© Gooligum Electronics 2009 www.gooligum.com.

au

Introduction to PIC Programming

Programming Baseline PICs in C

by David Meiklejohn, Gooligum Electronics

Lesson 5: Analog Comparators

Baseline lesson 9 explained how to use the analog comparators and absolute and programmable voltage
references available on baseline PICs, such as the PIC16F506, using assembly language. This lesson
demonstrates how to use C to access those facilities, re-implementing the examples using the free HI-TECH
C1 (in “Lite” mode), PICC-Lite and CCS PCB compilers (introduced in lesson 1).
In summary, this lesson covers:
 Basic use of the analog comparator modules available on the PIC16F506
 Using the internal absolute 0.6 V voltage reference
 Configuring and using the internal programmable voltage reference
 Enabling comparator output, to facilitate the addition of external hysteresis
 Wake-up on comparator change
 Driving Timer0 from a comparator output
with examples for HI-TECH C, PICC-Lite and CCS PCB.

Comparators
As we saw in baseline lesson 9, an analog comparator is a device which
compares the voltages present on its positive and negative inputs. In
normal (non-inverted) operation, the comparator‟s output is set to a
logical “high” only when the voltage on the positive input is greater than
that on the negative input; otherwise the output is “low”. As such, they
provide an interface between analog and digital circuitry.
In the circuit shown on the right, the comparator output will go high,
lighting the LED, only when the potentiometer is set to a position past
“half-way”, i.e. positive input is greater than 2.5 V.
Comparators are typically used to detect when an analog input is above
or below some threshold (or, if two comparators are used, within a
defined band) – very useful for working with many types of real-world
sensors. They are also used with digital inputs to match different logic
levels, and to shape poorly defined signals.

1
PICC-Lite was bundled with versions of MPLAB up to 8.10. HI-TECH C (earlier known as “HI-TECH C PRO”) was
bundled with MPLAB 8.15 and later, although you should download the latest version from www.htsoft.com.

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Comparator 1
In baseline lesson 9, the circuit on the
right, which includes a light dependent
resistor (LDR), was used to demonstrate
the basic operation of Comparator 1, the
simpler of the two comparator modules in
the PIC16F506.
Note that if you do not have an LDR
available, you can still explore comparator
operation by connecting the C1IN+ input
directly to the centre tap on the 10 kΩ
potentiometer, as in the circuit diagram on
the previous page.
If you are building this circuit using
Microchip‟s Low Pin Count Demo Board,
you will find that the centre tap on the 10
kΩ pot on the demo board is already
connected to C1IN+ via a 1 kΩ resistor.
This doesn‟t appreciably affect the voltage
from the pot, because the comparator
inputs are very high impedance. Note that
if you wish to reconfigure the circuit to
include an LDR, as shown, you need to remove jumper JP5 from the LPC demo board (which will involve
cutting the PCB trace across it, if you have not already modified your board), to disconnect the potentiometer
from the +5 V supply2. Note also that the C1IN+ pin is also used for programming, and so is loaded by the
PICkit 2 programmer if it is connected to the LPC demo board, slightly affecting the operation of this circuit.

We saw in baseline lesson 9 that, to configure Comparator 1 to behave like the standalone comparator shown
on the previous page, such that the output bit (C1OUT) indicates that the voltage on the C1IN+ input is
higher than that on the C1IN- input, it is necessary to set the C1PREF, C1NREF and C1POL bits in the
CM1CON0 register, and to turn on the comparator module by setting the C1ON bit:
movlw 1<<C1POL|1<<C1ON|1<<C1PREF|1<<C1NREF
; pos ref is C1IN+ (C1PREF = 1)
; neg ref is C1IN- (C1NREF = 1)
; normal operation (C1POL = 1)
; turn comparator on (C1ON = 1)
movwf CM1CON0 ; -> C1OUT = 1 if C1IN+ > C1IN-

The LED attached to RC3 was turned on when the comparator output was high (C1OUT = 1) by:
loop btfsc CM1CON0,C1OUT ; if comparator output high
bsf LED ; turn on LED
btfss CM1CON0,C1OUT ; if comparator output low
bcf LED ; turn off LED

goto loop ; repeat forever

2
The +5 V supply connected through JP5 is also used to hold MCLR high when the reset line is tri-stated – as it will be
if you are using a PICkit 2 with MPLAB and have selected the „3-State on “Release from Reset”‟ setting. For correct
operation with JP5 removed, you must either disable this setting, or use internal MCLR .

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HI-TECH C PRO or PICC-Lite

We saw in lesson 2 that symbols, defined in the HI-TECH C header files, can be used to represent register
bits to construct a value to load into the OPTION register, for example:
OPTION = ~T0CS & ~PSA | 0b111;

However, unlike the OPTION bits, the HI-TECH C header files define most register bits, including those in
CM1CON0, as single-bit variables, and not as symbols which can be combined in arithmetic or logical
expressions.
This means that if you wish to set and/or clear a number of bits in a register such as CM1CON0 at once, you
must use a numeric constant such as:
CM1CON0 = 0b00101110; // configure comparator 1:
//--1----- normal polarity (C1POL = 1)
//----1--- turn comparator on (C1ON = 1)
//-----1-- -ref is C1IN- (C1NREF = 1)
//------1- +ref is C1IN+ (C1PREF = 1)
// -> C1OUT = 1 if C1IN+ > C1IN-

This is ok, as long as you express the value in binary, so that it is obvious which bits are being set or cleared,
and clearly commented, as above.
It is certainly much clearer then the equivalent:
CM1CON0 = 46;

However, a more natural way to approach this, in HI-TECH C, is to use a sequence of assignments, to set or
clear the appropriate register bits. For example:
// configure comparator 1
C1PREF = 1; // +ref is C1IN+
C1NREF = 1; // -ref is C1IN-
C1POL = 1; // normal polarity (C1IN+ > C1IN-)
C1ON = 1; // turn comparator on

This is clear and easy to maintain, but a series of single-bit assignments like this requires more program
memory than a whole-register assignment. It is also no longer an atomic operation, where all the bits are
updated at once. This can be an important consideration in some instances, but it is not relevant here. Note
also that the remaining bits in CM1CON0 are not being explicitly set or cleared; that is ok because in this
example we don‟t care what values they have.

The comparator‟s output bit, C1OUT, is available as the single-bit variable „C1OUT‟. For example:
LED = C1OUT; // turn on LED iff comparator output high

With the above configuration, the LED will turn on when the LDR is illuminated (you may need to adjust the
pot to set the threshold appropriately for your ambient lighting).

