Posts by Farahat

The Hardware and Software This chapter lets you know what you need in the way of minimum hardware and soft- ware to get started and what you need to do to set it up and get it ready for use. List of hardware and what comes with it N The LAB-X1 board (with software CD […]
Continue reading…

INTRODUCTION TO MICROENGINEERING LABS’ LAB-X1 EXPERIMENTAL BOARD THE MICROCONTROLLER The PIC 16F877A microcontroller (which is a necessary component on the board) is not provided because each of the compatible PIC microprocessors available has varying features, and you need to select a unit that suits the application that you have in mind. We will be using […]
Continue reading…

Production Systems There are two main types of production system. Manufacturing systems include materials and component handling technologies such as conveyors and robots, which work with machine tools and assembly subsystems to produce discrete product items, such as motor vehicles. Process control systems are those that supervise continuous flow production, such as an oil refinery, […]
Continue reading…

PLC Control Programmable logic controllers are often used for sequential control in industrial systems. The PLC is a self-contained sequence controller, built around a microprocessor or microcontroller, but with all the interfacing built in. PLCs also use more user-friendly programming techniques, such as ladder logic. A small Mitsubishi PLC is shown in Figure 14.7. The […]
Continue reading…

SOFTWARE COMPILER The PICBASIC PRO BASIC software compiler provided by micro Engineering Labs provides the functions needed to control all aspects of the hardware provided by Microchip Technologies as a part of their large PIC offering. All the functions avail- able on the PIC 16F877A microcontroller that we will be using are accessible from the […]
Continue reading…

BREADBOARDING AND EXPANSION All 40 pins of the MCU have been provided with extra predrilled PC board holes. These can be used to extend the signals from these pins to an off board location for experimentation. The extensions are easily made with standard 0.1 inch on center pins and matching cables and headers. A small […]
Continue reading…

DIZI Application Outlines A further eight applications are specified below, and the source code for each is listed in Programs 10.4. They can be downloaded from www.picmicros.org.uk, and tested in simulation mode in MPSIM or ISIS (if available). If the DIZI hardware is constructed, they can be programmed into a 16F84A chip using an out-of-circuit […]
Continue reading…

Control System Design The microcontroller or microprocessor forms the basis of most control systems. A dedicated microprocessor design allows the memory and interfacing to be designed separately, but, because of the range of microcontrollers now available and the additional system design work required, this is now much less likely to be a cost-effective solution. In […]
Continue reading…

Microcontroller For comparison with other control technologies, Figure 14.10 shows the same machine tool operated by a microcontroller. As we know, the microcontroller uses signal levels around 5 V, so the input switches have to be connected with pull-up resistors. The microcontroller is programmed to operate the output loads via suitable interfaces, which allow its […]
Continue reading…

Microprocessor Systems The main elements of the microcontroller were originally developed as separate devices before being integrated into one chip to produce the microcontroller. The PC, as outlined in Chapter 1, is an example, where the individual central processing unit (CPU), memory and I/O devices are linked together by system address, data and control buses. […]
Continue reading…