P.S. : I've dug up some information on the CORDIC algorithm. Is there
any way to implement it (painlessly, if possible) on the 16F84 ? The
page claimed it was successfully used on the Basic Stamp II, which is I
think more powerful than the PIC.

  First off, you're confusing your lack of knowledge about how to do it in
PIC assembly (or other language) with a limitation of the PIC.  The basic
stamp 2 is done with the scenix processor, which is a fast PIC for the most
part.  It IS coded like a PIC internally though, so of course it can be done
on a PIC.  And most of it's speed (it's only advantage over any other PIC)
is wasted doing the Basic interpreting.  Someone else has done some of the
work for you by doing the math routines for you for Basic, but the only
reason you would see that as being more 'powerful' is because you don't know
how to do it in assembly.  A limit of you, not the PIC.
  Considering how many good websites there are out there, you can't have
looked hard, so it's a bit difficult to see how you're frustrated already at
not knowing how and finding examples..
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Way/5807/dat.html
Go down to the applications section, there is even cordic info in the
communications section..
Alan


"Phu T. Van" wrote:

> Thanks for all your help. I think part (most/all?) of my dilema lies in
> the fact that I'm using the PIC, small-ish in both memory and raw
> processing power. But I'm also lacking a very fundamental thing : the
> knowledge of how to do elementary math with the PIC's very limited
> insruction set, specifically its bit-wise operations.
> How do you, for example :
> --Multiple/divide ?
> --Calculate exponents ?
> --Anything taught in Elementary Algebra ?
>
> Is it futile to hope that previous PIC gurus had written concise,
> dummy-oriented tutorials on how to do these operations ? Obviously
> someone has had to multiply and divide with a PIC once in their life. It
> frustrates me slightly that I can't do these basic things, even though
> it appears to me that PIC programs follow the formula :
> code,code,code,miracle,code.
>
> Thanks again.
> --Phu T. Van
> P.S. : I've dug up some information on the CORDIC algorithm. Is there
> any way to implement it (painlessly, if possible) on the 16F84 ? The
> page claimed it was successfully used on the Basic Stamp II, which is I
> think more powerful than the PIC.