tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379619052012-02-03T23:48:35.388-07:00Jason Kajita's personal blog.DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-57918224067704501602011-12-16T19:28:00.003-07:002011-12-16T19:30:18.789-07:00

The new Cerebot MX7 cK board from Digilent is essentially a PIC32 chipKITTM Max32, a chipKIT Network Shield, and an MPLAB PICkit 3 all on a single board. At just US $99.99, that's a great deal. I haven't had a chance to play with one myself yet, but the value is obvious just from the description. I can't wait to try it out. For more info, visit http://bit.ly/CerebotMX7cK The Cerebot MX7cK is

Jason Kajitahttps://profiles.google.com/106842289368308292081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-53774658710756862862011-11-28T18:47:00.001-07:002011-11-28T18:55:55.197-07:00

RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the world’s leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, announced full details of its DesignSpark chipKIT™ Challenge, a global competition launching on 28 November 2011. Registration and further information can be found at: www.chipkitchallenge.com Run in partnership with Elektor and Circuit

Jason Kajitahttps://profiles.google.com/106842289368308292081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-32931784686572378762011-08-19T21:21:00.000-07:002011-11-28T18:58:26.531-07:00

Digilent is proud to introduce two new expansion boards designed for use with the chipKIT™ line of Arduino™-compatible 32-bit microcontroller boards. They are the chipKIT Basic I/O Shield™ and the chipKIT Network Shield™. These expansion boards greatly increase the power and flexibility of chipKIT microcontroller boards, giving beginners more options while allowing advanced users to increase the

Jason Kajitahttps://profiles.google.com/106842289368308292081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-48995979993557148052011-08-15T22:22:00.002-07:002011-08-15T22:24:34.562-07:00

From Brian: Just got done writing a soft PWM and Servo library for MPIDE/ChipKIT (any PIC32 board actually). It can do PWM and/or RC Servo outputs on all I/O pins simultaneously. (Max 85 pins at once.) I only had 10 RC servos handy, so I hooked them all up to demonstrate. I'm running the AllPinsServo.pde example sketch that comes with the library. Notice that some of the servos are continuous

Jason Kajitahttps://profiles.google.com/106842289368308292081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-26153196116096431322011-07-22T17:15:00.006-07:002011-07-22T18:51:59.787-07:00

Microchip TCP/IP Stack compatibilityOlder versions of the TCP/IP stack had references to macros referencing debug freeze bits such as _SPI2CON_FRZ_MASK. The macros for these freeze bits should never have appeared in the processor header files and application code should not have been using them. The definitions were removed for the C32 v2.00 release. The July 2011 release of the Microchip

Jason Kajitahttps://profiles.google.com/106842289368308292081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-79050779543272578192011-07-16T11:49:00.001-07:002011-07-16T11:51:02.360-07:00

The chipKIT boards from Digilent Inc have been available for a few months now and it looks like the community is starting to show off some impressive and fun projects. Take a look at the videos.

Jason Kajitahttps://profiles.google.com/106842289368308292081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-63488065634859904372011-06-09T23:30:00.000-07:002011-06-09T23:30:46.522-07:00

I've started work on a much needed update to the MPLAB C Compiler for PIC32 MCUs documentation. I think that I already know what sections need improvement and which sections need to be added, but your suggestions will definitely help. Hit me up on Twitter with your suggestions or leave them in the comments here.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-29666198616388946262011-06-02T23:21:00.000-07:002011-06-02T23:21:38.771-07:00

Microchip's Vice President of Development Systems talks about the MPLAB X IDE at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-3052271867659733892011-05-26T20:21:00.003-07:002011-05-26T20:49:23.956-07:00

In case you haven't heard the news, the chipKIT™ for the Arduino™ community has launched! These chipKIT™ development boards are the first 32-bit microcontroller-based platforms that are compatible with existing Arduino™ hardware and software. chipKITs can be programmed using an environment based on the original Arduino™ IDE modified to support PIC32 that also still supports the original Arduino™

Jason Kajitahttps://profiles.google.com/106842289368308292081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-11114193989863017842011-04-14T22:42:00.003-07:002011-04-14T22:46:23.289-07:00

http://bit.ly/ekhXKTMicrochip MASTERs 2011

Jason Kajitahttps://profiles.google.com/106842289368308292081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-67183842640039441442010-12-18T22:28:00.001-07:002010-12-18T22:30:24.822-07:00

One of Microchip's MPLAB X engineers created a fantastic Christmas light show using over 30,000 lights.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-50911828060472992432010-08-29T23:10:00.003-07:002010-08-29T23:12:47.143-07:00

