Several of our recent projects have used a 16 bit PIC24 microcontroller from Microchip. The PIC24FJ128GC006 contains two 16-bit ADC channels which makes it useful for measuring voltages more accurately than the 10 or 12 bit ADCs you normally find on microcontrollers. We used this microcontroller for the temperature controller on our recent Soldering Robot and are looking at using it for another project in the future.
One problem we found was trying to prototype code using this microcontroller as unlike Arduino and any ARM microcontrollers there isn’t a small easy to use prototyping board available for the PIC24 chip. Microchip make an Explorer 16 Development Board which is designed to work with the PIC24 microcontrollers but it is large and fairly expensive and is designed to work best with other Microchip addon cards.
With this problem in mind we decided to design and build a small prototyping board that would work with the PIC24FJ128GC006 as well as one of Microchips DSPIC33EP256MU806 dsPIC series microcontrollers.
The prototyping board was designed with removable daughter boards for the microcontroller. This means that we can use several different microcontrollers on the same board and if we accidently do something that damages a part of the microcontroller it is easy to replace it without having to unsolder the chip.
The PIC24FJ128GC006 includes a USB port so we added one onto the board, this will come in handy if we want to design any devices that act as a USB device or host. Programming of the board is done through an IDC header which connects to a Microchip MPLAB ICD 3 programmer.
For more detail: Designing a PIC24 Development Board
About The Author
Ibrar Ayyub
I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.
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