Programming 8-bit PIC Microcontrollers in C: With Interactive Hardware Simulation
Programming 8-bit PIC Microcontrollers in C: With Interactive Hardware Simulation by Bates
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Number of Pages:
- 304
- ISBN:
- 0750689609
- Product Group:
- book
- Publisher:
- Newnes
- Publication Date:
- June 2, 2008
- BooksForGeeks.com ID:
- 1120
PIC Microcontrollers are present in almost every new electronic application that is released from garage door openers to the iPhone. This step-by-step guide deals with topic of programming these microcontrollers (MCUs) with the C programming language. It includes many source code, circuit schematics, and hardware block diagrams.
Reviews for Programming 8-bit PIC Microcontrollers in C: With Interactive Hardware Simulation
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OMG! Save your money! And your sanity come to think of it!
Rated out of 5 stars, February 12th, 2010
Even though this book was only published two years ago (2008), the software illustrations and walk-throughs are sooo out of date its scary! Here's a nice list for you:-
1. The main focus revolves around the PIC16F877A PIC MCU which is fair enough, this MCU is a very popular model, however the 'free' software mentioned in the book (CCS C Compiler) with which all the examples are shown in does not come with support for this MCU! This means there is no C header file for this MCU and therefore you're either left with trying to scout around the internet for a correct version of this file or alternatively you can manually write the c header file out yourself, bearing in mind that the code is an entire 7 pages loooooong.......and STILL throws up compile errors when your done.
2. The author frequently uses the phrase 'These details shall not be covered in this book, however you can find them in "NAME_OF_BOOK" written by the author'. Because ofcourse, spending £15 on this book didnt warrant all the details you require, just a list of other books you can buy with them in. :-s
3. The companion web site to the book PRINTED ON THE COVER throws up a 404 error because it no longer exists.
4. The MPLAB Development Software illustrated in the book is version 7.52 and the current version is 8.46, which accounts for much of the software walk-throughs making you want to take a long drive off a short pier.
Currently studying an MEng electrical and electronic engineering degree I am quite adept at spotting decent coding however, and the programming section appears to contain some good examples, which is why I have settled on giving the book 2 stars rather than 1. However if you havent had any previous contact in this area I would suggest keeping clear of this title as it is about as comprehendable as tengwar to the beginner, and would only serve the purpose of keeping you warm for a couple of minutes when you inevitably decide to burn it out of frustration.