Thanks everyone who participated in this year's Microchip MASTERs Conference. I had a great time meeting people from the forum and Twitter. Also, a special thanks to everyone who participated in the MPLAB C32 open discussion forum. We can away with a lot of good feedback and have a better idea on how to prioritize new features in the coming year.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-13479341321242100542010-08-29T23:09:00.000-07:002010-08-29T23:09:45.793-07:00

Microchip Celebrates Shipment of 1 Millionth Development Tool Sold During 14th Annual MASTERs Technical Training Conference. Eric Lawson interviews Mike Nicholson of Price Electronics, the recipient of the 1 Millionth Development Tool.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-65409925443858965592010-07-13T16:47:00.001-07:002010-07-13T16:49:12.922-07:00

For those of you attending the Worldwide MASTERs Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on August 25 - 28, please join the compiler team for an open discussion on the MPLAB C Compiler for PIC32 MCUs. We will have an open question and answer session followed by a discussion about the future of the compiler. We would really like to get your feedback and suggestions regarding new features and

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-90177598712811620172010-05-10T10:17:00.000-07:002010-05-10T10:20:57.477-07:00

Premiere Technical Training Event for Embedded-Control EngineersThe MASTERs Conference is a valuable resource for designing with Microchip products that provides design engineers with an annual forum for sharing and exchanging technical information on the Company’s 8-, 16- and 32-bit PIC® microcontrollers, high-performance analog and interface solutions, 16-bit dsPIC® digital signal controllers,

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-66395089722805067242010-03-03T19:46:00.003-07:002010-03-03T19:55:38.684-07:00

Do you want to play with Microchip's PIC24HJ128GP202 16-bit Microcontroller and ENC424J600 new 10/100Mbps Ethernet Network Controller? LJCV Electronics has a fun network development board for you. The eIP-24/100 is a small network module that will assist you in early development of a networked microcontroller based application and allow you to put together a proof-of-concept for a new product.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-13749181374028233742010-02-24T10:00:00.010-07:002010-03-28T11:39:15.489-07:00

Technology Editor Bill Wong and Microchip's Joe Drzewiecki discuss Microchip's IDE, MPLAB IDE, including related HI TECH and MPLAB C compilers and monitoring facilities.Watch the video here: http://bit.ly/9Exta0

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-35476520290087949802009-12-18T13:41:00.002-07:002009-12-18T13:47:42.292-07:00

Introducing a new tool for universities and educational institutions enabled with Microchip’s PIC32 32-bit microcontroller. The Eflightworks.net PIC32 on a DIP allows you to create and perform labs using a PIC32 in a form factor that fits on a typical breadboard. At the heart of the board is Microchip’s PIC32MX4 USB processor.The PIC32 on a DIP board features:PIC32MX440F256H 64-pin USB

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-52386503213655415872009-09-16T12:36:00.000-07:002009-09-16T12:39:07.685-07:00

Microchip’s Cash for Clunkers program allows embedded designers who are tired of looking at the faded paint jobs on their old tools to exchange selected models from Microchip’s competitors for a rebate as high as 30%—up to a $120 savings—on select PIC® Microcontroller, memory and analog development tools. But you’d better act fast—the program ends on October 30, 2009. Of course, Microchip will

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-59772246988476599032009-09-14T10:47:00.002-07:002009-09-14T10:51:32.147-07:00

Microchip Technology today announced the availability of a PIC32 32-bit microcontroller (MCU)-based robotics development kit through Digilent Inc. The Digilent Cerebot™ 32MX4 Robotics Development Kit (part # 32MX4) comes with a free version of Microchip’s MPLAB C Compiler for PIC32 and an integrated programming/debugging circuit that is compatible with the free MPLAB® IDE.Read the full press

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-59725072871944758122009-08-24T09:03:00.002-07:002009-08-24T09:07:02.003-07:00

Keith Curtis posted an article about embedded multitasking on small microcontrollers over on embedded.com.Multitasking is the ability to execute multiple separate tasks in a fashion that is seemingly simultaneous. Note the phrase "seemingly simultaneous." Short of a multiple processor system, there is no way to make a single processor execute multiple tasks at the same time. However, there is a

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-77665131869400457512009-06-11T09:02:00.001-07:002009-06-11T09:02:22.909-07:00

Dan Saks, president of Saks & Associates, posted a good article about Padding and rearranging structure members in C. Questions about struct padding seem to pop up on the Microchip web forums from time to time. This article explains it well. Read the article @ Embedded.com.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-69257730999102448042009-06-11T08:52:00.002-07:002009-06-11T08:59:52.776-07:00

Matt Gordon from Micriµm posted a good article with some tips for writing clean C code. Read his article @ Embedded.com - Six Rules for Writing Clean Code

