to the South. ;-) >>>> >>> >>>They have the Bulldog Security remote car starter installed and working, >>>hopefully the bugs are worked out of it. >> >>I thought they were rolling their own starter. A commercial unit is >>better but still will do exactly the wrong thing occasionally. DAMHIK >>...and may void any warranty. >> >>>If I understand correctly, they >>>run the starter for a couple of seconds, if the car doesn't start, it will >>>try again so many seconds later, running the starter for maybe 3 or 4 >>>seconds (or something like that). >> >>Car starters also have to monitor RPM to detect the start. Sometimes >>this doesn't work out so well. Multiple start attempts will often >>kill a battery. A human has a better chance of doing it right than a >>generic auto-starter. They work great, when you don't need them. >> >>>Also, they said it will only run the car >>>up to 15 minutes and then shuts off unless the ignition switch is turned on. >> >>Yes, but starting under all conditions is the real problem. >> >>>One guy took a battery operated alarm clock and wired a transistor to the >>>alarm, I'm not sure what the others did, but something similar. With a >>>microcontroller you could sense temperature, if it's above freezing you may >>>not want the car to start at all. >>> >>>In my position, I go to work at the same time every morning but I work over >>>some almost every day, so starting my car based on time wouldn't work for >>>me, starting by cell phone might though. But I don't want to have another >>>cell phone just to set in my car to start it a few days a year. Remote >>>starting would benefit me mostly in the morning but I'm in range to start my >>>car from inside if I wanted to. >> >>I had one of these things in my wife's car. Never again, and I only >>lost a battery (and had to put up with SWMBO's ire). > >Our Q45 has heated (and cooled) seats ;-) Common on luxury cars and higher level packages on many others. They don't help getting the ice off the windows, and at -30F they don't help at all.
From: don on 17 Jan 2010 00:43 Rich Webb wrote: > On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:02:33 GMT, Jan Panteltje > <pNaonStpealmtje(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > >> Well, I sort of like the PIC16 - PIC12 instruction set, >> although too many bank switching instructions make the asm bigger. >> It is a good instruction set, and it works. > > But the register layout <shudder>. I wanted to like PICs, I really did. > And I do see some places where they're the optimal choice. But, to try > to squeeze everything through the one W register?! > You have to remember, the PIC was designed to be cheap. To be cheap, internal decoding had to be limited. So banking, instead of decoding a larger memory map. Like the 8042 so many years ago. Even with a "cheap" register set, a C compiler can be built to make programming easier for us grunts in the field. I did not use PICs until the first C compiler came out. Does not really matter how bad the code is, your programming in C and not assembly. Any C compiler take a lot of the tediousness out of programming. my $0.02 don
From: Falk Willberg on 17 Jan 2010 03:34 krw schrieb: > On Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:26:34 +0100, Falk Willberg > <Faweglassenlk(a)falk-willberg.de> wrote: .... >> The manual >> of my car (Peugeot Diesel, 2000 model) recommends to start the engine >> and immediatly drive at low RPM. Even the very simple engine of my >> motorcycle[0] does not require any warm up. > > You probably believe you can go 10000 miles on an oil change too. No, it's about 12000 miles (20000km) maybe only 9000 (15000km). And I use the cheapest oil I can get, that meets the specification. I never had an engine breakdown in 25 yrs. As this thread is OT now, EOD for me. Falk
From: Jan Panteltje on 17 Jan 2010 04:12
On a sunny day (Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:53:31 -0500) it happened Rich Webb <bbew.ar(a)mapson.nozirev.ten> wrote in <kln4l5dggg9tfjsn9m0tbt305sjl3p8j03(a)4ax.com>: >On Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:02:33 GMT, Jan Panteltje ><pNaonStpealmtje(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > >>Well, I sort of like the PIC16 - PIC12 instruction set, >>although too many bank switching instructions make the asm bigger. >>It is a good instruction set, and it works. > >But the register layout <shudder>. I wanted to like PICs, I really did. >And I do see some places where they're the optimal choice. But, to try >to squeeze everything through the one W register?! Works OK here :-) |