If instead you wanted it to operate the other way, so that the LED is lit when the LDR is in darkness, you
could invert the comparator output test, so that the LED is set high when C1OUT is low:
LED = !C1OUT; // turn on LED iff comparator output low

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Alternatively, you can configure the comparator so that its output is inverted, using either:
CM1CON0 = 0b00001110; // configure comparator 1:
//--0----- inverted polarity (C1POL = 0)
//----1--- turn comparator on (C1ON = 1)
//-----1-- -ref is C1IN- (C1NREF = 1)
//------1- +ref is C1IN+ (C1PREF = 1)
// -> C1OUT = 1 if C1IN+ < C1IN-

or:
// configure comparator 1
C1PREF = 1; // +ref is C1IN+
C1NREF = 1; // -ref is C1IN-
C1POL = 0; // inverted polarity (C1IN+ < C1IN-)
C1ON = 1; // turn comparator on

Finally, as explained in baseline lesson 9, the internal RC oscillator on the PIC16F506 can run at either 4
MHz or 8 MHz, selectable by the IOSCFS bit in the processor configuration word.
To select 8 MHz operation using HI-TECH C, add the „INTOSC8‟ symbol to the __CONFIG() macro.
For example:
// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 8 MHz int clock
__CONFIG(MCLREN & UNPROTECT & WDTDIS & INTOSC8 & INTIO);

Complete program
Here is the complete inverted polarity version of the program, for HI-TECH C:
*************************************************************************
* *
* Description: Lesson 5, example 1b *
* *
* Demonstrates basic use of Comparator 1 polarity bit *
* *
* Turns on LED when voltage on C1IN+ < voltage on C1IN- *
* *
*************************************************************************
* *
* Pin assignments: *
* C1IN+ - voltage to be measured (e.g. pot output or LDR) *
* C1IN- - threshold voltage (set by voltage divider resistors) *
* RC3 - indicator LED *
* *
************************************************************************/

#include <htc.h>

/***** CONFIGURATION *****/

// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 8 MHz int clock
__CONFIG(MCLREN & UNPROTECT & WDTDIS & INTOSC8 & INTIO);

// Pin assignments
#define LED RC3 // indicator LED on RC3
#define nLED 3 // (port bit 3)

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/***** MAIN PROGRAM *****/

void main()
{
// Initialisation
TRISC = ~(1<<nLED); // configure LED pin (only) as an output

// configure Comparator 1
C1PREF = 1; // +ref is C1IN+
C1NREF = 1; // -ref is C1IN-
C1POL = 0; // inverted polarity (C1IN+ < C1IN-)
C1ON = 1; // turn comparator on

// Main loop
for (;;)
{
LED = C1OUT; // continually display comparator output
}
}

CCS PCB
As we‟ve come to expect, the CCS PCB compiler provides a built-in function for configuring the
comparators: „setup_comparator()‟.
It is used with symbols defined in the device-specific header files. For example, “16F506.h” contains:
//Pick one constant for COMP1
#define CP1_B0_B1 0x3000000E
#define CP1_B0_VREF 0x1000000A
#define CP1_B1_VREF 0x20000008

//Optionally OR with one or both of the following

#define CP1_OUT_ON_B2 0x04000040
#define CP1_INVERT 0x00000020
#define CP1_WAKEUP 0x00000001
#define CP1_TIMER0 0x00000010

The first set of three symbols defines the positive and negative inputs for the comparator; one of these must
be specified. The last set of four symbols are used to select comparator options, such as inverted polarity, by
ORing them into the expression passed to the „setup_comparator()‟ function.
For example, to use C1IN+ (which shares its pin with RB0) as the positive input, and C1IN- (which shares
its pin with RB1) as the negative input, with normal polarity:
setup_comparator(CP1_B0_B1); // configure C1: C1IN+ > C1IN-

To turn off the comparator, use:

setup_comparator(NC_NC_NC_NC); // turn off comparators 1 and 2

This actually turns off both comparator modules on the PIC16F506. If setup_comparator() is used to
configure only one of the comparators, the other is turned off. We‟ll see later how to configure both
comparators.
To make it clear that comparator 2 is being turned off, when setting up comparator 1, you can write:
setup_comparator(CP1_B0_B1|NC_NC); // configure C1: C1IN+ > C1IN-
// (disable C2)

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Like PICC-Lite, CCS PCB makes the C1OUT bit available as the single-bit variable „C1OUT‟, so to copy
the comparator output to the LED, we can use:
output_bit(LED,C1OUT); // turn on LED iff comparator output high

To invert the operation of this circuit, so that the LED turns on when the LDR is in darkness, you could copy
the inverse of the comparator output to the LED, using either:
output_bit(LED,!C1OUT); // turn on LED iff comparator output low

or:
output_bit(LED,~C1OUT); // turn on LED iff comparator output low

[Unlike HI-TECH PICC-Lite, CCS PCB allows the „~‟ operator to be used with bit variables.]

Alternatively, you could configure the comparator for inverted output, using:
setup_comparator(CP1_B0_B1|CP1_INVERT); // configure C1: C1IN+ < C1IN-

Finally, if you wish to operate the internal RC oscillator at 8 MHz, add the „IOSC8‟ symbol to the #fuses
directive (not that there is really any reason to do so, in this example):
// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 8MHz int clock
#fuses MCLR,NOPROTECT,NOWDT,INTRC_IO,IOSC8

Complete program
Here is the complete inverted polarity version of the program, for CCS PCB:
*************************************************************************
* *
* Description: Lesson 5, example 1b *
* *
* Demonstrates basic use of Comparator 1 polarity bit *
* *
* Turns on LED when voltage on C1IN+ < voltage on C1IN- *
* *
*************************************************************************
* *
* Pin assignments: *
* C1IN+ - voltage to be measured (e.g. pot output or LDR) *
* C1IN- - threshold voltage (set by voltage divider resistors) *
* RC3 - indicator LED *
* *
************************************************************************/

#include <16F506.h>

/***** CONFIGURATION *****/

// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 8MHz int clock
#fuses MCLR,NOPROTECT,NOWDT,INTRC_IO,IOSC8

// Pin assignments
#define LED PIN_C3 // indicator LED on RC3

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/***** MAIN PROGRAM *****/

void main()
{
// Initialisation
setup_comparator(CP1_B0_B1|CP1_INVERT); // configure C1: C1IN+ < C1IN-

// Main loop
while (TRUE)
{
output_bit(LED,C1OUT); // continually display comparator output
}
}

Comparisons
The following table summarises the resource usage for the “comparator 1 inverted polarity” assembler and C
example programs.
Comp1_LED-neg

Source code Program memory Data memory

Assembler / Compiler
(lines) (words) (bytes)

Microchip MPASM 18 13 0
HI-TECH PICC-Lite 12 18 4
HI-TECH C PRO Lite 12 24 2
CCS PCB 7 28 4

The HI-TECH source code is longer, because separate statements are used to set or clear each bit in
CM1CON0. Nevertheless, even the un-optimised HI-TECH C PRO compiler (running in „Lite‟ mode)
generates smaller code than the CCS compiler, with the PICC-Lite version being nearly as small as the hand-
written assembler version.

Absolute Voltage Reference

It is possible to assign an internal 0.6 V reference as the
negative input for comparator 1.
This means that the external 10 kΩ resistors, forming a
voltage divider in the previous example, are
unnecessary, and they can be removed – as in the circuit
on the right.
It also means that the RB1 pin is now available for I/O.
To select the internal 0.6 V reference as the internal
input, clear the C1NREF bit in the CM1CON0 register.
Since the voltage threshold is now 0.6 V instead of 2.5
V, the potentiometer has to be adjusted to compensate,
so that light level changes will continue to affect the
comparator output.