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-4986921878624519122009-06-01T22:05:00.004-07:002009-06-01T22:23:23.147-07:00

At their press briefing at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Microsoft introduced Project Natal. Project Natal brings controller-free gaming and entertainment using a 3D camera to the Xbox 360. The rumors, which started when Microsoft purchased 3DV Systems, are true.A tech-demo game that uses real 3D physics.A story of a boy and his 3D camera...Microsoft's full concept video

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-55824756576939094632009-05-30T12:45:00.003-07:002009-05-30T12:48:02.283-07:00

Gizmodo and CNET posted short videos showing Microsoft's Zune HD in action. It basically looks like a faster iPod Touch with a great OLED screen. The screen looks pretty fantastic.Zune HD Video Hands On from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-83838032163804029692009-05-28T19:30:00.003-07:002009-05-28T19:37:22.896-07:00

Steve Chamberlin, a Belmont, California, videogame developer by day, set out on a quest to custom design and build his own 8-bit computer. The homebrew CPU would be called Big Mess of Wires or BMOW. Despite its name, it is a painstakingly created work of art.Read the full story on Wired.com: Homebrewed CPU Is a Beautiful Mess of Wires

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-70504353378673500842009-05-23T00:59:00.003-07:002009-05-23T01:08:02.944-07:00

From liftoff to splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, take a ride on Space Shuttle Atlantis solid rocket boosters with video from a camera located on the SRB's. If you're impatient, jump to about 22:45.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-40904405836983960302009-05-12T08:28:00.002-07:002009-05-12T08:32:08.244-07:00

Open source has become big business, suggests an article in the Investors Business Daily, but it has done so by becoming more like the proprietary-software world it purports to leave behind.Read the full article on cnet.com

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-26334176412897923532009-05-05T20:50:00.002-07:002009-05-05T20:54:38.960-07:00

Watch the short video review here: http://bit.ly/Ga7yN or read the more in-depth review here: http://bit.ly/MifU2Microchip has put together a top-notch evaluation package that introduces engineers to the power of its new 32-bit PIC32MX MCUs. The company's approach to documentation makes it easy to find manuals and guides. This is a kit programmers can use to learn about the Microchip development

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-21848699994003180262009-05-01T08:24:00.002-07:002009-05-01T08:28:17.736-07:00

Internet rumors are predicting that Apple will release the next major version of Mac OS X this summer.From arstechnica.com:Apple still has a (perhaps unenviable) goal of getting the next major version of Mac OS X, Snow Leopard, out the door this summer. Work continues on that front with a new beta build of Snow Leopard released to developers last night. Meanwhile, the 10.5.7 update to Leopard

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-49632392936391791932009-04-26T17:34:00.001-07:002009-04-26T17:37:04.984-07:00

As more electronic applications require low power or battery power, energy conservation becomes paramount. Today’s applications must consume little power, and in extreme cases, last for up to 15-20 years, while running from a single battery. To enable applications like these, Microchip has introduced nanoWatt XLP™ Technology. Products with nanoWatt XLP Technology offer the industry’s lowest

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-27817777950831638952009-04-20T20:27:00.001-07:002009-04-20T20:28:40.205-07:00

Xiaofan Chen explains how to run PICkit 2 under Arch Linux with pk2cmd in a blog posting. Check out the instructions over on Xiaofan's blog.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-40463916994686043272009-04-09T21:07:00.002-07:002009-04-09T21:08:55.786-07:00

The default exit() function, provided with the MPLAB C Compiler for PIC32 MCUs and called by the default startup code, does a lot of clean up that your application might not require. It does things like flushing I/O buffers. This could be completely unnecessary if your application never exits from your main function().You might want to consider providing your own exit() function to override the

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-39634538338008038552009-04-07T22:59:00.002-07:002009-04-07T23:06:15.593-07:00

Over on the Microchip web forums, it's not uncommon for someone to ask about how to achieve the PIC32's maximum I/O speed. The question seems to come up every few weeks. Lucio Di Jasio has a great blog post and example MPLAB IDE project showing how to get the most out of your PIC32 I/O. Theoretically, the peripherals can operate at the same top speed as the PIC32 core, 80 MHz. Lucio shows you how

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-7933109076495451062009-04-04T13:02:00.002-07:002009-04-04T13:07:45.934-07:00

Here's the video from the 2009 ESC West Keynote. It shows the top 5 designs in the PIC32 Design Challenge. See more at http://www.mypic32.com

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-65084550531635113692009-03-31T13:12:00.006-07:002009-04-07T20:26:24.208-07:00

