In October 2005, Absolute Software achieved the status of Approved Microchip Consultant. This is the seal of approval that confirms that we are truly experts in Microchip PIC processors. In particular, we are intimately familiar with the PIC12, PIC16 and PIC18 ranges.
We recommend that you involve Absolute Software in the design process as early as possible, to enable us to give advice on your choice of PIC processors. Microchip provide such a comprehensive range, introducing new products all the time, it can only be to your advantage to have an accredited guide to find your way around.
"PIC programming" is quite a vague term. It can mean anything from programming a small 8-pin PIC12 to flash an LED, right through to a multiprocessor safety critical project, with USB, Ethernet, etc. At Absolute Software we cover every type of PIC programming.
We have implemented an industrial digital camera using PIC programming. This product had a FTDI USB port and a large Cypress RAM chip, and the PIC18 was just used to co-ordinate the process of piping the data.
We have implemented a simple wall-panel, which has a few button and a few LEDs to act as a simple user interface. But then behind the scenes it has a highly intelligent RS485 protocol which is a hybrid polling/collision based system for optimal performance. This is an example of PIC programming that evolved over a number of years.
Because we specialise in 8-bit embedded programming, PIC programmingsimply comes naturally to us. PICs are such a cost effective approach to any design. We will always start a project by considering whether a PIC processor would be up to the job.
Having provided PIC programming services for a number of years, we now have quite an armoury of PIC tools. These include: a Microchip ICE, several Microchip ICD2s, a Microchip ICD1, PIC16 Hi-Tech compiler, PIC18 Hi-Tech compiler, the full CCS PIC C compiler suite, Microchip MPLAB with MPASM suite, TCP/IP lean TCP/IP stack, numerous Microchip development kits.
Our compiler of choice would always be the Hi-Tech compiler. We have quite a few problems with CCS compiler, in terms of bugs. But more importantly the CCS compiler does not support ANSI C features such as pointers to code space. Now, although this does not sound very important, when you start getting into some serious PIC programming, it becomes a serious issue.
For example, if you are doing any sort of RS232/RS485 serial communications, then by far the best way to implement such a protocol is with a state machine using function pointers. And although you can implement a state machine with a switch statement, you really want to be using function pointers.
Another good example, is string handling. The CCS compiler provides very limited string handling facilities. This results in unmaintainable, bloat code.
In conclusion, if you are going to attempt any serious PIC programming then we would seriously recommend choosing the Hi-Tech PIC C compiler.
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