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| Who is Chuck Hellebuyck?
How did Chuck get started with Programming PICs in Basic? How did elproducts.com get started? Why did Chuck write a book about PicBasic but also sells MBasic and Atom? What is a PIC? How is a PIC programmed? What is a bootloader? What is PicBasic? What is an Atom? How can I get started Programming PICs in Basic? Why not learn C language or Assembly language rather than BASIC? How is MBasic Pro different from PicBasic Pro? What is a BasicBoard? Can a BasicBoard be used with PicBasic, C or Assembly? What if I'm into robotics, can I still use the products at elproducts.com? Does elproducts.com plan to offer robotic kits? |
| Who is Chuck Hellebuyck?
Chuck Hellebuyck holds a BSEE degree and three U.S. Patents. He has worked for over 20 years in the automotive electronics industry designing several of the electronic modules running around the road today. Chuck also spent 10 years racing NASCAR style stock cars around Michigan. Chuck considers himself more of a hardware designer but with today's electronics world driven by microcontrollers Chuck quickly adapted and learned software. He spent many years playing with early computers such as the Radio Shack TRS80 and the Commodore VIC20 and 64. When Microchip PICs arrived on the scene Chuck was one of the first in the Auto Industry to see their potential. He helped get them approved as a supplier for the Visteon corporation and has been using them in his own designs since the days when the 5X parts were the only ones available. Chuck is married with 3 children and considers elproducts.com his job he'll never quit working at. It's his hobby, 2nd profession and passion all rolled into one. His goal is to help as many people as possible learn how to program PICs in Basic so everyone can have as much fun as he does. |
| How did Chuck get started with Programming PICs in
Basic?
Chuck Hellebuyck had been working with Microchip PICs for a while but never understood why nobody had created a way to program PICs in Basic. He knew from the early days of computers that the BASIC language made programming so easy, anyone could become a programmer. Then he saw an ad in Nuts&Volts for the Parallax Basic Stamp single board computer module which was Microchip PIC based. He bought one and began playing with it. He quickly found it had serious limitations but was a great platform to learn the basics of microcontrollers. He thought, if Parallax can develop a Basic language for PICs why can't someone develop a Basic Compiler. He began to do that himself with great agony because his expertise was not in making a compiler. microEngineering Labs released the PicBasic compiler at about the same time, so Chuck dropped his plans and started using PicBasic. PicBasic blew away the Basic Stamp. Chuck soon found himself kicked off the Parallax Basic Stamp email list for mentioning PicBasic as an alternative to those who also had reached the limitations of the Stamp. He began to see others needed a path to get started programming PICs in Basic so he decided to take advantage of this relatively new thing called the internet. He started a website that offered packages with everything someone needed to get started programming PICs with PicBasic. He also started an email support group for PicBasic users so he could discuss this topic without fear of getting kicked off. Crownhill, another PicBasic reseller in the UK also started one and Chuck moved his roughly 30 members he had gathered in a couple weeks to the Crownhill list. Chuck continues to develop and use Basic to program PICs. |
| How did elproducts.com get started?
The company Electronic Products was started back in 1997 when Chuck was asked to do some custom design work for an engineering company. Chuck began to put together a home lab that allowed him to develop products of his own. He also wanted to help others get started programming PICs in Basic so he launched elproducts.com in 1998 and elproducts.com has been on internet ever since. |
| Why did Chuck write a book about PicBasic but also
sells MBasic and Atom?