The EE Times Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards celebrate the creators of technology who demonstrate leadership and innovation in the global industry and shape the world. This year, Microchip was awarded the EE Times ACE Award for “Company of the Year,” during a ceremony at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, CA.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-26913103086786520652009-03-30T23:47:00.002-07:002009-03-30T23:51:11.132-07:00

EDN bestowed its 19th Annual Innovation Awards, honoring a diverse group of electronics engineers and the ground-breaking products they have produced. Microchip's PIC32 32-bit microcontroller was chosen in the Microcontroller category. Follow this link for the complete list of awards.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-58375075404638659552009-03-29T17:23:00.002-07:002009-03-29T17:28:52.218-07:00

Playing action video games can boost an aspect of adult vision previously thought to be fixed, a US study shows. Researchers found playing the games improved the ability to notice even very small changes in shades of grey against a uniform background.Read the full news story on BBC News.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-29610318492831535862009-03-27T20:00:00.002-07:002009-03-27T20:25:44.120-07:00

The PICDEM Touch Sense 2 Demonstration Board provides a complete platform introducing Microchip's mTouch Sensing Solutions employing the 16-bit PIC24F MCU. It features the Charge Time Measurement Unit (CTMU) for fast capacitive touch sensing without additional external components.Factory programmed firmware provides immediate access to all the boards features through the use of the accompanying

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-62309887632178479732009-03-18T15:51:00.003-07:002009-03-18T15:55:40.341-07:00

Cast your vote for your favorite technologies of 2008 in the Engadget Awards. I don't know about you, but my votes are going for the Guitar Hero: World Tour Kit, the iPhone 3G, the unibody MacBook Pro, and the New Xbox Experience. Vote here.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-1649998165068483382009-03-16T20:02:00.002-07:002009-03-16T20:05:14.197-07:00

The Office is one of my favorite shows on TV. A while back, Saturday Night Live made this hilarious Japanese parody of The Office.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-35180466397544828442009-03-16T19:49:00.004-07:002009-03-16T19:55:21.170-07:00

Microchip announced the PICDEMTM Lab Development Kit (part # DM163035), a comprehensive, entry-level development platform for all of Microchip's 8-bit Flash PICR microcontrollers (MCUs) with 20 or fewer pins. Geared toward educators, students and those who are new to microcontrollers, the PICDEM Lab Development Kit comes complete with a development board

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-67833113039413333682009-03-13T22:28:00.001-07:002009-03-13T22:29:25.347-07:00

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-71823043020137331772009-03-13T21:56:00.001-07:002009-03-13T21:56:39.746-07:00

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-89505367951834690992009-03-09T10:56:00.002-07:002009-03-09T11:02:06.281-07:00

Microchip today announced it has acquired HI-TECH Software, a world-class provider of development tools for embedded systems based in Brisbane, Australia. Best known for its high-performance ANSI C compilers, featuring the optimizing, whole-program compilation technology, Omniscient Code Generation, HI-TECH Software has been a premier third-party provider of C compilers for Microchip’s 8-

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-49806505057972023072009-03-07T19:08:00.006-07:002009-03-07T19:19:15.908-07:00

Amazon.com announced a new program for customers to trade in used video game titles in return for credit at Amazon.com. The program is launching with around 1,500 titles, all of which can be filtered and searched by platform. Once users have picked out the games they own and would like to exchange for credit, Amazon provides a pre-paid label that covers the cost of shipping. Amazon is offering

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-78827986556000819082009-03-06T16:51:00.003-07:002009-03-06T16:54:46.259-07:00

New Features in v1.05 Student Edition renamed Evaluation Version -- The student edition has been renamed the valuation version. This release also introduces a new academic version. Improved 16- and 32-bit FFT functions in the DSP Library -- The FFT functions have been significantly improved and optimized for the PIC32 instruction set. See the 32-bit Language Tools Libraries document (DS51685) for

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-2553038790115210882009-03-04T21:28:00.004-07:002009-03-04T21:32:49.541-07:00

The Microchip Technology Analog Products group is just getting started with their new blog. Check it out and give them some support. I hear that they are looking for topics to write about and I'm sure they would be happy to hear your suggestions. :-) Visit their blog here.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-9398289474385148272009-03-03T21:00:00.003-07:002009-03-03T21:04:23.941-07:00

Watch this 6-minute introduction to the PIC32 Prefetch Cache Module. The Prefetch Cache module plays a key role in the performance of PIC32 at higher frequencies. Learn how the Prefetch Cache module enables PIC32 to keep up its high performance. You will also learn about the construction and operation of Prefetch Cache module.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-54865298207890696092009-03-03T20:37:00.010-07:002009-03-03T20:50:38.308-07:00

