Making PIC Microcontroller Instruments and Controllers

Essential Design Techniques From the Workbench of a Pro

Harness the power of the PIC microcontroller unit with practical, common-sense instruction from an engineering expert. Through eight real-world projects, clear illustrations, and detailed schematics, Making PIC Microcontroller Instruments and Controllers shows you, step-by-step, how to design and build versatile PIC-based devices. Configure all necessary hardware and software, read input voltages, work with control pulses, interface with peripherals, and debug your results. You'll also get valuable appendices covering technical terms, abbreviations, and a list of sample programs available online.

Build a tachometer that gathers, processes, and displays data  Make accurate metronomes using internal PIC timersConstruct an asynchronous pulse counter that tracks marblesRead temperature information through an analog-to-digital converterUse a gravity sensor and servos to control the position of a tableAssemble an eight-point touch screen with an input scanning routineEngineer an adjustable, programmable single-point controller Capture, log, monitor, and store data from a solar collector

User review
Correction to Mr Kirby's review
My thanks to Mr Kirby for his kind comments.

The book does contain a very detailed explanation on how to read 4x4 keyboard that Mr. Kirby seems to have missed. See pages 67 to 74.

It is not necessary to buy the entire development system used in the book. Most of the work can be done with a breadboard and stuff in an adequate junk box but it does make it much easier to have a formal system to work with. A programmer can be purchased or made from any of many designs on the internet. I did not make one, so I do not make a recommendation.

HSS (Author)

User review
18F877A and Picbasic pro, simple approach, readable, comprehensive, great book
Most authors complicate things by trying to cover too much. Mr Sanduh keeps it short (350 pages) and simple, but is very thorough. He sticks to the 40-pin 16F877A, using Picbasic Pro and the LAB-X1 demo board, both from melabs. I now think Picbasic is the easiest way to program PIC devices.

All major topics are dealt with using practical examples. The style is friendly, readable and interesting.

This book is an excellent fast track to using PIC technology.

User review
Well-written, easily understandable covering a complex subject with ease.
Mr. Sandhu has authored a well-written, easily understandable book covering a complex subject with ease.

To his credit, in-depth coverage of the PIC chip he has selected as a basis for the published projects is thankfully brief. Readers who purchase this book should have a reasonable amount of experience in the PIC range already, and will be pleased to discover that this book is NOT a rehash of already published data sheets and chip-specific information.

Mr. Sandhu has a refreshingly clear writing style, making a complex subject easy to understand. The book assumes the reader will have access to a development board (the LAB-X1) and is using PICBasic (from Micro Engineering Labs). However, these prerequisites are not essential to the reader's enjoyment of the book. In all cases, schematics of the projects are supplied for the reader to construct, or breadboard. A trial version of the software is available.

Instrumentation and controllers are necessary in all walks of life. Home, industry, agriculture and so on. For many years, these devices have been a `dark art', with potential users resorting to purchasing units to satisfy their instrument and/or controller needs, often being forced into a compromise situation due to exact requirements not being available in commercial equipment. No more. Mr. Sandhu supplies a wealth of information, clear instructions and employs a `universal' approach to his examples. This approach gives the reader wide scope to modify the published designs to suit their own requirements.

I have learned a huge amount from reading this book. It has filled a void in my PIC knowledge, demystifying instrumentation and control, and empowering me to confidently apply lessons learned from the book to real-world applications that are required for my particular industry.

Mr. Sandhu's clear writing style, succinct but clear explanations of very technical concepts, and wry humor make a serious subject a joy to read about and gives the reader a large dose of confidence. So much so that I acquired a LAB-X1 development board and immediately began developing embedded control and instrumentation equipment with considerable success.

Mr. Sandhu is to be commended for his writing skill, for the time he has obviously put into his work and for his approachability.

Well done, sir!