Overview

MikroElektronika's new EasydsPIC6 makes developing with Microchip's dsPIC digital signal controllers incredibly straightforward. The three-in-one development board incorporates a high-speed programmer and mikroICD in-circuit debugger and provides I/O devices from pushbutton switches and LEDs through to RS-232 serial port and chip-on-glass LCD. The EasydsPIC6 supports 18, 28 and 40-pin DIP-packaged dsPICs in the dsPIC30F family and comes with a 40-pin dsPIC30F4013.

High-Speed USB-2.0 Programmer

The EasydsPIC6 features an on-board state-of-the-art very fast USB 2.0 dsPICprog programmer (also compatible with USB1.1) and is supplied with easy to install drivers and Windows-based programmer software. Programming support is provided for virtually all dsPICs in the dsPIC30F families with software updates freely available for continued support of future dsPICs. If you're using one of MikroElektronika's mikroBASIC, mikroC or mikroBASIC PRO for dsPIC/PIC24 compilers then you can compile your project and program a dsPIC with a single click.

mikroICD In-Circuit Debugger

The smart choice for dsPIC digital signal controller debugging, mikroICD is MikroElektronika's highly effective tool for real-time debugging on a hardware level and comes integrated on the EasydsPIC6. mikroICD enables you to execute a mikroBASIC, mikroC or mikroPascal PRO for dsPIC/PIC24 program on a target dsPIC with a visual feed-back of the values of your program's variables and the contents of the dsPIC's Special Function Registers (SFRs), program, data and EEPROM memory on your PC screen. Functions include stepping into and over code, running code to cursor and the setting of breakpoints.

Useful I/O Devices

To make testing programs easy and allow you to quickly configure hardware without the need to manually wire up time-consuming and possibly tempermental prototypes the EasydsPIC6 incorporates a number of useful I/O devices including:

• 41 LEDs to show the status of the dsPIC's I/O lines.
• 41 push-button switches to simulate digital inputs on the dsPIC's I/O lines (configurable as active-high or active-low).
• A handy menu-style keypad with switches configured as up, down, left, right, enter and cancel.
• A 4x4 matrix keypad.
• Piezo speaker capable of emitting sounds at frequencies from 20Hz to 20KHz.
• Potentiometer to simulate analog input on dsPIC's A/D input.
• RS-232 interface with female DB9 connector.
• CAN interface with MCP2551 CAN transceiver.
• MCP23S17 serial port expander with SPI interface providing 16 additional I/O lines.
• 16x2 chip-on-glass (COG) LCD driven via SPI port expander.
• 24AA01 1Kbit serial EEPROM with I2C interface.
• Connector for optional 16x2 character LCD.
• Connector for optional 128x64 graphic LCD.
• Controller and connector for optional touchscreen overlay.
• Socket for optional Dallas/Maxim DS1820 1-wire temperature sensor.

Other Features

Other useful features of the EasydsPIC6 include:

• DIP sockets for 18, 28 and 40-pin dsPICs (40-pin dsPIC30F4013 supplied).
• Socketed 8MHz crystal that can easily be removed and replaced by other values.
• Reset circuit with reset pushbutton.
• On-board rectifier and voltage regulator and power supply from PC's USB port or optional mains adapter.
• ICD connector providing compatibility with Microchip programmers/debuggers.
• dsPIC's I/O pins brought out onto IDC headers for further expansion and connection of add-on I/O boards.
• Configurable pull-up and pull-down resistors provided on all I/O lines.
• Contrast adjustment for built-in 16x2 COG display and optional character and graphic LCDs.
• Clearly labelled DIP switches and jumpers for easy configuration.
• All pins clearly labelled on underside of board.

It Doesn't End There

The EasydsPIC6 is supported by an extensive and ever-increasing range of optional I/O add-on boards that connect easily to it's expansion connectors to further extend its functionality and offer support to whatever project you may be working on. The range of boards currently include:

• Ethernet (Ethernet controller with SPI interface).
• RS-485 (RS-485 transceiver for connection to dsPIC's USART).
• LIN (LIN transceiver for connection to dsPIC's USART).
• EasyBee (ZigBee module for connection to dsPIC's USART).
• EasyBee3 (ZigBee/MiWi/MiWi P2P module with SPI interface).
• EasyBT (Bluetooth module for connection to dsPIC's USART).
• IrDA (IrDA compliant module for connection to dsPIC's USART).
• IrDA2 (wireless RS-232 over infrared board for connection to dsPIC's USART).
• RFid reader.
• Bipolar stepper motor driver.
• Digital potentiometer.
• mikroDrive (Darlington array for high-power control).
• ADC (12-bit A/D converter with SPI interface).
• DAC (12-bit D/A converter with SPI interface).
• R2R DAC (low-cost D/A add-on board based on an R/2R network).
• Compact Flash card reader.
• Serial EEPROM.
• mikroSD card reader.
• MMC/SD card reader.
• Serial RAM.
• SmartGPS.
• SmartGSM/GPRS.
• SmartMP3.
• RTC (real-time clock based on Philips/Maxim PCF8583 RTC with I2C interface).
• RTC2 (real-time clock based on Dallas/Maxim DS1307 RTC with I2C interface).

Plus:

• Adapters for various character and graphic LCDs.
• Interfacing adapters.
• Prototyping boards and adapters.

Please note that character and graphic LCDs, touchscreen overlay, DS1820 temperature sensor and RS-232 serial cable are not included with the EasydsPIC6 and should be ordered separately if required - see accessories for details and to order.