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HI-TECH C PRO or PICC-Lite

Assuming that we still want inverted operation, where the LED is on when the LDR is in darkness, simply
change the comparator configuration instructions to:
// configure comparator 1
C1PREF = 1; // +ref is C1IN+
C1NREF = 0; // -ref is 0.6V internal ref
C1POL = 0; // inverted polarity (C1IN+ < 0.6V)
C1ON = 1; // turn comparator on

Or alternatively:
CM1CON0 = 0b00001010; // configure comparator 1:
//--0----- inverted polarity (C1POL = 0)
//----1--- turn comparator on (C1ON = 1)
//-----0-- -ref is 0.6 V (C1NREF = 0)
//------1- +ref is C1IN+ (C1PREF = 1)
// -> C1OUT = 1 if C1IN+ < 0.6V

CCS PCB
To use the internal 0.6 V reference, we only need to change the parameter in the setup_comparator()
function:
setup_comparator(CP1_B0_VREF|CP1_INVERT); // configure C1: C1IN+ < 0.6V

This specifies that RB0 (C1IN+) be used as the positive input and the 0.6 V reference as the negative input
on comparator 1, with the output inverted.

External Output and Hysteresis

As was explained in baseline lesson 9, it is often desirable to add hysteresis to a comparator, to make it less
sensitive to small changes in the input signal due to superimposed noise or other interference. For example,
in the above examples using an LDR, you will find that the output LED flickers when the light level is close
to the threshold, particularly with mains-powered
artificial illumination, which varies at 50 or 60 Hz.
On the PIC16F506, the output of comparator 1 can
be made available on the C1OUT pin.
This is done by clearing the C1OUTEN bit in
CM1CON0.
In the circuit on the right, hysteresis has been
introduced by using a 22 kΩ resistor to feed some
of the comparator‟s output, on C1OUT, back into
the C1IN+ input.
Note that, because C1OUT shares its pin with the
AN2 analog input, the comparator output will not
appear on C1OUT until the AN2 input is disabled;
as we saw in lesson 9, a simple way to disable all
the analog inputs is to clear the ADCON0 register.
Note also that, because hysteresis relies on
positive feedback, the comparator output must not
be inverted.

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HI-TECH C PRO or PICC-Lite

To clear ADCON0 (disabling all analog inputs3, including AN2, to make it possible for the output of
comparator 1 to be placed on the C1OUT pin) using PICC-Lite, we can write:
ADCON0 = 0; // disable analog inputs

Comparator 1 can then be configured by:

// configure comparator 1
C1PREF = 1; // +ref is C1IN+
C1NREF = 0; // -ref is 0.6V internal ref
C1POL = 1; // normal polarity (C1IN+ > 0.6V)
C1OUTEN = 0; // enable C1OUT (for hysteresis feedback)
C1ON = 1; // turn comparator on

or:
CM1CON0 = 0b00101010; // configure comparator 1:
//-0------ enable C1OUT pin (*C1OUTEN = 0)
//--1----- normal polarity (C1POL = 1)
//----1--- turn comparator on (C1ON = 1)
//-----0-- -ref is 0.6 V (C1NREF = 0)
//------1- +ref is C1IN+ (C1PREF = 1)
// -> C1OUT = 1 if C1IN+ > 0.6V,
// C1OUT enabled (for hysteresis feedback)

Note that the output is not inverted, and that the external output is enabled by clearing C1OUTEN .

CCS PCB
As we‟ll see in the next lesson, the CCS compiler provides a „setup_adc_ports()‟ built-in function,
which is used to select, among other things, whether pins are analog or digital.
It can be used to disable all the analog inputs, as follows:
setup_adc_ports(NO_ANALOGS); // disable analog inputs

To enable C1OUT (which shares its pin with RB2), OR the „CP1_OUT_ON_B2‟ symbol into the parameter
passed to the setup_comparator() function:
setup_comparator(CP1_B0_VREF|CP1_OUT_ON_B2); // configure C1:
// C1IN+ > 0.6V, C1OUT enabled

Comparisons
Here is the resource usage for the “comparator 1 external output” assembler and C example programs.
Comp1_LED-intref_hyst

Source code Program memory Data memory

Assembler / Compiler
(lines) (words) (bytes)

Microchip MPASM 19 14 0
HI-TECH PICC-Lite 14 20 4
HI-TECH C PRO Lite 14 30 2
CCS PCB 8 31 4

3
See baseline assembler lesson 10 for an explanation of the ADCON0 register.

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Each program is a little longer than before, because of the additional instructions needed to disable the
analog inputs. But otherwise the patterns remain the same; the trade-off between source code length and
implementation efficiency remains obvious.

Wake-up on Comparator Change

We saw in baseline lesson 9 that the comparator modules in the PIC16F509 can be used to wake the device
from sleep when the comparator output changes – useful for conserving power while waiting for a signal
change from a sensor.
To enable wake-up on change for Comparator 1, clear the C1WU bit in the CM1CON0 register.
To determine whether a reset was due to a wake-up on comparator change, test that CWUF flag in the
STATUS register. If CWUF is set, we can be sure that the device has been woken from sleep by a
comparator change. If it is clear, some other type of reset has occurred.
Note that there is no indication of which comparator was the source of the wake-up on change reset. If you
have configured both comparators for wake-up on change, you need to store the previous values of their
outputs, so that you can determine which one changed.
In the example in baseline lesson 9, the previous circuit was used (with no hysteresis, so the 22 kΩ resistor
can be omitted), with the LED indicating when a comparator change occurs, by lighting for one second.
While waiting for a comparator change, the PIC was placed into sleep mode – immediately after reading
CM1CON0 to prevent false triggering.

HI-TECH PICC-Lite
The CWUF flag can be tested directly, so we can simply write:
if (!CWUF)
{
// power-on reset
}
else
{
// wake-up on comparator change occurred
}

The test is inverted here so that the normal power-on initialisation code appears first – it seems clearer that
way, since you would normally look toward the start of a program to find the initialisation code.
The comparator configuration code is similar to what we‟ve seen before, with the addition of “C1WU = 0;”
to enable the wake-up on change function, and “C1OUTEN = 1;” to explicitly disable the external output
(since it is disabled by default, it‟s not strictly necessary to include it here – again, it just seems clearer):
// configure comparator 1
C1PREF = 1; // +ref is C1IN+
C1NREF = 0; // -ref is 0.6V internal ref
C1POL = 1; // normal polarity (C1IN+ > 0.6V)
C1OUTEN = 1; // disable C1OUT pin
C1WU = 0; // enable wake-up on change
C1ON = 1; // turn comparator on

Or, this could have been written as:

CM1CON0 = 0b01101010; // configure comparator 1:
//-1------ disable C1OUT pin (*C1OUTEN = 1)
//--1----- normal polarity (C1POL = 1)
//----1--- turn comparator on (C1ON = 1)
//-----0-- -ref is 0.6 V (C1NREF = 0)
//------1- +ref is C1IN+ (C1PREF = 1)
//-------0 enable wake on change (*C1WU = 0)

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The comparator initialisation is followed by a delay of 10 ms, allowing the comparator to settle before the
device is placed into sleep mode, to avoid initial false triggering.
As another (necessary) precaution to avoid false triggering, we read the current value of CM1CON0,
immediately before entering sleep mode:
CM1CON0; // read comparator to clear mismatch condition
SLEEP(); // enter sleep mode

Any statement which reads CM1CON0 could be used.

