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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : PIC16F1455 USB Serial Bridge
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| Chris Roper Senior Member  Joined: 19/05/2015 Location: South AfricaPosts: 280 |
I Received the samples I had on order from Microchip and amongst them were a few PIC16LF1455's. These Devices are available from DigiKey and others for <$1.5, are in DIP packaging suitable for use in a Breadboard and contain a USB peripheral that requires no external Xtal (They Sync to the USB Host frequency). I set one up on the breadboard to test and Flashed it with a hex file I found on the net (Attached) and tested it as a USB Serial Bridge. To my surprise and pleasure it worked first time. I am yet to do any extensive testing but can confirm that it correctly Autobaud's at test rates from 9600 Baud up to 115200 Baud. Above 115200 I started seeing issues but 115200 should be fine for working with Micromite and similar. It also provides RTS, CTS and DTR signals which I have not tested, but should work as the original code was intended to drive an XBEE Module. Here is a link to the page I got it from: http://sky.geocities.jp/home_iwamoto/P16F145x/P16_L04.htm I have tested it at both 3V3 and 5V operating voltages and it worked fine up to and including 115200 BAUD. Bottom line, for $1.50 and a 100nf bypass cap you can add USB-Serial to your breadboard without the need for FTDI Chips, boards or adaptor modules. I will test it on the Breadboard with MicroMite, Arduino and ChipKIT CPU's over the next couple of days and report back here. For now I just wanted to let you know it works and pass on the hex file and drivers for anyone else keen to try it. Cheers Chris 2015-07-23_124703_XBeeWriter.inf.zip 2015-07-23_125006_XBee_PIC16F1455.hex.zip http://caroper.blogspot.com/ |
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geraldfryjr Regular Member  Joined: 02/03/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 61 |
This is very cool I have been looking in to this sort of thing. I have a Uc32 from chipkit and it has the FTDI232 and I can't get it to work with MPIDE and UCEIDE in linux but it works fine in windows and it is all because of the FTDI chip. I was thinking about just switching it over to some other bootloader like the Pinguino or something even though I do have MPLABX and the PK3 work with as well. I am not very proficient with C yet and I have been accustomed to using the MPIDE IDE because that was how it was designed to be used. I also have the BasicI/O board for it and all of the drivers work perfectly using the MPIDE and UCEIDE without in issues in windows but not in linux. I am hoping that they will work okay in MPLABX but I haven't got that far as to try it out yet. Do let us know if you find a work around for this type of issue or even a better way for that matter. There is a thread already started in the Chipkit forum on this issue but nobody has provided an answer and I do plan on making a thread in the Digilent forum as well, I have already brought this issue to there attention. I did recently get some MPC2221's and some MCP2200's to try out for this type of issue and I have read that the MCP2221's or MCP2200's work well also. Cheers !!! jer  Keep on DIYin' !!!  |
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| Chris Roper Senior Member Joined: 19/05/2015 Location: South AfricaPosts: 280 |
I Don't have Linux so can't test it in that environment and I am not even sure if Microchip have a Linux driver/inf file. I am surprised that you had issues with MPIDE and Chipkit under Linux though, I will have a look at the Chipkit forums and follow up. Cheers Chris http://caroper.blogspot.com/ |
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| Chris Roper Senior Member Joined: 19/05/2015 Location: South AfricaPosts: 280 |
As mentioned I Breadboarded a PIC16F1455 and MicroMite combination and tried working with it for a few hours in a normal, hardware / software development cycle. Being a 14 pin package it takes very little extra breadboard space and it gives the functionality I was hoping to get from a PIC32MX270 version of the micromite without having to sacrifice any I/O pins or add a Xtal. It does share the one problem that a Micromite 270 would have though and that is having to enumerate each time the power is cycled. This is a problem because it means the console has to be reconnected after it enumerates. To get around this I use a reset button so that the power can be applied, the terminal connected and then press reset to establish the console session. The above would not be an Issue if the PIC16 were separately powered Via USB. I don't have any 3v3 regulators to hand but will pick some up on Monday, if not before, and try it out. I am generally very impressed. I think this Chip will make a good companion to any hobbyist Micromite design, on Strip Board or BreadBoard, and is far cheaper than an FTDI module. Cheers Chris http://caroper.blogspot.com/ |
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BobD Guru  Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
And it can't suffer from being cloned and then having FTDI drivers zap it. A good find. |
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| geraldfryjr Regular Member Joined: 02/03/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 61 |
Thanks!! The say it works in Linux, http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/MCP2200_MCP2221_CDC_Linux_Readme.txt I will look more in to this soon after I get my PIC18/16 breakout board made and running. From what I gather there may be a work around for the FTDI chip but I don't know enough in C or even Linux BASH command to try and implement it in the MPIDE source code. All I know is that MPIDE may be compiled for linux using the windows Java calls and these don't work right in linux this way. I found this info at the FTDI website and other searches about the matter. Thank you for your time. jer :) Keep on DIYin' !!! |
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| Chris Roper Senior Member Joined: 19/05/2015 Location: South AfricaPosts: 280 |
Well I have had 2 of these running for a week now with not a single error or glitch. I did, however, realise that the devices I had were the PIC16LF1455 and only rated to 3V5, so I wound down the supply voltage to 3V3. Not a problem in a Micromite set-up as you need a 3V3 supply for the MM anyway. The surprising thing is that I had been running them at 5V direct from the USB supply and they didn't cook. I would not recommend doing that long term though. I have now ordered some PIC16F1455 devices, rated to 5V5 so that I can make up some USB/Serial Dongles with selectable supply voltage. Definitely happy with these and Doubt I will need to buy any FTDI devices for the foreseeable future. Now to explore what else this puppy can do seeing as it has a full compliment of peripherals in addition to USB. Cheers Chris http://caroper.blogspot.com/ |
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4039 |
ignore (it's 3V6 but hardly matters!) John |
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| matherp Guru Joined: 11/12/2012 Location: United KingdomPosts: 10277 |
Just got a couple of PIC16F1455 from Microchip as samples - work perfectly on W7-64. This has to be about the most cost effective way of adding a USB console without the issues of dropping the connection on MM resets UPDATE Attached is a revised version of the hex file that defaults the UART baudrate to 38400 to match the normal Micromite console speed. tested with MM 4.7b23 44-pin and MM+ 64-pin 2015-07-31_180958_PIC1455USB.zip I'm powering the PIC16F1455 off the USB connection and using one of these to convert the signals properly to 3.3V |
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