Microchip Technology today announced the PIC18F87J90 8-bit direct LCD-drive microcontrollers (MCUs) with nanoWatt Technology. The 64- and 80-pin devices extend the memory reach and peripheral set of Microchip’s LCD MCU portfolio. They feature 64 – 128 KB Flash and 4 KB RAM, and are the industry’s first 8-bit MCUs to include a Real-Time Clock and Calendar (RTCC), and Charge Time Measurement Unit (

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-11403691121627228222009-03-01T12:28:00.004-07:002009-04-07T19:34:13.855-07:00

Phillip Burgess posted a great article describing how to use Brian Schmalz's UBW32 and Microchip's USB Bootloader to create a low-cost PIC32 development kit for Mac OS X. Visit his www.PaintYourDragon.com website for all of the details.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-82396175747890411872009-03-01T11:12:00.004-07:002009-03-01T11:20:58.471-07:00

Looking for a good book to get you started programming in C for the 32-bit PIC32 MCU? Take a look at Lucio Di Jasio's Programming 32-bit Microcontrollers in C: Exploring the PIC32. The book describes the PIC32 microcontroller and has many useful examples in C. Keep in mind that this is not an introductory C language book; It expects you to be familiar with C programming already.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-24103310784242899162009-02-21T08:28:00.000-07:002009-02-21T08:30:09.157-07:00

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-8227070006291907002009-02-19T19:41:00.003-07:002009-02-19T19:46:04.500-07:00

This project is a very nicely designed weather satellite image receiver. The project write-up has the hardware schematic along with many nice photographs of the hardware in action. Take a good look at how much you can do with a simple PIC16F628 microcontroller.http://noaa-apt-homebrew-rx.blogspot.com/

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-34651310109994707662009-02-19T19:34:00.002-07:002009-02-19T19:35:24.249-07:00

A very small & portable radar device that uses an ir sensor & a pic microcontroller. This diy guide shows you how to build your own for less than $30.read more | digg story

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-35189486862652103382009-02-19T19:03:00.002-07:002009-02-19T19:31:01.620-07:00

Corey Vidal is no pirate, but he's been branded one as a result of the licensing spat between Warner Music Group and YouTube. On YouTube, Vidal posted a humorous video tribute to John Williams, the man who scored the soundtracks for such blockbuster films as Indiana Jones, and Star Wars.read more | digg story

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-73315891231944108942009-02-17T20:52:00.002-07:002009-02-17T20:55:17.530-07:00

TechInsights, the daily source of essential business and technical information for the electronics industry, today announced the top eight designs in the Microchip PIC32 Design Challenge (www.myPIC32.com). This announcement marks the start of the fourth and final phase of this year-long contest, which is sponsored by Microchip Technology Inc. and Digi-Key Corporation, as the exclusive distributor

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-48063502681827562652009-02-16T15:36:00.005-07:002009-02-16T15:44:03.536-07:00

Notes from the Lab is a new blog featuring an embedded design discussion about human interface applications. It is "written and maintained by engineers for engineers who wish to explore the role of human interface control in today’s embedded applications." The blog is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in human interfaces such as graphics, touch screens, and audio for embedded

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-42043244989299092122009-01-27T17:34:00.002-07:002009-01-27T17:41:21.763-07:00

Microchip's PIC32 Design Challenge needs your help deciding which designs advance to the final round.Phase 1: 398 designs submittedPhase 3: 32 remain todayYour vote decides which 8 continue on to Phase 4! Vote for your favorite at the PIC32 Design Challenge....maybe you'll win a prize! You can also view contestant's videos, source code, schematics, BOM's, etc.Prizes for visiting: View two or more

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-68030638213406414672009-01-22T09:23:00.002-07:002009-01-22T09:28:29.136-07:00

I saw this article in the Microchip microSOLUTIONS eNewsletter. Can it be time to start preparing for MASTERs already?Are you starting a new project or even a new job? Do you need to expand your skill set in today’s competitive marketplace? Are you interested in learning about new technology?Since 1996, Microchip’s annual Worldwide MASTERs Conference has expanded to offer additional technical

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-35498646218363105362009-01-10T16:11:00.000-07:002009-01-10T16:12:26.087-07:00

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-8292283273096648412009-01-04T13:58:00.001-07:002009-01-04T14:00:44.799-07:00

Web-based chat company Meebo has announced that it now supports MySpace and Facebook's instant-messaging services. That adds to a lineup that already includes Google Talk, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Instant Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, and ICQ.[via webware.com]

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-75181247422648247932009-01-04T13:10:00.004-07:002009-01-04T14:01:24.366-07:00