“CM1CON0” is an expression which evaluates to the value of the contents of CM1CON0, but does nothing.
There is a risk that the compiler‟s optimiser will decide that, because this statement appears to do nothing, no
instructions need to be generated for it. But in this case, both HI-TECH C compilers generate a “movf
CM1CON0,w” instruction, which reads CM1CON0; exactly what we want.
Finally, since this code is to be run at 4 MHz (matching the „XTAL_FREQ‟ definition, used by the delay
routines), the „INTOSC4‟ symbol is included in the __CONFIG() macro, instead of „INTOSC8‟.

Complete program
Here is how the above code fragments fit together, within the complete “wake-up on comparator change
demo” program:
/************************************************************************
* *
* Description: Lesson 5, example 2 *
* *
* Demonstrates wake-up on comparator change *
* *
* Turns on LED for 1s when comparator 1 output changes, *
* then sleeps until the next change *
* (internal 0.6 V reference, no hysteresis) *
* *
*************************************************************************
* *
* Pin assignments: *
* C1IN+ = voltage to be measured (e.g. pot output or LDR) *
* RC3 = indicator LED *
* *
************************************************************************/

#include <htc.h>

#define XTAL_FREQ 4MHZ // oscillator frequency for delay functions

#include "stdmacros-PCL.h" // DelayS() - delay in seconds
// DelayMs() - delay in ms

/***** CONFIGURATION *****/

// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 4 MHz int clock
__CONFIG(MCLREN & UNPROTECT & WDTDIS & INTIO & INTOSC4);

// Pin assignments
#define LED RC3 // display LED
#define nLED 3 // (port bit 3)

/***** MAIN PROGRAM *****/

void main()
{
// Initialisation

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// initialise ports
LED = 0; // start with LED off
TRISC = ~(1<<nLED); // configure LED pin (only) as an output

// check for wake-up on comparator change

if (!CWUF)
{
// power-on reset has occurred:
// configure comparator 1
C1PREF = 1; // +ref is C1IN+
C1NREF = 0; // -ref is 0.6V internal ref
C1POL = 1; // normal polarity (C1IN+ > 0.6V)
C1OUTEN = 1; // no C1OUT
C1WU = 0; // enable wake-up on change
C1ON = 1; // turn comparator on
// delay 10 ms to allow comparator to settle
DelayMs(10);
}
else
{
// wake-up on comparator change occurred:
// turn on LED for 1 second
LED = 1;
DelayS(1);
}

// Sleep until comparator change

LED = 0; // turn off LED
CM1CON0; // read comparator to clear mismatch condition
SLEEP(); // enter sleep mode
}

HI-TECH C PRO
Because HI-TECH C PRO provides built-in delay functions, which are a little different from the example
delay functions provides with PICC-Lite, we need to change the oscillator frequency definition from:
#define XTAL_FREQ 4MHZ // oscillator frequency for delay functions

to:
#define _XTAL_FREQ 4000000 // oscillator frequency for delay functions

and change the 100 ms delay from „DelayMs(10)‟ to „__delay_ms(10)‟.

We also need to include the appropriate header file, defining the „DelayS()‟ macro (from lesson 2):
#include "stdmacros-HTC.h" // DelayS() - delay in seconds

instead of:
#include "stdmacros-PCL.h" // DelayS() - delay in seconds

so that the appropriate millisecond delay function will be called.

CCS PCB
In lesson 3, we saw that, although CCS PCB provides a „restart_cause()‟ function, which returns a
value indicating why the device has been reset, it does not support wake on pin change resets.
Unfortunately, this function does not support wake on comparator change resets either.

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Instead, we need to test the CWUF flag, which the PCB compiler does not normally provide direct access to.
The solution, as we saw in lesson 13, is to use the #bit directive, as follows:
#bit CWUF = 0x03.6 // CWUF flag in STATUS register

This flag can then be referenced directly, in the same as we did with HI-TECH C:
if (!CWUF)
{
// power-on reset
}
else
{
// wake-up on comparator change occurred
}

To configure comparator 1 for wake-up on change, we can use:

setup_comparator(CP1_B0_VREF|CP1_WAKEUP);

We cannot use the same method as we did with HI-TECH C to read the current comparator output prior to
entering sleep mode, because the CCS PCB compiler will not generate any instructions when an expression
is not used for anything. So, to read a bit or register, we must assign it to a variable.
Since the PCB compiler expose the C1OUT bit, we can use:
temp = C1OUT; // read comparator to clear mismatch condition
sleep(); // enter sleep mode

Since C1OUT is a single-bit variable, the temp variable can be declared to be “short” (single bit), although
“char” (one byte, or 8 bits) is also appropriate – the generated code size is the same for both.
Finally, since this code is to be run at 4 MHz, the „IOSC4‟ symbol is included in the #fuses directive,
instead of „IOSC8‟.

Complete program
The following listing shows how these code fragments fit into the CCS PCB version of the “wake-up on
comparator change demo” program:
/************************************************************************
* *
* Description: Lesson 5, example 2 *
* *
* Demonstrates wake-up on comparator change *
* *
* Turns on LED for 1s when comparator 1 output changes, *
* then sleeps until the next change *
* (internal 0.6 V reference, no hysteresis) *
* *
*************************************************************************
* *
* Pin assignments: *
* C1IN+ = voltage to be measured (e.g. pot output or LDR) *
* RC3 - indicator LED *
* *
************************************************************************/

#include <16F506.h>

#bit CWUF = 0x03.6 // CWUF flag in STATUS register

#use delay (clock=4000000) // oscillator frequency for delay_ms()

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/***** CONFIGURATION *****/

// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 4 MHz int clock

#fuses MCLR,NOPROTECT,NOWDT,INTRC_IO,IOSC4

// Pin assignments
#define LED PIN_C3 // indicator LED on RC3

/***** MAIN PROGRAM *****/

void main()
{
short temp; // temp variable for reading C1

// check for wake-up on comparator change

if (!CWUF)
{
// power-on reset has occurred:
// configure Comparator 1: C1IN+ > 0.6V, no C1OUT, wake-up on change
setup_comparator(CP1_B0_VREF|CP1_WAKEUP);
// delay 10 ms to allow comparator to settle
delay_ms(10);
}
else
{
// wake-up on comparator change occurred:
// turn on LED for 1 second
output_high(LED);
delay_ms(1000);
}

// Sleep until comparator change

output_low(LED); // turn off LED
temp = C1OUT; // read comparator to clear mismatch condition
sleep(); // enter sleep mode
}

Comparisons
Here is the resource usage for the “wake-up on comparator change demo” assembler and C examples.
Comp1_Wakeup

Source code Program memory Data memory

Assembler / Compiler
(lines) (words) (bytes)

Microchip MPASM 30 41 3
HI-TECH PICC-Lite 22 77 10
HI-TECH C PRO Lite 22 63 4
CCS PCB 16 63 7

In this case, not only is the CCS source code the shortest, but the CCS compiler generates more efficient
code than PICC-Lite – mainly because the built-in delay functions available in HI-TECH C PRO and CCS
PCB are more efficient than the example delay code provided with PICC-Lite.
Nevertheless, both C compilers generate code around 50% larger than the assembler version, while the
assembler source is almost twice as long as the CCS source code.

