Byron A Jeff wrote :

> Help me out with the 18F. I have a few issues.

Hi.

I pass on the Linux issues. When using a "industry standard"
environment, there are plenty of tools ;-)


> 3) Tutorial/Example infrastructure. Sure the 18F is better
>  but how many examples/tutorials/running code can
> you find for it.

The 16 and 18 series are not *that* different. Sure, many things can
be done smarter on a 18-series, but could also be done in a more
16-series like way. And since the 18-series are easier to program with
have less traps, ther are also less need for a lot of toturials...

> Consider Fr. McGahee's PICUART tutorial/code. A brilliant
> example of how to leverage real code to show how the PIC
> serial interface works warts and all. Is there a similar 18F
> version?

Note that many newer PICs (such as the current 18F1220/1320
and the comming 16F688) uses the new EUSART, with a 16 bit
baud rate register. McGahee's code *may* work on those PICs, but
if so, not in an optimum way. So if someone doesn't update
that tutorial, it will soon be outdated anyway. Search for "EUSART"
in the Line Card to get all PICs with that peripherial. I've never
seen a specific 18-series version, but much of the tips (but maybe
not the code as such) might still be usuable.

And, even if you don't use Olins develop environment, you could
always read and leard from his UART macros. They include automatic
handling of AUSART/EUSART and 8/16 bit baud rate register at build
time in his macros.

> Is there examples of how
> to really utilize all the cool 18F features like the less segmented
> memory space, branch instructions and the like?

Not sure what you mean with examples. For specific instructions, there
are always the data sheet (or the PIC18 Ref Manual with better examples
for each instruction).  The less segmented memory isn't anything you
actualy "use", it's just less things to worry about.

> 4) Silicon issues. Not running at the full 40 Mhz, PLL
> issues, and the like. I get the willies when the erratta sheet
> states that operation faster than 4 Mhz is not guranteed.

I think you should get a current status about this. Aren't most of
this problems (at least in the smaller 18F-PICs) solved now ?

Regards
Jan-Erik.

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