PICAXE Microcontrollers
PICAXE Microcontrollers
Find out about PICAXE microcontrollers and their use in renewable energy projects
electronics | electric circuit | educationAcross our website we have plans for many
electronic circuits, from
solar water heating pump controllers to
light detectors, and from
shunt regulators to
battery status monitors. As the requirements of a circuit get more complicated, the number of components and complexity of the connections between them increases greatly. It can also be extremely difficult to modify the behaviour of a circuit once it has been soldered together if requirements change later.
In order to get around these problems,
microcontrollers are used. A microcontroller is basically a
computer-on-a-chip - i.e. an integrated circuit which has
memory, processing power, and inputs and outputs. A programme (software) can be loaded onto a microcontroller to make it behave as required and therefore carry out
complex activities with minimal additional components.
PICAXE
The
PICAXE system is a complete package which enables non-expert electronics enthusiasts to put together microcontroller based circuits with ease. The
BASIC programming language is used to write programmes which can be tested in the supplied PC-based
Programming Editor software and then downloaded to the
microcontroller ready to be used in a circuit.
There are a wide range of PICAXE chips available with different numbers of input/output
pins, sizes of
memory, and capabilities. Although other sizes are still sold, it is recommended to use the following (since these are likely to be supported in the long term):
for
education: PICAXE-08M, PICAXE-14M, and PICAXE-20M
for
standard projects: PICAXE-18X, PICAXE-28X1, and PICAXE-40X1
and for
advanced projects: PICAXE-28X2, and PICAXE-40X2.
Buy PICAXE Products
The full range of starter kits,
PICAXE chips, accessories, project kits, and project boards are all available best priced at
Rapid Online.
Useful Picaxe Links
Three PICAXE manuals are available to download completely free of charge:
PICAXE Getting Started Manual (98 pages).
PICAXE BASIC Commands (188 pages).
PICAXE Microcontroller Interfacing Circuits (45 pages).
You can download and install the latest version of the
PICAXE Programming Editor free of charge here. You can therefore start to practice writing programmes in
BASIC and test run them in the included
simulator.
For anyone starting out with
PICAXE, the
PICAXE forum is packed with useful information generously shared by users of the PICAXE system. Before attempting a new project, it is well worth visiting this popular
forum and searching for any relevant information before starting.
The official
PICAXE website is here.
Article Last Modified: 12:12, 18th Sep 2008Comment on this Article
If you have any comments on this article, please email them to
neil@reuk.co.uk.
Recommended Related Articles
People who read this article also enjoyed the following articles:
Timer Circuits With 4060BBuild a reliable timer to switch devices on and off - from 30 seconds to 24 hours
Article Last Modified: 09:58, 15th Aug 2009electronics | electric circuitRelays and Renewable EnergyFind out more about relays and their uses in renewable energy applications
Article Last Modified: 13:33, 14th Aug 2010electric circuit | electronics | generalLow Voltage Battery Disconnect CircuitsFind out more about low voltage battery disconnect (LVD) circuits - used to protect batteries
Article Last Modified: 15:04, 28th May 2009electric circuit | electronics | storageLM317 High Current Voltage RegulatorFind out how to build an LM317T based high current voltage regulator
Article Last Modified: 12:29, 17th Aug 2010electric circuit | electronics | general | educationRepeat Timer CircuitMake a repeat timer circuit with large intervals between ON times
Article Last Modified: 09:58, 15th Aug 2009electric circuit | electronics | generalSolar Charge ControllerFind out more about Solar Charge Controllers
Article Last Modified: 11:12, 29th Oct 2009solar | electronics | electric circuitKC7783R PIR ModuleFind out more about the economical and easy to use KC7783R PIR motion sensor module
Article Last Modified: 15:16, 18th Aug 2010electronics | electric circuit | general | shoppingSwitch from Inverter to Mains AutomaticallyPower a circuit directly from a power inverter, but with automatic mains power back up.
Article Last Modified: 15:16, 19th Aug 2008electric circuit | storage | generalLM2940 12V 1A Low Dropout RegulatorFind out how to use an LM2940 to efficiently regulate voltage
Article Last Modified: 09:07, 30th Jan 2010electric circuit | storage | general | lightingMake a Stirling EngineMake your own demonstration Stirling Engine
Article Last Modified: 16:37, 6th Apr 2010education
|
|
|