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Clocking Timer0
As explained in baseline lesson 9, the output of comparator 1 can be used to clock Timer0. This is useful for
counting pulses which do not meet the signal requirements for digital inputs (specified in the “DC
Characteristics” table in the device data sheet).
To demonstrate this, the
circuit on the right was
used. The external clock
module from baseline
lesson 5 is used to supply
a “clean” 32.768 kHz
signal, which is degraded
by being passed through
a low-pass filter and
clipped by two diodes,
creating a signal with
32.768 kHz pulses which
peak at around 1 V.
This degraded signal
cannot be used to drive a
digital input directly, but
the clock pulses can be
detected by a comparator with a 0.6 V input voltage reference.
The example program in baseline lesson 9 used Timer0, driven from the 32.768 kHz clock, via comparator 1,
to flash the LED at 1 Hz. This was done by assigning the prescaler to Timer0, selecting a prescale ratio of
1:128, and then copying the value to TMR0<7> (which is then cycling at 1 Hz) to the LED output.
To use comparator 1 as the source for Timer0, clear the C1T0CS bit in the CM1CON0 register (to enable
the comparator 1 timer output), and set the T0CS bit in the OPTION register (to select Timer0 external
counter mode).

HI-TECH C PRO or PICC-Lite

As we have seen before, to configure Timer0 for counter mode, using HI-TECH C, we can use:
OPTION = T0CS | 0b110; // configure Timer0:
// counter mode (T0CS = 1)
// prescaler assigned to Timer0 (PSA = 0)
// prescale = 128 (PS = 110)
// -> incr at 256 Hz with 32.768 kHz input

To configure comparator 1, with the timer output enabled, you could write:
// configure comparator 1
C1PREF = 1; // +ref is C1IN+
C1NREF = 0; // -ref is 0.6V internal ref
C1POL = 1; // normal polarity (C1IN+ > 0.6V)
C1T0CS = 0; // enable TMR0 clock source
C1ON = 1; // turn comparator on

We can then copy TMR0<7> to the LED output, with:

LED = (TMR0 & 1<<7) ? 1 : 0;

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Complete program
Here is how the code for the “comparator 1 timer output demo” program fits together, using HI-TECH C:
/************************************************************************
* *
* Description: Lesson 5, example 3 *
* *
* Demonstrates use of comparator 1 to clock TMR0 *
* *
* LED flashes at 1 Hz (50% duty cycle), *
* with timing derived from 32.768 kHz input on C1IN+ *
* *
*************************************************************************
* *
* Pin assignments: *
* C1IN+ = 32.768 kHz signal *
* RC3 = flashing LED *
* *
************************************************************************/

#include <htc.h>

/***** CONFIGURATION *****/

// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 4 MHz int clock
__CONFIG(MCLREN & UNPROTECT & WDTDIS & INTIO & INTOSC4);

// Pin assignments
#define LED RC3 // flashing LED on RC3
#define nLED 3 // (port bit 3)

/***** MAIN PROGRAM *****/

void main()
{
// Initialisation

// configure ports
TRISC = ~(1<<nLED); // configure LED pin (only) as an output
// configure timer
OPTION = T0CS | 0b110; // configure Timer0:
// counter mode (T0CS = 1)
// prescaler assigned to Timer0 (PSA = 0)
// prescale = 128 (PS = 110)
// -> incr at 256 Hz with 32.768 kHz input
// configure comparator 1
C1PREF = 1; // +ref is C1IN+
C1NREF = 0; // -ref is 0.6V internal ref
C1POL = 1; // noninverted output (C1IN+ > 0.6V)
C1T0CS = 0; // enable TMR0 clock source
C1ON = 1; // turn comparator on

// Main loop
for (;;)
{
// TMR0<7> cycles at 1Hz, so continually copy to LED
LED = (TMR0 & 1<<7) ? 1 : 0;
}
}

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CCS PCB
We saw in lesson 2 that to configure Timer0 for counter mode, using CCS PCB, we can use:
setup_timer_0(RTCC_EXT_L_TO_H|RTCC_DIV_128);

To enable the timer output on comparator 1, you need to include the „CP1_TIMER0‟ symbol in the
parameter passed to the setup_comparator() function:
// configure Comparator 1: C1IN+ > 0.6V, TMR out enabled
setup_comparator(CP1_B0_VREF|CP1_TIMER0);

Finally, bit 7 of TMR0 can be copied to the LED output by:

output_bit(LED, get_timer0() & 1<<7);

Complete program
Here is the complete “comparator 1 timer output demo” program, using CCS PCB:
/************************************************************************
* *
* Description: Lesson 5, example 3 *
* *
* Demonstates use of comparator 1 to clock TMR0 *
* *
* LED flashes at 1 Hz (50% duty cycle), *
* with timing derived from 32.768 kHz input on C1IN+ *
* *
*************************************************************************
* *
* Pin assignments: *
* C1IN+ = 32.768 kHz signal *
* RC3 = flashing LED *
* *
************************************************************************/

#include <16F506.h>

/***** CONFIGURATION *****/

// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 4 MHz int clock
#fuses MCLR,NOPROTECT,NOWDT,INTRC_IO,IOSC4

// Pin assignments
#define LED PIN_C3 // flashing LED on RC3

/***** MAIN PROGRAM *****/

void main()
{
// Initialisation

// configure Timer0: counter mode, prescale = 128

// (increment at 256Hz with 32.768 kHz input)
setup_timer_0(RTCC_EXT_L_TO_H|RTCC_DIV_128);

// configure Comparator 1: C1IN+ > 0.6 V, TMR out enabled

setup_comparator(CP1_B0_VREF|CP1_TIMER0);

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// Main loop
while (TRUE)
{
// TMR0<7> cycles at 1Hz, so continually copy to LED
output_bit(LED, get_timer0() & 1<<7);
}
}

Comparisons
Here is the resource usage summary for the “comparator 1 timer output demo” assembler and C examples.
Comp1_TMR

Source code Program memory Data memory

Assembler / Compiler
(lines) (words) (bytes)

Microchip MPASM 23 17 1
HI-TECH PICC-Lite 14 21 4
HI-TECH C PRO Lite 14 27 2
CCS PCB 8 33 5

The CCS source code is impressively short, at only eight lines long, although the program code generated by
the CCS compiler is by far the largest – nearly twice the size of the assembler program. In comparison, the
PICC-Lite compiler generated code which is only slightly larger than the hand-written assembler version.

Comparator 2 and the Programmable Voltage Reference

As described in greater detail in baseline lesson 9, comparator 2 is very similar to comparator 1, except:
 A wider range of inputs can be used as the positive reference: C2IN+, C2IN- and C1IN+
 The negative reference can be either the C2IN- pin, or an internal programmable voltage reference
 The fixed 0.6 V internal voltage reference cannot be used with comparator 2
 The output of comparator 2 is not available as an input to Timer0

Comparator 2 is controlled by the CM2CON0 register.

