PIC MICROCONTROLLER
PIC stands for peripheral interface controller
Where as F stands for Flash it represents the type of memory used,
In 2000, Microchip introduced the PIC18 architecture.Unlike the 17 series,with a large number of device variants presently in manufacture. In contrast to earlier devices, which were more often than not programmed in assembly, C has become the predominant development language.
PIC18F4520
Parameters of PIC18F4520 micro controller
Pin Diagram Of PIC18F4520
The 18 series inherits most of the features and instructions of the 17 series, while adding a number of important new features:
PIC18 uses flash memory so that a data can be saved and erased number of times as per user requirement, not only this the battery used is used to give clock to the device.
Features of PIC micro controller
CPU
Up to 10 MIPS Performance at 3V
C compiler optimized RISC architecture
8x8 Single Cycle Hardware Multiply
System
Internal oscillator support-31 kHz to 8MHz with 4xPLL
Fail-Safe Clock Monitor- allows safe shutdown if clock fails
Watchdog Timer with separate RC oscillator
Wide operating Voltage range; 2.0V to 5.5V
nanoWatt Power Managed Modes
Run, Idle and SLEEP modes
Idle mode currents down to 5.8uA typical
Sleep mode currents down to 0.1uA typical
Analog Features
10-bit ADC, 13 channels, 100K samples per second
Programmable Low Voltage Detection Module
Programmable Brown-out-Reset Module
Two Analog Comparators multiplexing
Peripherals
Master Synchronous Serial Port supports SPI™ and I2C™ master and slave mode
EUSART module including LIN bus support
Four Timer modules
Up to 5 PWM outputs
Up to 2 Capture / Compare
Advantages
- Small instruction set to learn and implement
- PIC has RISC architecture
- Built-in oscillator with selectable speeds
- Easy entry level, in-circuit programming plus in-circuit debugging PICkit units available for less than $50
- Inexpensive microcontrollers
- Wide range of interfaces including I²C, SPI, USB, USART, A/D, programmable comparators, PWM, LIN, CAN, PSP, and Ethernet
- Availability of processors in DIL package make them easy to handle for hobby use.
Comparison between PIC and 8051
8051- if u want a cheap controller with basic functions then 8051 will suffice . It will be of great use in your low cost college projects.
PIC- Cheap , used in refrigerators and low budget projects .
8051 and PIC need multiple clock cycles per instruction. AVR and ARM execute most instructions in a single clock cycle.
8051 and PIC have limited stack space - limited to 128 bytes for the 8051, and as little as 8 words or less for PIC. Writing a C compiler for these architectures must have been challenging, and compiler choice is limited.
Real Time Applications and Projects of PIC
1) PIC can be used to design Data Acquisition System
2)Digital clock can be implemented using PIC
3)Frequency counter are another application
5)We can design a calculator using PIC
Download Datasheet of PIC18F4520
Check out how to use PIC microcontroller using PICKit 3 or Proteus.
