Re: PIC Programming - a where to start...

[Pete Shew <pslists@xxxxxxxxx>]

Wayne, the PBX was really a rebuild. I took a broken Omnicom FS2828
and
used the extension amd line interface electronics, plus the crossbar
switch and some other bits and used a 16F877 to handle the smarts, plus
a 16F84 for tone generation. I keep thinking about Asterix, but the cost
of IP phones or the POTS interface cards for extensions keeps putting me
off. I use the PBX as a doorbell and granny alarm too. Plus one of the
exchange lines goes to a Linksys PAP2 VOIP adapter.

Some of the PICS have USB slave stuff, but I don't know about USB
master, I'm not sure about  Ethernet/IP. I chose CAN because my data
rates weren't high, the cost was low and I use Cat 5 for power and data
to remote devices. CAN has good noise immunity, and one of my devices is
a CAN <-> RS232 converter which a Linus program forwards to IP
connected
clients.

Pete

Wayne wrote:
> Cheers for the heads up!
>
> The stuff I've been looking at so far is using a basic compiler that
> compiles down into machine code that is written to the chip.
> It has nice commands like 'sound' (to make a beep at a frequency for x
> long) and 'rotate' to drive a stepper motor x degree's, as well as the
> 'usual' stuff.
>
> Wow at building a telephone exchange! would not have considered doing
> anything like that - does it take many external 'supporting'
components
> to get something like that working or can it be driven pretty much by
> the chip itself? (apparently they can be 'forgiving' in what you feed
it
> and power / switch with them) - the closest I have to a phone exchange
> is an Asterix system which nearly has caller line ID coming out on a
> slimp3 box :)
>
> Best start off with a few smaller projects first me thinks - One that
> springs to mind is a basic fan controller for node0, more heat =
faster
> fan speed, that sort of thing.
> Am I right in thinking you can get ethernet / IP stack's or USB output
> from these things too? I must admit - haven't heard of a CAN network -
> time for a google :)
>
> the mind boggles!
> Cheers!
> Wayne.
>
>