The programmable voltage reference can be set to one of 32 available voltages, from 0 V to 0.72 × VDD.
The reference voltage is set by the VR<3:0> bits and VRR, which selects a high or low voltage range:
VRR = 1 selects the low range, where CVREF = VR<3:0>/24 × VDD.
VRR = 0 selects the high range, where CVREF = VDD/4 + VR<3:0>/32 × VDD.
With a 5 V supply, the available output range is from 0 V to 3.59 V.
Since the low and high ranges overlap, only 29 of the 32 selectable voltages are unique (0.250 × VDD, 0.500
× VDD and 0.625 × VDD are selectable in both ranges).
The programmable voltage reference can optionally be output on the CVREF pin, whether or not it is also
being used as the negative reference for comparator 2.

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In baseline lesson 9, the circuit on the right

was used to demonstrate how comparator 2
can be used with the programmable voltage
reference to test whether an input signal is
within an allowed band.
The C1IN+ input is used with an LDR to
detect light levels, as before.
The LED on RC3 indicates a low level of
illumination, and the LED on RC1 indicates
bright light. When neither LED is lit, the
light level will be in the middle; not too dim
or too bright.
To test whether the input is within limits, the
programmable voltage reference is first
configured to generate the “low” threshold
voltage, and the input is compared with this
low level. The voltage reference is then
reconfigured to generate the “high”
threshold and the input is compared with this
higher level.
This process could be extended to multiple
input thresholds, by configuring the voltage reference to generate each threshold in turn. However, if you
wish to test against more than a few threshold levels, you would probably be better off using an analog-to-
digital converter (described in the next lesson).
This example uses 1.0 V as the “low” threshold and 2.0 V as the “high” threshold, but, since the reference is
programmable, you can always choose your own levels!

HI-TECH C PRO or PICC-Lite

Comparator 2 can be configured, using HI-TECH C, by a block of statements assigning values to each bit in
CM2CON0, in much the same way as we have been configuring comparator 1:
// configure Comparator 2
C2PREF1 = 0; // +ref is C1IN+
C2PREF2 = 1;
C2NREF = 0; // -ref is CVref
C2POL = 1; // normal polarity (C1IN+ > CVref)
C2ON = 1; // turn comparator on

Or you could simply assign a value to CM2CON0:

CM2CON0 = 0b00111000; // configure comparator 2:
//--1----- normal polarity (C2POL = 1)
//---1--0- +ref is C1IN+ (C2PREF1 = 0, C2PREF2 = 1)
//-----0-- -ref is CVref (C2NREF = 0)
//----1--- turn comparator on (C2ON = 1)
// -> C2OUT = 1 if C1IN+ > CVref,

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HI-TECH C makes the individual control bits in the VRCON register available as variables, so we can write,
for example:
VRR = 1; // select low range
VREN = 1; // turn voltage reference on

We also need to assign a value between 0 and 15 to the VR<3:0> bits, to select the reference voltage.
Since these are the least-significant four bits of VRCON, we need to ensure that, when we assign a value to
these bits, the most-significant four bits are not affected. This can be done by masking, as follows:
VRCON = VRCON & 0xF0 | 5; // VR = 5 -> CVref = 0.208*Vdd = 1.04 V

By ANDing VRCON with F0h (or 11110000 in binary), the upper four bits are preserved, while the lower
four bits are cleared. A 4-bit value can then the ORed with the result, assigning that value to the lower four
bits. This type of expression is commonly used to assign a value to a bit field within a register.
Alternatively, you may prefer to simply assign a value to VRCON:
VRCON = 0b10100101; // configure programmable voltage reference:
//1------- enable voltage reference (VREN = 1)
//--1-0101 CVref = 0.208*Vdd (VRR = 1, VR = 5)
// -> CVref = 1.04 V

Both of these examples selected a reference of 0.208 × VDD, giving CVREF = 1.04 V with a 5 V supply.
To generate a reference voltage close to 2.0 V, we can use:
VRR = 0; // select high range
VRCON = VRCON & 0xF0 | 5; // VR = 5 -> CVref = 0.406*Vdd = 2.03 V
VREN = 1; // turn voltage reference on

or:
VRCON = 0b10000101; // configure programmable voltage reference:
//1------- enable voltage reference (VREN = 1)
//--0-0101 CVref = 0.406*Vdd (VRR = 0, VR = 5)
// -> CVref = 2.03 V

Note that, by coincidence, the only difference between the settings for the two voltages is VRR = 1 to select
1.04 V and VRR = 0 to select 2.03 V.
This allows us to configure the other voltage reference settings just once, in the initialisation code:
// configure voltage reference
VRCON = VRCON & 0xF0 | 5; // VR = 5 -> CVref = 0.208*Vdd (1.04V) if VRR = 1
// or 0.406*Vdd (2.03V) if VRR = 0
VREN = 1; // turn voltage reference on

Then in the main loop we can switch between the two voltages, using:
VRR = 1; // select low CVref (1.04 V)

and:
VRR = 0; // select high CVref (2.03 V)

After changing the voltage reference, it can take a little while for it to settle and stably generate the newly-
selected voltage. According to the data sheet, for the PIC16F506 this settling time can be up to 10 µs.

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Therefore, we should insert a 10 µs delay after selecting a new voltage, before testing the comparator output.
As we saw in lesson 1, we can do this using the „DelayUs()‟ macro defined in the “delay.h” header file
supplied with PICC-Lite, or the „__delay_us()‟ macro built into HI-TECH C PRO.

Complete program
Here is how the above code fragments fit together, to form the complete “comparator 2 and programmable
voltage reference demo” program for PICC-Lite:
/************************************************************************
* *
* Description: Lesson 5, example 4 *
* *
* Demonstrates use of Comparator 2 and programmable voltage reference *
* *
* Turns on Low LED when C1IN+ < 1.0 V (low light level) *
* or High LED when C1IN+ > 2.0 V (high light level) *
* *
*************************************************************************
* *
* Pin assignments: *
* C1IN+ - voltage to be measured (LDR/resistor divider) *
* RC3 - "Low" LED *
* RC1 - "High" LED *
* *
************************************************************************/

#include <htc.h>

#define XTAL_FREQ 4MHZ // oscillator frequency for delay functions

#include "delay.h" // DelayUs() - delay in us

/***** CONFIGURATION *****/

// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 4 MHz int clock
__CONFIG(MCLREN & UNPROTECT & WDTDIS & INTOSC4 & INTIO);

// Pin assignments
#define LO RC3 // "Low" LED
#define nLO 3 // (port bit 3)

#define HI RC1 // "High" LED

#define nHI 1 // (port bit 1)

/***** MAIN PROGRAM *****/

void main()
{
// Initialisation

// configure ports
TRISC = ~(1<<nLO|1<<nHI); // configure PORTC LED pins as outputs

// configure Comparator 2
C2PREF1 = 0; // +ref is C1IN+
C2PREF2 = 1;
C2NREF = 0; // -ref is CVref
C2POL = 1; // normal polarity (C1IN+ > CVref)
C2ON = 1; // turn comparator on

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// configure voltage reference

VRCON = VRCON & 0xF0 | 5; // VR = 5 -> CVref = 0.208*Vdd (1.04V) if VRR = 1
// or 0.406*Vdd (2.03V) if VRR = 0
VREN = 1; // turn voltage reference on

