WEEK 7 (Software Development)

For software development we have use the Microcode Studio software.

MicroCode Studio is a powerful, visual Integrated Development Environment (IDE) with In Circuit Debugging (ICD) capability designed specifically for microEngineering Labs PICBASIC PRO™ compiler. Compilation and assembler errors can easily be identified and corrected using the error results window. Just click on a compilation error and MicroCode Studio will automatically take you to the error line. MicroCode Studio even comes with a serial communications window, allowing to debug and view serial output from microcontroller.

The MicroCode Studio ICD communicates with the microcontroller using its hardware USART.  Refer the the Microchip data sheet for the microcontroller used if unsure which pins the device uses for its USART. For example, the PIC16F877A uses PORTC.7 for RX and PORTC.6 for TX. The ICD will work with microcontrollers running at different clock speeds.  However, it is essential that your PBP code has the correct oscillator setting defined. By default, this is 4MHz.

More extensive micro coding has also been used to allow small and simple micro architecture to emulate more powerful architecture with wider word length, more execution units etc; a relatively simple way to achieve software compatibility between different products in a processor family.

            To develop program in the PIC, microcode have been used to program the sensor so that it applicable of the chicken coop environment. Actually microcode is easily to be used and understand for the beginner programmer. It does not have to see the difficult term to write the programmed.