One of my biggest pet peeves on web forums is the misspelling of the word "lose" as "loose". I admit that I've made the mistake myself before, and I always kick myself in the behind when I do. Granted, not everyone on the Internet is a native English speaker, but I find that native English speakers make the mistake as much as anyone. This blog post by Eric Pinder explains the difference between

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-61095998004756826872008-12-18T22:10:00.002-07:002008-12-18T22:14:02.530-07:00

MPLAB® ICD 3 In-Circuit Debugger System is Microchip's most cost effective high-speed hardware debugger/programmer for Microchip Flash Digital Signal Controller (DSC) and microcontroller (MCU) devices. It debugs and programs PIC® Flash microcontrollers and dsPIC® DSCs with the powerful, yet easy-to-use graphical user interface of MPLAB Integrated Development Environment (IDE).The MPLAB ICD 3

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-57928631177245946082008-12-18T22:02:00.003-07:002008-12-18T22:05:47.344-07:00

This tip, from one of Microchip's Field Applications Engineers, shows MPLAB IDE users how to set up pre- and post-build batch files for execution as part of the project build process.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-16725926167894880292008-12-18T21:57:00.004-07:002008-12-18T22:14:54.255-07:00

Touch sensing is fast becoming an alternative to traditional pushbutton switch user interfaces, because it requires no mechanical movement, and it enables a completely sealed and modern-looking design. Expanding beyond the consumer market, touch sensing is beginning to take hold in medical, industrial and automotive applications for reasons such as aesthetics, maintenance, cost and

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-46955473568544616672008-12-15T12:01:00.001-07:002008-12-18T22:15:08.708-07:00

See the first trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, featuring Hugh Jackman’s return as one of Marvel’s most iconic superheroes.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-28097062612280429412008-12-05T11:31:00.005-07:002008-12-05T11:33:39.938-07:00

Now through December 31, 2008 get 20% OFF some of Microchip's popular development tools and books. For details, visit www.microchipdirect.com.Use Code YES08 upon checkout on www.microchipDIRECT.com

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-6930978522288098822008-11-21T16:21:00.014-07:002009-10-06T15:28:54.318-07:00

I wrote a simple assert() implementation that you can customize for your application. This implementation writes the assert message to a simple array for inspection in the watch window. You should be able to easily customize the assertion failure behavior for your application.#pragma config FPLLODIV = DIV_1, FPLLMUL = MUL_18#pragma config FPLLIDIV = DIV_2, FWDTEN = OFF#pragma config FCKSM =

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-29818482282267534852008-11-20T10:52:00.002-07:002008-11-20T10:55:26.335-07:00

The MPLAB Assembler for PIC32 MCUs also supports a number of synthesized/macro instructions intended to make writing assembly code easier. The LI (load immediate) instruction is an example of a synthetic macro instruction. The assembler generates two machine instructions to load a 32-bit constant value into a register from this single synthetic instruction.The assembler synthesizes instructions

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-23387185047756138072008-11-19T17:11:00.007-07:002009-10-06T15:32:35.673-07:00

When debugging your MPLAB C Compiler for PIC32 MCUs project, have you ever wanted to wrap a system library function call in another function? You can with the linker's --wrap option.--wrap symbolUse a wrapper function for symbol. Any undefined reference to symbol will be resolved to __wrap_symbol. Any undefined reference to __real_symbol will be resolved to symbol. This can be used to provide a

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-65658851072936208062008-11-18T14:16:00.003-07:002008-11-18T14:34:20.604-07:00

When inspecting MPLAB Assembler for PIC32 MCUs (pic32-as) source code, you may have noticed some new assembler directives such as .set noat and .set nomacro. These directives are specific to PIC32 MCUs and affect the way that pic32-as assembles your code. The following excerpt from the upcoming MPLAB Assembler, Linker, and Utilities for PIC32 MCUs User’s Guide describes these new directives.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-77363016355250594322008-11-18T13:39:00.001-07:002008-11-18T13:41:24.560-07:00

For our next MPASM release in late January, one of the new features is the removal of the COD file format. This feature will affect only those who build and debug with absolute assembly files (not using the MPLINK object linker). Removing the COD file output eliminates the limitations of requiring the project files to be within a 64-character path length and not being able to debug above 0xFFFF

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-69865247658448057372008-11-13T23:03:00.005-07:002008-11-13T23:11:22.468-07:00

See all the new features of the 360's new UI as 1UP News Editor Phillip Kollar and GameVideos Associate Producer David Ellis take it for a spin.Xbox 360 'New Xbox Experience Walkthrough'

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-81513967639491714252008-11-13T14:33:00.002-07:002008-11-13T14:34:55.930-07:00

Do you have Microchip source code to share with the embedded design community? Why not upload it to the new Embedded.com Source Code Library?

