I am an analogue guy but i need to add a digital bit to my work, but i don't know how . I need c code to control the gain of my instrumentation amplifier through a programmable digital potentiometer with 128 gain steps using a PIC 16F877A. i need to send the output of the amplified signal of the instrumentation amplifier to a PC. I need help, cause all my colleagues are analogue inclined too.

 

I'm not quite seeing the relationship between the digital pot, the PIC16F877A, the instrumentation amplifier and the Personal Computer. A schematic would certainly be helpful. As I understand it the PIC controls the digital pot, and uses one of its A/D converters to digitize the output of the amplifier and then sends the data to the PC. Do I have that right?
A part number for the digital pot or a link to the datasheet would be handy.

I'm guessing that the C code you will need is for the PIC. In order to get the job done you need to select a compiler. You should also become familiar with MPLAB, a free download from Microchip.

 

I like C, but I have found that a lot of analog hardware type guys actually find it easier to write in assembly language especially with a PIC. As long as your application is not too complex, you should be able to learn that pretty quickly. The microchip website is a goldmine for this.