MPLABIDETutorial

MPLABIDE(IntegratedDevelopmentEnvironment)isusedforediting,compilingcodesaswellas
simulatingthemusinganinbuiltsimulator.
Inthistutorial,wewillcoverthefollowingsteps(specificallytoprogramthePIC16F877A)
1) Settingupanewproject
Selectingthedevice
SettingupLanguageTools
Namingtheproject
AddingRequiredfilestotheProject

2) Editing&CompilingtheCode
ViewingWindows
CheckingtheConfigurationBits
Locatingthemaincodearea
Locatingthevariabledefinitionarea
LocatingtheISR(InterruptServiceRoutine)
Buildingthecode

3) TestingthecodeusingtheSimulator

MPLABIDEwhenopened,lookslikethis:

Step1)Settingupanewproject
a) SelectingtheDevice
Goto:Project>ProjectWizardasshown

ClickNextontheWelcomeScreen.
Youarriveatadeviceselectionwindow.MakesurethattheDeviceselectedisPIC16F877A.
ClickontheNextButton.

b) SettinguptheLanguageTools

Youdontneedtodoanythinghere.Acceptthedefaultsettings&justhittheNextbutton.

c) NamingtheProject
Youwillencounterthefollowingwindow:

ClickontheBrowseButton.
WhileinsidetheBrowseWindow:
InitiallyCreateanewfolder(withanyname)insomelocation.Fore.g.TestFolder.
Thenclickonthisfoldertogoinsideit,typeanydesirablenamethatyouwantyour
programtohave(fore.g.Test),andthenclickonSaveButton.

Yourwindowwillnowlooklikethis.HittheNextbutton.

d) AddingrequiredfilestotheProject

Wewillneedtocopytwofilestoourproject.

Youwillhavearrivedatawindowthatshowsatreetypestructureoffoldersonthecomputer.
Usingthearrows,migratetothefolder:
C:\ProgramFiles\Microchip\MPASMSuite

Youwillseethefollowingfolderstructure:

Firstly,addthetemplatefiletoyourprojectasfollows
Usingarrows,enterthefolder:
C:\ProgramFiles\Microchip\MPASMSuite\Template\Object
Findthefile:16F877ATMPO.ASM(becarefultochoosetherightfile)
SelectthisfileandclickonAdd>>sothatthefileenterstherightcolumn(withanA)
DONOTclickonNext.

Secondly,addalinkerfiletoyourprojectasfollows(inthesamewindow):
Usingarrows,enterthefolder:
C:\ProgramFiles\Microchip\MPASMSuite\LKR

Findthefile:16f877a.lkr
(becarefulandDONOTCONFUSEwithothersimilarfileslike16f877.lkr,16f877_g.lkr,
16f877ai.lkr,16f877a_g.lkr,etc.)
SelectthisfileandagainclickonAdd>>sothatitenterstherightcolumn(withanA)
DONOTclickonNext.

MoveyourmousePointerovertheAsintherightcolumn,andkeeponclickingonthemuntil
youseeaCintheirplace.(asyouclickontheA,youwillgothroughU,S,andthenC)
Cstandsforcopy.(sincewewanttocopythefilestoourproject)

Yourfinalwindowshouldlooklikebelow:

Now,hittheNextButton
YouwillarriveattheSummarywindow.ClickonFinish

Step2)Editing&Compilingthecode

a) ViewingWindows

Youwillarriveatseeminglyblankwindowasfollows:

FromtheMenubarabove,Goto:View>Project.
Theprojectwindowlooksasfollows:

Inthissmallwindow,youwillseethefile16F877ATMPO.ASM.
DoubleClickonthisfiletoopentheEditorwindow,whereyouwillwriteyourcodes.

b) CheckingtheConfigurationBitString

MaximisetheEditorwindowtoviewthedefaultcodeinthetemplate.
Itsaprettylongcode.Scrollup/downtolocatethescriptthatisshownasfollows:

Locatetheselinesinthecode
list
#include

p=16f877a
<p16f877a.inc>

;listdirectivetodefineprocessor
;processorspecificvariabledefinitions

__CONFIG_CP_OFF&_WDT_OFF&_BODEN_OFF&_PWRTE_ON&_HS_OSC&_WRT_OFF&_LVP_OFF&_CPD_OFF

EnsurethatthisConfigurationStringinthecodeisexactlyasitiswrittenabove.
Especiallylookoutfor:HS_OSC...andLVP_OFF.
Ifnot,thencorrectit.

c) LocatingtheMaincodeArea:

Scrollup/downinthecodetofindthelinethatcontains

MAIN_PROG
CODE

start

;Whatevercodethatyouwishtorunfortheexperiment,shouldbewritteninthisplace
;entirely(excepttheInterruptcode).

