Page 186 - Making PIC Microcontroller Instruments and Controllers

TO THE EIGHT PBOJECIS
IA2 Al{ INTRODUGTIOII

A. LOGGING DATA FROM A SOLAR COLLECTOB
Now that we have a wo*ing lwo-lhetmometer sensor, we add com unications to it and
create a system that logs the conditions inside a solar collectot to a PC. automalically
every minute (or another tine interval) for a ycar-
A large poftion of the trtorial is devoted to cach one of lhc preceding devices, and
building insnuctiorN as well as a discussi(nl of lhc theory and the programming tech
nioues used are included in each chaptcr

Notes

In the iollowirg cxercises, wc will rely as much as we can. on the capabilities of the
PIC and try to do the projects with as few exlcnal componenls as possible to keeP our
costs down and to increase our l(nowledge of using the PIC 10 do whatevcr it is capa
bleofdolng. Forexample, inthe lirst project, the tachometer, wccould easilyhaveused
ICs thal convert BCD (binafy codcd decimal) dala to whal is needed by the seven
segment displays to display a number. but we did it without the ICs to leam how ihis
can be done with the PIC alone.
On the sollware end, we rvill use as few of the iDstructions from PROBASIC as pos-
sible to keep the cmphasis on thc design of thc instrnnenls as opposed 1() masterirg the
tricks and techniques possible with the extensivc software language
The emphasis is on thc PIC and what is inside it
STOPI STOPI STOP1 STOPI STOPI
(}NCE IN A LIFEI'IME CHANCE
TO EXERCISE YOUR WITSI
Younotr bave ! rare opponunily toerercise)ouf
crcalive thirKngl
Now drat you knowwhdt Ne wi1lbe buildiDg,lou can
i)ldease shar you willSet iioD these
substanlially
e{ercises by notreadin8 tlD folldvitrg p.gos lar a couPlc
of days and speidiry time fiinkin8 scriou$lv about how
you woulduse the rcsoutles dvrilable toyou Lo desien
lhe iNtumenLs describcd i! this chaptcr
Makc drawings.nd slethes of what you sould do in
your shop log. Latc!, it sillbe instuctn'e lo coDparc
\rhat you envisioncd $ith how I havc described thc
Hopetiilly, {hatyo! coire upwift (in at
instrumenLs.
least sodecrses) will be norelnspircd Lhan fte
offered iD tris lLrtorial
simflined niethods and tecliniqucs
Goodluck