Programming PIC Microcontrollers with XC8: Mastering Classical Embedded Design (Maker Innovations Series)

Are you tired of copying and pasting code into your embedded projects? Do you want to write your own code from scratch for microcontrollers and understand what your code is doing without all the frills and math? This book uses a practical approach to show you how to develop embedded systems with 8-bit PIC microcontrollers using the XC8 compiler.

Written for those who want more than an Arduino, but less than the more complex microcontrollers on the market, this new edition is fully updated and covers embedded design principles such as foreground-background loops and event driven programming. You’ll learn how to interface with things like Motors, PID loop control and writing a browser-based monitoring system! This book is heavy on code, schematics, and images and focuses less on the theoretical aspects of using microcontrollers.

Coverage includes writing a display driver, using the DAC for a multitude of waveform generation techniques, and building 8-bit IoT systems, real time telemetry, a countdown timer, and new peripherals. These topics are important if you want to learn more about PIC microcontroller devices as a whole. You'll also see the advantage that MPLAB X offers by running on Windows, Mac and Linux environments. You don't need to be a command line expert to work with PIC microcontrollers, so you can focus less on setting up your environment and more on your application. 

If you want to move beyond the Arduino, Programming PIC Microcontrollers with XC8 is your complete guide to understanding modern PIC microcontrollers.

What You’ll Learn

• Set up the MPLAB X and XC8 compilers for microcontroller development
• Use GPIO and PPS
• Review EUSART and Software UART communications
• Use the eXtreme Low Power (XLP) options of PIC microcontrollers
• Explore wireless communications with WiFi and Bluetooth

Who This Book Is For

Those with basic electronic device and electronic equipment experience and some knowledge of the C programming and digital electronics. Also targeted towards students wanting a practical overview of microcontrollers outside of the classroom.

Armstrong Subero began learning electronics at the age of 8. One of the happiest memories in his childhood was when he finally figured out how to make a light bulb. It took off from there as he taught himself more advanced topics in electronics, before delving into computer architecture, and eventually discovering the joys of microcontrollers and FPGAs. From there he honed his C programming skills and learned a myriad of languages and technologies. 

Armstong currently works for the Ministry of National Security in Trinidad and Tobago, and writes software, design circuits, courses, robots, and software for embedded systems at angelstemlabs.com. He is also a contributing author to Free Code Camp and has degrees in Computer Science and Liberal Arts and Sciences from Thomas Edison State University where he also studies Mathematics and Natural Science. He is the author of Programming PIC Microcontrollers in XC8, Codeless Data Structures and Algorithms, and Programming Microcontrollers with Python published by Apress Media LLC.