END

d) LocatingtheVariableDefinitionArea

Payattentiontotheparthighlightedinthisframe.Locatethislineinyourcode.
Thevariable(register)countisdefinedhere.Similarlyyoucandefinemorevariablesbelowit.

e) LocatingtheISR(InterruptServiceRoutine)
Locatethefollowingpartofcodeinyourtemplate.

;interruptvectorlocation

INT_VECTORCODE0x0004

INTERRUPT

movwf
w_temp
;saveoffcurrentWregistercontents
movf
STATUS,w
;movestatusregisterintoWregister
movwf
status_temp
;saveoffcontentsofSTATUSregister
movf
PCLATH,w
;movepclathregisterintowregister
movwf
pclath_temp
;saveoffcontentsofPCLATHregister

;isrcodecangohereorbelocatedasacallsubroutineelsewhere

movf
pclath_temp,w
;retrievecopyofPCLATHregister
movwf
PCLATH
;restorepreisrPCLATHregistercontents
movf
status_temp,w
;retrievecopyofSTATUSregister
movwf
STATUS
;restorepreisrSTATUSregistercontents
swapf
w_temp,f
swapf
w_temp,w
;restorepreisrWregistercontents
retfie

;returnfrominterrupt

Whatevercodeyouwishtorunwhenanyinterruptiscalled,needstobewrittenintheplaceof
thecommentedline:

;isrcodecangohereorbelocatedasacallsubroutineelsewhere

f) Building(Compiling)theCode
Afteryoufinishwritingthedesiredcodeforaparticularexperiment,youneedtocompilethecode
forerrors.
OntheMenuBar,goto:Project>BuildAll

Ifyourcodehasnoerrorsinit,youwillgetthemessageBUILDSUCCEEDED,intheOutput
Window.
Toreturntotheeditorwindow,Goto:Window>MPLABIDEEditor.
Fromthispointonwards,itisconvenienttoresizethewindows,sothatyoucanviewallof
themsimultaneously.

Step3)TestingthecodeusingSimulator

ThisisthemostimportantstepbeforeyouburnyourprogramintothemicrocontrollerIC.
Thesimulatorenablesyoutosimulateandcheckyourcodeifitisworkingfine,ratherthan
feedingitintotheICandthenwonderingwhytheprogramdoesntwork.

a) SelectingtheDebugger(Simulator)

OntheMenuBar,goto:Debugger>SelectTool>MPLABSIM

b) ViewingtheWatchWindow

OntheMenuBar,goto:View>Watch

Resize(RestoreDown)theWatchwindow,inordertoseeallthewindowssimultaneously.
Thisisnecessaryinordertowatchtheprogramrun&outputsimultaneouslyonthesimulator.

c) SelectingtheRegistersforaWatch

Thereare2pulldownlistsintheWatchwindow.OnecontainsalltheSFRs(SpecialFunction
Registers)
Selectallthoseregistersthatyouareusinginyourprogram(e.g.TRIS,PORT,WREG,STATUS)
Fore.g.towatchthevalueofWREG(Accumulator),selectWREGfromthedropdownlistand
thenclickonAddSFR.Similarlyforothers.
Similarlyyoucanwatchanyvariablesthatyouareusinginyourprogram.Fore.g.count.

d) CheckingtheProgramSequence

Yourresizedwindowswilllooklikethis.Trytolocatethe2buttonshighlitedinthepicture:

Alsolocatethegreenarrowpointingtosomelineoftheprogram.

Makesureyouhavecompiledyourprogram(usingBuildAllOption)

Now,keepingalltheregistersonwatchintoview,alongwithsomevisiblepartofthecode;
presstheStepIntoButton.Youwillseethegreenarrowshiftbelow.

KeeponpressingtheStepIntoButtontoseehoweachinstructionshiftsthegreenarrow
(ProgramCounter)tosomeposition;andatthesametimewatchifthevaluesofthe
RegistersintheWatchwindowchangeasdesired.

PresstheResetButtontorestarttheprogramfromthebeginning.

Ifyouhaveintroducedanydelaysinyourprogram,youwillneedtoreducethedelaycycles
inordertoseethesimulation;andthenagainincreasethedelaycycles(time)whilefeeding
theprogramintotheactualmicrocontroller.

Step4)FeedingtheProgramintotheMicrocontroller

Ifyouaresurethatyourprogramisworkingfineinthesimulator,thenproceedasfollows

ChangethevaluesofDelaysifrequired.
Compiletheprogramforonefinaltime(inordertoensurethatallrecentchangeshavebeentaken
intoaccount)
Now,inMyComputerlocatetheactualfolderwhereyouhavesavedyourproject.
Insidethisfolder,youwillseemanyfilesasfollows:

Locatethefilewithyourprogramname&a.hexextension.

ThisistheactualfilethatneedstobefeededtotheMicrocontrollersoftware.
Usethis.hexfileinthesoftwareusedforprogrammingthePICIC.