> I'm really losing my mind now, been fighting with this for 8 days
> now, I give up. I hope you can tell me what's wrong in my setup. :(

The following will hopefully be helpful:

It is extremely difficult to work at the machine code level with a processor
like the PIC18F series withput making mistakes. The difficulty that results
is almost certainly going going to be greater than the difficulty in
learning how to use some basic free software tools. Even if you don't want
to use MPLAB using its IDE (Integrated Development Environment) you can
still use the accompanying assembler. MPLAB includes is a command line
assembler * MPASM.EXE. If your assembly language code is named mycode.asm it
can be assembeed froma  command line with as simple a statement as
                              MPASM mycode

this creates listing, hex and (hopefully empty) error files. You can use
this without touching any other part of MPLAB and still greatly decrease the
chance of making erors and increase the speed of getting a working result.

Next level up - if you just run

                        MPASM

you get a DOS level user interface that lets you specify a few basic
parameter changes.

Both the above require you to learn PIC assembly language. However, this is
an UTTERLY ESSENTIAL requirement for any sort of serious work. While it is
possible to stay at the machine language level forever, and while it will
give you an excellent feel for how the processor works, it is so utterly
unproductive and difficult compared to using assembler that you should start
to use PIC assembler as soon as possible. (I learned to program
microprocessors using machine language alone without the benefit of an
assembler, (86 20, B7 8004, CE .... ) but I wouldn't recommend that anybody
do it nowadays for productive work (maybe for the purposes of training).

Reading between the lines it sounds like you are capable, to some extent at
least, in both hardware and software and possibly extremely capable. Do try
and get accustomed to the rest of MPLAB - it's a useful tool once you manage
to do so.



regards



                Russell McMahon

* - I assume that the command line assembler MPASM.EXE comes with newer
versions of MPLAB. If not, it is available with older versions and could be
provided by someone on this list if you need it. (always assuming that
assuming Microchip's fineprint allows transfer of part of their free
software in this manner ;-) ).

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