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-2411745129287662442008-11-04T10:11:00.003-07:002008-11-04T10:15:37.490-07:00

Building upon the success of Microchip's popular Mid-range core, the enhanced core provides numerous technical improvements, including more program and data memory; a deeper/enhanced hardware stack; additional reset methods; 14 additional programming instructions, including "C" efficiency optimizations resulting in code size reductions; increased peripheral support; reduced interrupt latency, and

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-33534870491560615622008-11-03T16:57:00.002-07:002008-11-03T16:59:55.993-07:00

One of the biggest UI improvements coming in Windows 7 is the taskbar with its new Peak feature.[Gizmodo via Lifehacker via NeoWin]

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-64424532845787661382008-10-27T20:44:00.005-07:002008-10-27T20:55:40.018-07:00

CodeWeavers is offering their CrossOver Mac Pro and CrossOver Linux Pro, which lets you run Windows applications on your Mac or Linux PC, for free on Tuesday, October 28. The company's CEO is making good on his promise that the company would give away its software free for a day if any of several goals were met before President Bush left office. We have lower gas prices to thank for this

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-7687104405966481482008-10-27T07:03:00.003-07:002008-10-27T07:07:32.019-07:00

The Google Earth iPhone app is now available as a free download on the iTunes applications store. The app is very cool and runs surprisingly well on the iPhone. I can't say that its an app that I'll be using very often but it's definitely a cool way to show off the iPhone.Google Earth Comes to the iPhone [Wired]

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-81812526891431599762008-10-09T13:11:00.002-07:002008-10-09T13:13:13.022-07:00

From SDTimes.com:Python developers will soon have a tough decision to make: Move to a new Python, or stay forever bound to version 2.5 or earlier. On the Sept. 30, Python 2.6 was released, and it included a multitude of new features and adjustments to help ease users into the dramatic shift that will come with Python 3.0. Read the full article at SDTimes.com.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-68782146290215563302008-09-28T13:00:00.003-07:002008-09-28T13:12:14.340-07:00

Guitar Hero: World Tour will feature a new music studio that lets you create, edit, and share your own songs. It'll even have an online community where you can download and rate other songs from other users.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-53873499903287021032008-08-18T20:42:00.005-07:002008-08-18T21:12:48.051-07:00

A few weeks ago, I stood in line at the Apple Store here in Chandler, Arizona to get my new iPhone 3G. It took about 2 hours to get my white 16-GB phone.I've been downloading a bunch of free apps. My favorites so far are Pandora Radio (which, apparently, is on the verge of shutting down), Showtimes, UrbanSpoon, Simplify Media, and Aurora Feint.Pandora Radio - Free, streaming Internet radio. This

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-31188341716043776822008-06-19T23:01:00.002-07:002008-06-19T23:07:08.889-07:00

Game site IGN reviewed the new hardware for Activision's upcoming Guitar Hero: World Tour video game.The GuitarWorld Tour introduces a new guitar controller that is even more feature-laden than past designs. Before you get in a huff about just buying the Les Paul or X-plorer models from past Guitar Hero games, know that Activision has told us these will still work in World Tour. They just won't

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-18015304769546399492008-06-10T19:24:00.002-07:002008-06-10T19:27:18.059-07:00

Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced the MiWi(TM) Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Wireless Protocol Stack, which is based upon the IEEE 802.15.4(TM) specification. Available as a free download from Microchip's new online Wireless Design Center at www.microchip.com/wireless, the small-footprint, proprietary stack complements

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-37333440171156501952008-06-10T14:07:00.001-07:002008-06-10T14:10:06.856-07:00

Electronic Business recently spoke with Steve Sanghi, president, CEO, and chairman of Microchip Technology Inc, on the economy’s impact on the microcontroller market, the company’s entrance into 32-bit MCUs, and why it still banks on 8- and 16-bit MCUs as a sustainable sales opportunity.Read the article here.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-47227959822502130332008-06-09T13:10:00.004-07:002008-06-11T19:51:51.392-07:00

Apple finally took the wraps off its 3G iPhone. Thinner edges, full plastic back, flush headphone jack, and the iPhone 2.0 firmware. I'm sure you can find more info all over the inter webs, but in case you haven't, check out Engadget's coverage.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-26695769863667551652008-06-09T09:51:00.003-07:002008-06-09T09:54:33.907-07:00

Hopefully, most MPLAB C Compiler for PIC32 MCUs users know that the toolchain supports multilibs, target libraries built under a permutated set of options. To take advantage of these libraries when building a project under MPLAB IDE, be sure to set the library-selection options under the linker's build options as shown in the MPLAB IDE 8.10 screenshot below. If you don't set these options, you

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-64669188974624014822008-06-09T09:49:00.001-07:002008-06-24T10:52:18.874-07:00

Generally, C programmers don't have to worry about the assembly instructions that their C compiler generates. We have, however, received a few messages asking if the MPLAB C Compiler for PIC32 (aka MPLAB C32) supports the MADD instruction. Yes, it does. The compiler tries to avoid using the HI/LO registers, but the code below shows a sequence that invokes the MADD instruction (as of C32 1.02).