Many people, including Chuck when he started the book, don't realize how much work a book takes to complete. Chuck had published a few articles for Nuts & Volts magazine back in July 1998. LLH Publishing approached Chuck about writing a book on PICs. Chuck decided to take the opportunity and create a book about programming PICs in Basic with the PicBasic compiler at the heart of it. The Publisher didn't want the book to get lost amongst the numerous Visual Basic books so the title was changed to include PicBasic or "Programming Microchip PICs with PicBasic". The book tried to present programming PICs in a general sense but PicBasic was still at the heart of it. The book took much longer than planned, 2 1/2 years to be exact, so by the time it was released, MBasic and the Atom module were introduced by Basic Micro. Chuck helped do some early beta testing for Basic Micro and was a big promoter of the Atom modules. The Atom modules picked up where the Basic Stamps left off and gave a new user all the power of a Basic Compiler with the simplicity of the Basic Stamp. The MBasic Pro compiler is the next logical step for Atom users to take their design and program any PIC. This was the same function PicBasic did for the Basic Stamp. Therefore Chuck felt both compilers had there place at elproducts.com. If the book was completed quicker maybe this question wouldn't be asked so much. Chuck is also working on books for both MBasic Pro and Atom. |
| What is a PIC?
A PIC is a microprocessor with ROM, RAM, I/O built into one package. This is also called a microcontroller. Microchip makes the PIC line and over time PICs have become the number one selling 8-bit microcontroller. Whats funny is back in 1995 Chuck told the Motorola rep that they should watch out for this Microchip company. The sales rep said Motorola had looked into just buying them out but didn't see that they were worth it. Wonder what they are thinking about that idea now?! PICs can be found in almost anything electronic. PICs are in PC keyboards, some PC mice, many industrial controllers have PICs inside. Many robots at competitions are run by PICs. It's a single package multi-purpose integrated circuit that do whatever your imagination can dream up. |
| How is a PIC programmed?
A PICmicro is programmed by loading a strategic list of 1's and 0's into its ROM. Those 1's and 0's are created by software. The software can be assembly language, which is assembled into the 1's and 0's, or it can be a higher level language such as C or Basic that is first compiled into assembly language and then assembled into the 1's and 0's. From there a PIC programmer is used to take the 1's and 0's and store them into the PICs ROM. It does this by sending voltage signals to specific pins on the PIC in a method specified by Microchip. This is sometimes called serial programming since the PIC only requires two pins to send and receive the 1's and 0's (RB6 and RB7). You can build the PIC into a circuit and still program it. This is called In-Circuit Serial Programming or ICSP. A 1's and 0's file always has a .hex suffix so sometimes people just refer to it as a "dot hex" file. Most PIC programmers accept this file thus allowing you to pick the PIC programmer that fits your budget and has all the features you want. |
| What is a bootloader?
A bootloader is a small .hex file that is loaded into the PIC with a PIC programmer. The bootloader then receives the 1's and 0's of a .hex file and stores them in the area of ROM not used by the bootloader software. This gives the user the advantage of not needing a PIC programmer to load a new .hex file. If you design your board correctly for the bootloader, you can program the PIC in-circuit without any additional hardware other than a serial cable and PC running the bootloader software. There are many free bootloaders available on the internet. The catch is, this only works on some PICs, not all. Atom modules and our own BasicBoard take advantage of the bootloader option allowing the user an easy way to program the PIC while saving the cost of a PIC programmer. |
| What is PicBasic?
As mentioned earlier, PicBasic is a higher level language that takes easy to understand BASIC commands and compiles them into an assembly language file. The PicBasic compiler also includes an assembler that converts the assembly language into a .hex file so it can be programmed into a PIC using a PIC Programmer or bootloader. |
| What is an Atom?
An Atom is a 16F876 or 16F877 Microchip PIC with a custom bootloader preprogrammed in. The custom bootloader communicates with the Atom Basic compiler to load your program into the PIC ROM memory. The Atom software is really a full featured compiler that Basic Micro gives away for free and recoups their costs by selling the Atom PIC chip or Atom modules with the Atom PIC chip built in. The Atom does not produce a .hex file that you can get at so it only works with the Atom PIC chips. If you want to use other of the shelf PICs you can use the MBasic Pro compiler, which uses 99% of the Atom commands but produces a .hex file or you can use the PicBasic Pro compiler which is about 85% compatable with the Atom command structure. |
| How can I get started Programming PICs in Basic?
