Hey guys,
Ive been part of a forum before though (mechanical related) learned alot from posting and reading, I hope the same will come here.
I'm working on putting together a project and all I have used in the past was PIC's 18f2420 8 bit MCU. I'm pretty familiar with this device and have yet to venture off into using any other MCU.
The goal is to develop a device that will communicate with my computer information relating to the rpm/temp/(to be expanded) of an engine. I can interface sensors without help but but when it comes to usb/computer interfacing I need guidance. I have done rs232 to hyperterminal before but I would rather talk to a VB GUI or something so I can use the numbers in a spread sheet later on or display the information cleanly. I have made a couple forms in VB and am "ok" at it, not the greatest but I can eventually figure things out.
To get started I purchased
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150689787403?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
this guy hoping I could connect the UART of the PIC to it for $3 I didn't see how I could go wrong. As for communication, is everything transferred in 8 bit chunks or does it differ? Ive watched a tutorial of someone interfacing a device to a computer and they needed to set up some sort of parameters so windows knew what it was (kinda like that installing new hardware icon that pops up) along with addressing the correct software port in the computer? To be honest I don't know that much about talking to computers, when its mcu-mcu/or other IC's through spi/uart I'm ok with that.
I was also looking at spi/uart wifi/bluetooth modules for later on after I figure out the usb thing and I begin to question weather my 8bit pic will do. Should I finally move up to 16 or 32 bit. I have done mcu-Xbee-Xbee-mcu but none of that requires talking to a computer like with the wifi module which I would like to eventually figure out for future projects.
I have the pic kit 2 currently for debugging and I use MPlab with there C18 compiler.
If there is any other easy to follow tutorials relating interfacing with a computer please let me know, also any other free software GUI's better then VB? I'm sure there is I'm just new to this industry so I don't really know where to look just yet.
Thanks
Ive been part of a forum before though (mechanical related) learned alot from posting and reading, I hope the same will come here.
I'm working on putting together a project and all I have used in the past was PIC's 18f2420 8 bit MCU. I'm pretty familiar with this device and have yet to venture off into using any other MCU.
The goal is to develop a device that will communicate with my computer information relating to the rpm/temp/(to be expanded) of an engine. I can interface sensors without help but but when it comes to usb/computer interfacing I need guidance. I have done rs232 to hyperterminal before but I would rather talk to a VB GUI or something so I can use the numbers in a spread sheet later on or display the information cleanly. I have made a couple forms in VB and am "ok" at it, not the greatest but I can eventually figure things out.
To get started I purchased
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150689787403?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
this guy hoping I could connect the UART of the PIC to it for $3 I didn't see how I could go wrong. As for communication, is everything transferred in 8 bit chunks or does it differ? Ive watched a tutorial of someone interfacing a device to a computer and they needed to set up some sort of parameters so windows knew what it was (kinda like that installing new hardware icon that pops up) along with addressing the correct software port in the computer? To be honest I don't know that much about talking to computers, when its mcu-mcu/or other IC's through spi/uart I'm ok with that.
I was also looking at spi/uart wifi/bluetooth modules for later on after I figure out the usb thing and I begin to question weather my 8bit pic will do. Should I finally move up to 16 or 32 bit. I have done mcu-Xbee-Xbee-mcu but none of that requires talking to a computer like with the wifi module which I would like to eventually figure out for future projects.
I have the pic kit 2 currently for debugging and I use MPlab with there C18 compiler.
If there is any other easy to follow tutorials relating interfacing with a computer please let me know, also any other free software GUI's better then VB? I'm sure there is I'm just new to this industry so I don't really know where to look just yet.
Thanks