// Main loop
for (;;)
{
// Test for low illumination
VRR = 1; // select low CVref (1.04 V)
DelayUs(10); // delay to allow CVref to settle
LO = !C2OUT; // display inverse of comparator output
// (C1IN+ < CVref) on Low LED

// Test for high illumination

VRR = 0; // select high CVref (2.03 V)
DelayUs(10); // delay to allow CVref to settle
HI = C2OUT; // display comparator output
// (C1IN+ > CVref) on High LED
}
}

CCS PCB
As was alluded to above, the CCS PCB built-in „setup_comparator()‟ function is used to configure both
comparators, not only comparator 1.
To configure comparator 2, OR one of the following symbols (defined in the “16F506.h” header file) into the
expression passed to setup_comparator():
#define CP2_B0_B1 0x30001C00
#define CP2_C0_B1 0x20100E00
#define CP2_C1_B1 0x20200C00
#define CP2_B0_VREF 0x10001800
#define CP2_C0_VREF 0x00100A00
#define CP2_C1_VREF 0x30200800

You‟ll notice that there are more available input combinations than there were for comparator 1, and that for
comparator 2, „VREF‟ refers to the programmable voltage reference, instead of the 0.6 V reference.
You may also notice a mistake: RB1 shares its pin with C1IN-, which is not available as an input to
comparator 2. CCS mistakenly included ‘B1’ in these symbols, when they should have written ‘C1’,
referring to C2IN-, which shares its pin with RC1.
If you do not include any of the comparator 1 configuration symbols in the expression, only comparator 2
will be setup, with comparator 1 being turned off. You can make this explicit by including the symbol
„NC_NC‟ into the expression.
For this example, we need:
setup_comparator(NC_NC|CP2_B0_VREF); // configure C2: C1IN+ > CVref
// (disable C1)

To enable one of comparator 2‟s options, such as inverted polarity, output on C2OUT, or wake-up on
change, OR one or more of these symbols into the setup_comparator() expression:
//Optionally OR with one or both of the following
#define CP2_OUT_ON_C4 0x00084000
#define CP2_INVERT 0x00002000
#define CP2_WAKEUP 0x00000100

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To setup the programmable voltage reference, CCS provides another built-in function: „setup_vref()‟.
It is used in this example as follows:
// set low input threshold
setup_vref(VREF_LOW | 5); // CVref = 0.208*Vdd = 1.04 V

where „5‟ is the value the VR bits are being set to.
The first symbol is either „VREF_LOW‟ or „VREF_HIGH‟, and specifies the voltage range you wish to select.
It is ORed with a number between 0 and 15, which is loaded into VR<3:0>, to specify the voltage
The symbol „VREF_A2‟ can optionally be ORed into the expression, to indicate that the reference voltage
should be output on the CVREF pin.

Finally, as in the HI-TECH C version, we should insert a 10 µs delay after configuring the voltage reference,
to allow it to settle.
This can be done with the built-in function „delay_us()‟:
delay_us(10); // wait 10us to settle

Complete program
The following listing shows how these code fragments fit together, to form the complete CCS PCB version
of the “comparator 2 and programmable voltage reference demo” program:
*************************************************************************
* *
* Description: Lesson 5, example 4 *
* *
* Demonstrates use of Comparator 2 and programmable voltage reference *
* *
* Turns on Low LED when C1IN+ < 1.0 V (low light level) *
* or High LED when C1IN+ > 2.0 V (high light level) *
* *
*************************************************************************
* *
* Pin assignments: *
* C1IN+ - voltage to be measured (LDR/resistor divider) *
* RC3 - "Low" LED *
* RC1 - "High" LED *
* *
************************************************************************/

#include <16F506.h>

#use delay (clock=4000000) // oscillator frequency for delay_ms()

/***** CONFIGURATION *****/

// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 4 MHz int clock
#fuses MCLR,NOPROTECT,NOWDT,INTRC_IO,IOSC4

// Pin assignments
#define LO PIN_C3 // "Low" LED
#define HI PIN_C1 // "High" LED

/***** MAIN PROGRAM *****/

void main()

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© Gooligum Electronics 2009 www.gooligum.com.au

{
// Initialisation

// configure comparators: C1 disabled, C2 = C1IN+ > CVref

setup_comparator(NC_NC|CP2_B0_VREF);

// Main loop
while (TRUE)
{
// Test for low illumination
// set low input threshold
setup_vref(VREF_LOW | 5); // CVref = 0.208*Vdd = 1.04 V
delay_us(10); // wait 10us to settle
// turn on Low LED if C1IN+ < CVref
output_bit(LO,~C2OUT); // display inverse of C2 output

// Test for high illumination

// set high input threshold
setup_vref(VREF_HIGH | 5); // CVref = 0.406*Vdd = 2.03 V
delay_us(10); // wait 10us to settle
// turn on Low LED if C1IN+ > CVref
output_bit(HI,C2OUT); // display C2 output
}
}

Comparisons
Here is the resource usage summary for the “comparator 2 and programmable voltage reference demo”
assembler and C examples.
Comp2_2LEDs

Source code Program memory Data memory

Assembler / Compiler
(lines) (words) (bytes)

Microchip MPASM 36 30 1
HI-TECH PICC-Lite 24 53 5
HI-TECH C PRO Lite 23 54 3
CCS PCB 14 48 4

Once again, the CCS source code is impressively short, at only fourteen lines long – little more than half the
length of the HI-TECH source code. But all of the C compilers generate significantly larger code than the
hand-written assembler version, in this example.

Using Both Comparators with the Programmable Voltage Reference

As a final example, suppose that we want to test two input signals (say, light level in two locations) by
comparing them against a common reference. We would need to use two comparators, with an input signal
connected to each, and a single threshold voltage level connected to both.
What if we want to use the programmable voltage reference to generate the common threshold?
We‟ve see that CVREF cannot be selected as an input to comparator 1, so it would seem that it‟s not possible
to use the programmable voltage reference with comparator 1.

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But although no internal

connection is available, that
doesn‟t rule out an external
connection – and as we saw above,
the programmable reference can be
made available on the CVREF pin.

So, to use the programmable

voltage reference with comparator
1, we need to set the VROE bit in
the VRCON register, to enable the
CVREF output, and connect the
CVREF pin to a comparator 1 input
– as shown in the circuit on the
right, where CVREF is connected
to C1IN-.