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-47582977538253763682008-06-02T23:19:00.004-07:002008-06-02T23:22:15.876-07:00

The Cult of Mac over on the Wired Blog network is reporting that the upcoming iPhone 2 will be thinner and feature better battery life. Read the details over at their blog.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-85061967295827937012008-06-02T22:56:00.003-07:002008-06-02T23:00:35.800-07:00

The PIC18F13K50 and PIC18F14K50 (PIC18F1XK50) are the lowest-cost USB MCUs from Microchip, and build on a broad family of existing USB PIC microcontrollers. They provide a host of features not normally found on inexpensive 8-bit MCUs--enabling the addition of embedded USB into a wide range of applications. The PIC18F1XK50 MCUs include a variety of serial communications interfaces, such as USB 2.0

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-66195719752905556922008-05-27T22:13:00.003-07:002008-05-27T22:17:40.158-07:00

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Chairman Bill Gates unveiled and demonstrated Windows 7's all new user interface at the WSJ's sixth annual All Things D conference this evening outside San Diego.Video: Multi-Touch in Windows 7

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-27753176472991711252008-05-24T15:22:00.002-07:002008-05-24T15:27:12.921-07:00

Activision recently released a new video showing off the new drumset that will play a major part of the upcoming game in the Guitar Hero series. I have to say it looks a lot cooler than the Rock Band drumset. It'll be interesting to see how they incorporate the velocity sensitivity into the game.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-34025626408546583712008-04-28T22:21:00.007-07:002008-04-28T22:31:01.315-07:00

HealthInspections.com has a list of the worst fast-food cities in the U.S. for food safety. Guess what? Phoenix ranks second in the nation.America's big names in fast food have big problems with food safety. A review of nearly 7,000 health inspection reports revealed thousands of violations and plenty of horror stories.The Cities -- Here's how the cities rank for dirty fast food. Orlando topped

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-22413978219327801822008-04-28T20:57:00.003-07:002008-04-28T21:03:15.641-07:00

The landscape is changing in the high-end, 32-bit microcontroller market. PA Semi is out of the mix. Marvell, Microchip and others are in. And Freescale, Renesas and others are expanding their efforts in the sector. It's no wonder that the new vendors are jumping into the market. For example, Microchip Technology Inc. is "doing well" with its new entry in the 32-bit MCU market, said Steve

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-34687727375280487322008-04-28T20:14:00.002-07:002008-04-28T20:48:34.568-07:00

Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced that it has been recognized by the following U.S. and international publications for product and organizational leadership."As the worldwide leader in 8-bit microcontrollers and the only company to support all of its 8-, 16- and 32-bit MCUs with a singular integrated

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-10235365696987877582008-04-27T16:20:00.002-07:002008-04-27T16:25:53.332-07:00

An anonymous Apple employee says company executives are in talks with Immersion Corporation to license its haptic technology for use in the iPhone, according to a report at Palluxo.[Via cnet.com]

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-86009928201101532962008-04-27T15:50:00.001-07:002008-04-27T15:52:37.028-07:00

This time it's from 1up.com and it scores an A+.

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-52731970440714184362008-04-26T13:58:00.001-07:002008-04-26T13:58:48.307-07:00

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-8927216947438450552008-04-24T23:50:00.002-07:002008-04-24T23:58:02.467-07:00

I just recently read an article about instructables.com. I browsed the site for only a few minutes, but I noticed that they have several PIC Microcontroller related entries. Has anyone from the Microchip web forums contributed projects to the site? I'll have to find some time this weekend to look at some of the projects.Instructables is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37961905.post-61072561072503722732008-04-21T19:34:00.005-07:002008-04-21T19:39:55.582-07:00

Microchip PIC32 users will be happy to know that version 1.02 of the MPLAB C Compiler for PIC32 MCUs (aka MPLAB C32) is now available for download. There's some new devices supported and a few bug fixes. Read the release notes for further details. Get it while it's hot. http://www.microchip.com/c32

DiamondDevilnoreply@blogger.com0