Microcontroller Introduction

Chapter 1 – PIC Notes

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Aims and Objectives
• Aims:
• To introduce microcontrollers in general
• To introduce the PIC16F627(A) microcontroller

• Objectives
• After completing this chapter you should be able to:
• List the advantages of using a microcontroller in place of several discrete IC's
• List the features of a PIC16F627(A)
• Identify the different packages of the PIC16F627(A)
• Use the PDIP pin diagram to identify and discuss the pin functions of the PIC16F627(A)
• Use the internal block diagram to identify and discuss different internal components found in
the PIC16F627(A)
• Describe and motivate typical application areas for a microcontroller

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Introduction
• A PIC, in this context is a microcontroller circuit manufactured by Microchip Technology
• PICs are usually supplied empty and the programmer must write a program to be
executed
• Various languages exist, although C and Assembler are the most common
• A lot of different PIC families exist with different features and peripherals
• You also do get microcontrollers from other manufacturers i.e. Texas Instruments, etc.
Microcontroller Microprocessor
Own program memory Are the ‘brain’ only
Built in Input / Output ports Needs a lot of external peripheral
Built in Clock oscillator components to realize input/output,
Built in other peripherals i.e. Timers, etc. memory, etc. capabilities

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Advantages of using Microcontrollers
• Takes less space than discrete IC’s therefore
• Costs less to build
• Have a simpler printed circuit board (PCB) and are therefore easier to build
• Will have a reduced overall size
• Higher clock speeds coupled with single word instructions allow faster
data processing
• Power saving
• Less IC’s are being used
• Microcontrollers are CMOS device using very little power

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Features of the PIC16F627(A)
• 15 I/O pins with individual direction control
• High current sink / source for direct LED drive
• Analogue comparator module
• Two independent 8-bit timers
• One 16-bit timer
• Capture / Compare / PWM module
• USART (Universal Synchronous/Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter)
• 6 Selectable oscillator modes
• Wide operating voltage: 3.0V to 5.5V
• An instruction execution cycle of 1μsec at a clock frequency of 4MHz

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Applications
• The PIC fits many uses:
• Automotive industries
• Home appliances
• Remote sensors
• Electronic door locks and other safety devices
• It is flexible in applications due to:
• EEPROM which is used to permanently save parameters for codes and
calibration data
• In-Circuit Serial Programming allows the device to be programmed while in
the end circuit.

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 Package Description
• The PIC comes in a variety of packages

DIP SOIC SSOP QFN

(Dual In-Line Package) (Small Outline IC) (Shrink Small-Outline Package) (Quad Flat Pack No Leads

Figure 1.1 Different Package Types (not to scale) (Spies, 2020, p4)

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PDIP Pinouts and Descriptions

Figure 1.2 PDIP Pinouts (Spies, 2020, p4)

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Internal Architecture
• Built using the Harvard Architecture where:
• Separate buses and memories for program and data, increasing bandwidth
• Data bus is 8-bits wide
• Instruction opcodes are 14-bits wide
• Program memory is 14-bits wide
• 2-stage pipeline which overlaps fetch and execution of each instruction. All
instructions, except branching instructions, are executed in 1 cycle
• FLASH Program Size = 1024 x 14
• RAM Data = 224 x 8
• EEPROM Data = 128 x 8

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Block Diagram
• Shows a selection of
internal components
• It is easy to see where the
buses are and how the
different components
connect to each other

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Figure 2.1 Block Diagram (Microchip, 2003. p8)
FLASH Program
Memory
• It is where the program is
stored
• Can be reprogrammed
• Size is 1024 x 14 bits
• One instruction per
memory location equals
1024 lines of code
• Other PICs have different
memory sizes

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Figure 2.1 Block Diagram (Microchip, 2003. p8)
RAM File Registers
• Contains addressable
locations of Special
Function Registers and
General Purpose Registers
• Divided into 4 banks

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Figure 2.1 Block Diagram (Microchip, 2003. p8)
PortA(5h) and PortB(6h)
• These are IO ports used to
communicate with the
outside world
• PORTA and PORTB is 8-bits
• The bits inside the
associated registers controls
the data on the physical
pins

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Figure 2.1 Block Diagram (Microchip, 2003. p8)
Timers 0, 1, 2
• Timer 0 and 2 is 8-bit timers
• Timer 1 is 16-bit
• Can be used as timers or
counters

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Figure 2.1 Block Diagram (Microchip, 2003. p8)
Comparator
• Contains 2 analogue
comparator modules
• Inputs are multiplexed with
pins on PORTA
• The output of the
comparators is mapped to
the CMCON register

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Voltage reference
• Provides a selectable
voltage reference for the
comparator module

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Figure 2.1 Block Diagram (Microchip, 2003. p8)
Data EEPROM
• Readable and Writeable
EEPROM memory for non-
volatile storage
• Size: 127 x 8 bits

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Figure 2.1 Block Diagram (Microchip, 2003. p8)
W register
• An 8-bit register used by
the ALU
• ALL data go through the W
register

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Figure 2.1 Block Diagram (Microchip, 2003. p8)
Program Counter
• Is a 13-bit counter
• Can address 8k x 14-bit
program memory
• The PC points to the
instruction that must be
executed

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Figure 2.1 Block Diagram (Microchip, 2003. p8)
Summary
• In this chapter, the PIC16F627 was introduced by looking at
• What a microcontroller is,
• Advantages of using a microcontroller,
• Where it can be used,
• The purpose of the pins found on the DIP package,
• And we identified the principal parts of the PIC by discussing the internal
block diagram

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End of Chapter
Any Questions?

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Department of Computer Systems Engineering
References
• Microchip, 2003. PIC16F62X Data Sheet. [online] Microchip
Technology. Available at:
<https://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/40300c.pdf>
[Accessed 4 June 2020].
• Spies, J., 2022. An Introduction To Microcontroller Concepts Using The
PIC Microcontroller.

Faculty of Information and Communication Technology

Department of Computer Systems Engineering