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Chapter 3 / Microcontrollers and PIC Programming
tion, check the RS-232 cable and power supply to the programmer.
If that does not work, try using a different 16F84 chip.
If there was no error when programming the PIC, insert it back into
the controller board and make sure that pin 1 is facing toward the
LEDs. Check the battery wiring and verify that the 6-V DC polarity
is not reversed to the power connectors. Check the controller board
for any missed components or cold solder connections.

MicroCode Studio Visual Integrated
Development Environment

Mecanique’s MicroCode Studio is a powerful, visual Integrated
Development Environment (IDE), with an In Circuit Debugging
(ICD) capability designed specifically for microEngineering Labs’
PICBasic Pro Compiler. The MicroCode Studio user interface is
shown in Figure 3.7.
This studio makes programming PIC microcontrollers very easy
with a one-button process of compiling, assembling, and program-
ming. MicroCode Studio is completely free for noncommercial use
and can be downloaded at www.mecanique.co.uk/code-studio/. It
is not time-limited in any way, and does not have any nag screens.
However, you can only use one ICD model with MicroCode Studio.
MicroCode Studio is not copyright-free. If you wish to redistribute
MicroCode Studio, or make it available on another server, you must
contact Mecanique and obtain permission first.

The main editor provides full syntax highlighting of your code,
with context-sensitive keyword help and syntax hints. The code
explorer allows you to automatically jump to include files,
defines, constants, variables, aliases and modifiers, symbols, and
labels that are contained within your source code. Full cut, copy,
paste, and undo is provided, together with search and replace
features. It also gives you the ability to identify and correct com-

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