Hi Folks,

I would just like to point you to my web page:

http://www.myke.com

to let you know that I have put up information and source code/hex files for
my "BASIC87x" interpreter written for the Microchip PIC16F876/PIC16F877
MCUs.  To access the description of the interpreter and download a hex file
or the source code, look at item #1 on the home page and click on
"BASIC87x".

The interpreter is designed to be a stand-alone development system for the
PICmicro MCU giving you approximately the same execution performance (at 4
MHz) of a Parallax BS1, although with 8K bytes of program storage and allow
you to access most of the internal features of the PIC16F87x (you cannot
access the context registers, the USART, EEPROM program memory and the file
registers, or execute interrupts).  If you were to run the application at 16
MHz, you would have *better* performance than a BS2.

On the bottom of the first page, I have given programming instructions for
the loading the interpreter into a PICmicro MCU along with a sample circuit
to test it out (it requires a PIC16F877, MAX232 and a few capacitors and a
resistor).

I don't know how timely this code is based on the recent discussions about
compilers, but it does show how a simple interpreter can be written for the
PICmicro.  From my initial playing around, it seems like an excellent tool
for learning about the advanced peripheral interfaces of the PICmicro
microcontroller - although I have done a lot to hide the PICmicro processor
architecture and low-level operations.

There is no opportunity (or plans) for BLOADing assembly code into the
PICmicro.  As I indicated in previous posts, I am wary of doing this in any
case; the contents of the "w", "FSR", "PCLATH" and "STATUS" registers are
critical to correct operation of the interpreter and the application code
itself is stored in Banks 2 and 3 of Program Memory and could be relocated
based on insertion/deletion of lines of code.

This is Beta level code and while I have done quite a bit of testing of it,
I'm sure there are a few problems with it.  If you find anything that seems
strange, please send me an email with the code (cut down as much as you can)
you are having trouble with.

I am releasing this code as open source - it cannot be put up for resale in
any form.  Because the code is in a Beta state, I would appreciate it if it
were not redistributed but links given to the web page.

Have fun,

myke

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