This is the best question and the hardest one for me to answer. It all depends on your budget, what you plan to do and how long you plan to program PICs. The Atom is a great way to start and we offer exceptional starter package deals using the OEM module. The BasicBoard is another great option for those that are new to hardware and wiring up circuits. If you are really on a budget, you can just buy an Atom chip and build the rest yourself. This can be alot of work for someone new. The PicBasic compiler is fantastic for someone planning to get serious since it's recognized in the industry as a full featured compiler and well supported by elproducts.com and microEngineering Labs. The MBasic Pro compiler is a very good compiler also and many professionals use it. It's also a great upgrade path for Atom users. I recommend hobbyists that can afford one of our PicBasic compiler packages using our Zipper, OEM bootloader or BasicBoard bootloader version to start there. My book is a great source of information and you will have all the tools needed to produce professional electronic products. For those that can't afford it, use the OEM or BasicBoard Atom version starter package, you can upgrade to MBasic Pro when your ready to get even more serious. |
| Why not learn C language or Assembly language rather
than BASIC?
If you are that serious then by all means do it. Knowing assembly is a bonus whether you program in Basic or not. PicBasic Pro and MBasic Pro both allow assembly language inserts. C is currently more accepted in industry but Basic is gaining momentum. Many find C difficult to follow and get the same results with Basic that C programmers get with C. It's easier to get started with Basic so that's why we recommend it and why we use it everyday. |
| How is MBasic Pro different from PicBasic Pro?
MBasic Pro uses tokens to create a .hex file. What that means is each Basic command is compiled into a snippet of code that can accept arguments to operate on. Those arguments are stored in the PIC memory and retrieved similar to a batch of goto statements. PicBasic Pro is compiled as blocks of code that run by themselves although there is some jumping around. PicBasic is more of a "true" compiler and produces much more efficient code for smaller PICs and smaller programs. PicBasic Pro programs also execute faster than MBasic Pro since they jump around less. MBasic Pro has many advantages that PicBasic Pro doesn't offer such as a built in IDE interface and in-circuit debugger that allows you to step through your code command by command (Atom offers this also). This is very handy for developing concepts or debugging code. PicBasic Pro is still a DOS based program that requires a third party Windows IDE to make programming as easy as MBasic Pro. PicBasic Pro comes with a free third party IDE version. There are also IDE versions out there from other third party's that include an in-circuit debugger similar to the MBasic Pro. I still recommend PicBasic Pro for those that are serious and understand PICs. MBasic Pro is more directed for those upgrading from the Atoms. I use them both so I cannot rule out one or the other. I like them both and why I sell them both. |
| What is a BasicBoard?
BasicBoard is a development platform created by Chuck Hellebuyck. It's built to have all the most common features pre-wired and soldered in. An LCD, LEDs, momentary switches, speaker, potentiometer and serial port wired and ready to use. The BasicBoard also has three pin headers for expansion that make it easy to plug in servo motors, robotic sensors, and other serial type accessories. The BasicBoard can be programmed with the Atom software if it's the Atom version or any other compiler such as PicBasic Pro if it's the Bootloader version. We have many add on modules and project books planned around the BasicBoard making it the best platform for learning how to Program PICs in Basic. Schools and individuals are already using the BasicBoard and we're just getting started. |
| Can a BasicBoard be used with PicBasic, C or Assembly?
Yes, just order the BasicBoard Bootloader version. It comes with the ISP-Pro software to program the bootloader PIC16F877 included in the BasicBoard bootloader version. |
| What if I'm into robotics, can I still use the products
at elproducts.com?
Yes, definitely. We have many customers already using our products in robotic applications. Our Zipper module is becoming popular for this as well. We are even working on a new OEM module and Zipper module and other exciting products that will make it even easier to control a robot with a PIC. |
| Does elproducts.com plan to offer robotic kits?
Yes, We have launched Roboticals.com which is dedicated to low cost, easy to build, use and program educational robotic packages. It's where the name came from EDUCATIONAL merged with ROBOTICS to become ROBOTICALS.com. |