FEEDBACK

There is only a small amount of feedback from our readers at the moment as the e-magazine has only just been launched, however I have been producing magazines and books for the past 20 years and have a store-house of letters and phone-calls from enthusiasts who have been reading my articles for years. 
One incident that comes to mind is a success beyond belief. 
A local hobbyist called in one Saturday morning for a kit and happened to mention he was going for an interview the following week. 
I asked him about the material he was taking with him. 
He said he had done a 3-year course at trade school and his final project was a power supply. He was taking it with him. 
I asked to see it. 
He returned a short time later and showed it to me. 
I told him I was not knocking the power supply but it really didn't show his capability at electronics. I suggested he take our Single Board Z-80 Computer.
His immediate reply was; "But I don't know anything about computers!"
"Don't worry", I said. "Your interviewer will possibly not know anything about computers either!" (don't forget, this was 12 years ago!)
In the next week he built the computer, programmed it to output to the 7-Segment displays and created a tune. 
To make a long story short, he got the position. 
More than 100 applicants had applied and from his general knowledge of electronics he was not the brightest to apply. 
He admitted it was the project that clinched the interview. The Single Board computer was far ahead of its time. The interviewer was a fully qualified  electronics person but possibly not entirely up-to-date with computers. He did not ask any difficult technical questions and the interview went without a hitch. 
The moral is: don't be afraid to apply.
It's very hard to present yourself at your best at an interview, so let your "projects" do the talking. 
There are many more stories like this from hobbyists and you can be almost guaranteed to be successful from the start by taking at least one of our projects with you to an interview. 
Not only do they form a "talking point" but they show your capability and interest in the subject. 
This is exactly what the interviewer wants to see. 
All our boards are fibreglass with an overlay showing exactly where each component is positioned. Most of our projects are not fitted into a box and you can "see" how it works and it looks very presentable.
If you are just beginning, the courses in this e-magazine will get you on the right track. 
After a few issues you will see where the courses are heading and in no time you will be ready for an interview.

Two emails have just arrived:

From Srecko Vukadinovic.  He is doing our PIC Programming Course. 
Question: I am programming a PIC16F84 with the Multi-Chip Programmer using the windows IC-PROG software. If CP (Code Protection is set in the configuration) does this mean you can't erase the chip?
Answer: No. The Code Protection feature only means you cannot read the program in the chip. The chip can be erased and re-programmed about 1,000 times with the CP bit (bits) SET or NOT SET.

Question: The PIC12C509 is a OTP device but the data sheets talk about 1,000,000 erase/write cycle EEPROM. What does this mean?
Answer: You must be confusing two different data sheets. The PIC12C509 does not have internal EEPROM for storing variables (variables are values generated by a program or an input from external sources). 
The PIC16F84 has 64 bytes of internal EEPROM and they can be written/erased about one million times. Re-check your data sheets and confirm this.

And from Dave Sutherland:

Dear Colin, 
I would like to congratulate you on your brilliant website!  I have paid a lot of money for similar courses here in South Africa which you offer on your new site.  I have just purchased a PIC programmer and will be following your PIC programming course very shortly.
Yours is by far the best PIC orientated course I have found.
Thanks for your effort and time - people like myself appreciate it.

Kind Regards,
Dave.
email: davepsutherland@hotmail.com 

A very good question came from a reader last week.
He wanted to get the hex code for a program such as: (or any program)
              ORG 0x00
             BSF 03,5             ;Go to page1 for setting-up the ports
             MOVLW 00h       ;Put 00 into W             
             MOVWF 05h       ;Make all RA lines output        
             MOVWF 06h       ;Make all RB lines output
             BCF 03,5             ;Go to Page0 for programming
             MOVLW 02h        ;Put 02 into W to
             MOVWF 05h        ;Reset the 4017

 The first thing you have to know is the type of microcontroller you will be using. In this case it is a PIC16F84:

Open MPASM  v2.07
Tick Radix  default, untick case sensitive, tick warning level default, tick macro expansion default, tick HEX output default, tick generated files: Error file and List file. Select processor 16F84A, tab size 8.
In the browse window, find the file you want to "work with" on your computer.  It will have an extension .asm   Put the location of the file into the window.
Click the button ASSEMBLE.

MPASM will take the .asm file and produce a   .lst file and .hex file

This .hex file is only suitable for a PIC16F84A

The chip can be "burnt" (programmed) with the file by following the next set of instructions:

Open IC-PROG
Select PIC16F84A as the processor and untick WDT, PWRT  and CP.
Select Oscillator: RC.
Click on the file ICON at the top left of the screen.
A window will open up and show the .asm .lst and .hex files that you have created  (if not, find the folder with the files).

Click on the file you want and click on OPEN.
The .hex values will  be loaded into the window.

Click on the icon with the lightening arrow and the chip will be “Burnt” (provided you have it fitted to the multi chip programmer.)

The job is done.


More FEEDBACK
This page is all about feedback. If you have similar questions, let me know. I am especially interested in items involving the use of our projects. 

Colin Mitchell
Editor - TALKING ELECTRONICS Interactive