HI-TECH C PRO or PICC-Lite

Most of the initialisation and main loop code is very similar to that used in earlier examples, although setting
up both comparators this time, but when configuring the voltage reference, we must ensure that the VROE
bit is set, so that CVREF is available externally:
VRR = 1; // select low range
VRCON = VRCON & 0xF0 | 5; // VR = 5 -> CVref = 0.208*Vdd = 1.04 V
VROE = 1; // enable CVref output pin
VREN = 1; // turn voltage reference on

Complete program
Here is the complete HI-TECH C version of the “two inputs with a common programmed voltage reference”
program:
/************************************************************************
* Description: Lesson 5, example 5 *
* *
* Demonstrates use of comparators 1 and 2 *
* with the programmable voltage reference *
* *
* Turns on: LED 1 when C1IN+ > 1.0 V *
* and LED 2 when C2IN+ > 1.0 V *
* *
*************************************************************************
* Pin assignments: *
* C1IN+ - input 1 (LDR/resistor divider) *
* C1IN- - connected to CVref *
* C2IN+ - input 2 (LDR/resistor divider) *
* RC1 - indicator LED 1 *
* RC3 - indicator LED 2 *
************************************************************************/

Baseline PIC C, Lesson 5: Analog Comparators Page 25

© Gooligum Electronics 2009 www.gooligum.com.au

#include <htc.h>

/***** CONFIGURATION *****/

// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 4 MHz int clock
__CONFIG(MCLREN & UNPROTECT & WDTDIS & INTOSC4 & INTIO);

// Pin assignments
#define LED1 RC1 // indicator LED 1
#define nLED1 1 // (port bit 1)

#define LED2 RC3 // indicator LED 2

#define nLED2 3 // (port bit 3)

/***** MAIN PROGRAM *****/

void main()
{
// Initialisation

// configure ports
TRISC = ~(1<<nLED1|1<<nLED2); // configure PORTC LED pins as outputs

// configure comparator 1
C1PREF = 1; // +ref is C1IN+
C1NREF = 1; // -ref is C1IN- (= CVref)
C1POL = 1; // normal polarity (C1IN+ > C1IN-)
C1ON = 1; // turn comparator on

// configure comparator 2
C2PREF1 = 1; // +ref is C2IN+
C2NREF = 0; // -ref is CVref
C2POL = 1; // normal polarity (C2IN+ > CVref)
C2ON = 1; // turn comparator on

// configure voltage reference

VRR = 1; // select low range
VRCON = VRCON & 0xF0 | 5; // VR = 5 -> CVref = 0.208*Vdd = 1.04 V
VROE = 1; // enable CVref output pin
VREN = 1; // turn voltage reference on

// Main loop
for (;;)
{
// display comparator outputs
LED1 = C1OUT; // turn on LED 1 if C1IN+ > CVref
LED2 = C2OUT; // turn on LED 2 if C2IN+ > CVref
}
}

CCS PCB
As we saw above, the „setup_comparator()‟ function can be used to configure both comparators at once,
so we can write:
// configure comparators
setup_comparator(CP1_B0_B1|CP2_C0_VREF); // C1: C1IN+ > C1IN-
// C2: C2IN+ > CVref

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© Gooligum Electronics 2009 www.gooligum.com.au

To enable the CVREF pin when configuring the voltage reference, we need OR the symbol „VREF_A2‟ into
the expression passed to „setup_vref()‟:
setup_vref(VREF_LOW | 5 | VREF_A2); // CVref = 0.208*Vdd = 1.04 V,
// enable CVref output pin

Complete program
Here is the complete CCS version of the “two inputs with a common programmed voltage reference”
program:
/************************************************************************
* Description: Lesson 5, example 5 *
* *
* Demonstrates use of comparators 1 and 2 *
* with the programmable voltage reference *
* *
* Turns on: LED 1 when C1IN+ > 1.0 V *
* and LED 2 when C2IN+ > 1.0 V *
* *
*************************************************************************
* Pin assignments: *
* C1IN+ - input 1 (LDR/resistor divider) *
* C1IN- - connected to CVref *
* C2IN+ - input 2 (LDR/resistor divider) *
* RC1 - indicator LED 1 *
* RC3 - indicator LED 2 *
************************************************************************/

#include <16F506.h>

/***** CONFIGURATION *****/

// ext reset, no code protect, no watchdog, 4 MHz int clock
#fuses MCLR,NOPROTECT,NOWDT,INTRC_IO,IOSC4

// Pin assignments
#define LED1 PIN_C1 // indicator LED 1
#define LED2 PIN_C3 // indicator LED 2

/***** MAIN PROGRAM *****/

void main()
{
// Initialisation

// configure comparators
setup_comparator(CP1_B0_B1|CP2_C0_VREF); // C1: C1IN+ > C1IN-
// C2: C2IN+ > CVref
// configure voltage reference
setup_vref(VREF_LOW | 5 | VREF_A2); // CVref = 0.208*Vdd = 1.04 V,
// enable CVref output pin

// Main loop
while (TRUE)
{
// display comparator outputs
output_bit(LED1,C1OUT); // turn on LED 1 if C1IN+ > CVref
output_bit(LED2,C2OUT); // turn on LED 2 if C2IN+ > CVref
}
}

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© Gooligum Electronics 2009 www.gooligum.com.au

Comparisons
Here is the resource usage summary for this example.
2xComp+VR

Source code Program memory Data memory

Assembler / Compiler
(lines) (words) (bytes)

Microchip MPASM 27 20 1
HI-TECH PICC-Lite 23 35 4
HI-TECH C PRO Lite 23 45 2
CCS PCB 10 45 5

The CCS source code continues to be impressively short, being than half the length of the HI-TECH source
code – mainly because of the availability of built-in functions. But although PICC-Lite continues to generate
the smallest code of the C compilers, it is still more than 50% larger than the hand-written assembler version.

Summary
We have seen that it is possible to effectively utilise the comparators and voltage references available on
baseline devices, such as the PIC16F506, using either the HI-TECH or CCS C compilers.
As we have come to expect, source code written for the CCS compiler is consistently the shortest (as little as
one third the length of the corresponding assembler source), due to the availability of built-in functions:
Source code (lines)

Assembler / Compiler Ex 1b Ex 1d Ex 2 Ex 3 Ex 4 Ex 5

Microchip MPASM 18 19 30 23 36 27
HI-TECH PICC-Lite 12 14 22 14 24 23
HI-TECH C PRO Lite 12 14 22 14 23 23
CCS PCB 7 8 16 8 14 10

However, we have also seen that, at present, CCS support for comparator 2 (misleading symbols in header
files) is a little “rough”.

Once again, all three C compilers generate code which is significantly larger than the corresponding hand-
written assembler versions, with the CCS-generated code being up to twice the size of the assembler version:
Program memory (words)

Assembler / Compiler Ex 1b Ex 1d Ex 2 Ex 3 Ex 4 Ex 5

Microchip MPASM 13 14 41 17 30 20
HI-TECH PICC-Lite 18 20 77 21 53 35
HI-TECH C PRO Lite 24 30 63 27 54 45
CCS PCB 28 31 63 33 48 45

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© Gooligum Electronics 2009 www.gooligum.com.au

Data memory (bytes)

Assembler / Compiler Ex 1b Ex 1d Ex 2 Ex 3 Ex 4 Ex 5

Microchip MPASM 0 0 3 1 1 1
HI-TECH PICC-Lite 4 4 10 4 5 4
HI-TECH C PRO Lite 2 2 4 2 3 2
CCS PCB 4 4 7 5 4 5

The trade-off remains clear – programming effort (loosely correlated with source code length) versus
efficient resource utilisation (program and data memory usage). There continues to be a place for both C and
assembler…

The next lesson concludes our review of the baseline PIC architecture, covering analog to digital conversion
and scaling and simple filtering of ADC readings for display (revisiting material from baseline lessons 10
and 11).

Baseline PIC C, Lesson 5: Analog Comparators Page 29