Overview

MikroElektronika's LV18F v6 development board offers features similar to those of the EasyPIC6 and BIGPIC6 but for low-voltage PICs in the PIC18FxxJxx family. It's low cost and versatility makes it an ideal training board for use within educational establishments. The LV18F v6 is also supported by several easy-to-use PIC compilers and a range of I/O add-on boards.

 

General Board Features

The LV18F v6 is a powerful three-in-one development board incorporating a high-speed USB 2.0 programmer, mikroICD in-circuit debugger and useful selection of built-in I/O devices. The LV18F v6 supports 64, 80 and 100-pin TQFP-packaged PICs via plug-in SIMM-style MCU cards and is supplied with an 80-pin PIC18F87J60 card.

Very fast on-board USB 2.0 programmer with mikroICD in-circuit debugger - no need for separate programmer.	Support for PIC microcontrollers in 20, 28 and 40-pin DIP sockets. Board is supplied with a 40-pin PIC18F45K20 device.	Selectable power source - can be from either PC's USB port or external mains adapter. Also features on/off switch.
On-board voltage regulator is used to reduce power supply voltage from 5V to 3.3V.	Removable/replaceable crystal. Jumpers allow for configuration as oscillator inputs or regular I/O pins.	On-board reset circuit and switch that is connected to the MCLR pin of the microcontroller.
System can be easily configured via clearly marked DIP switches. Each DIP switch configures part of board.	There are jumpers on-board that are used for pull-up or pull-down port defining. These jumers are provided for all pins.	All pins are clearly marked on the back of the board describing connections, modes of use and other useful information.

 

On-board I/O Features

The EasyLV18F v6 provides a number of built-in I/O devices to make developing with PICs fast and easy. LEDs, pushbutton switches and analogue potentiometer allow for easy simulation of many forms of input/output. Communications features include RS-232 and USB interfaces and other devices include serial EEPROM and RAM. The board also provides connectors for optional character and graphic LCDs, touchscreen and DS1820 temperature sensor.

35 LEDs allow for displaying the states of all the PIC's I/O pins simultaneously (can be disabled when not required).	35 pushbutton switches for simulating digital inputs are connected to all the PIC's I/O pins.	16x2 character COG display is provided for displaying text messages. Display is connected via SPI.
On-board 4x4 matrix keypad and menu keypad for efficient data entry and menu navigation.	Optional 16x2 character LCD can be easily connected via connector provided on-board.	Optional 128x64 graphic LCD can be easily connected via connector provided on-board.
Optional touchscreen can be connected to the board via touchscreen connector and controller.	Optional DS1820 digital thermometer for measuring temperature from -55°C to 125°C can be easily fitted.	Analogue potentiometer provided for testing A/D conversion. Input can be configured via jumpers.
RS-232 communications with PC or another microcontroller is available via DB9 connector.	USB communication connectors are available on-board for microcontrollers with USB facilities.	On-board USB UART module based on FT232RL making it easy to connect any PIC to USB.
Serial EEPROM (24AA01) on-board that can store up to 1Kbit of data and uses I2C communications.	Serial RAM (23K640) on-board adds 64Kbit of extra RAM and uses SPI communications.	On-board piezo buzzer is capable of emitting audio signals in frequency range between 20Hz and 20KHz.
16-bit port expander with SPI interface providing more I/O lines.	All pins are connected to IDC10 connectors for further expansion and are clearly marked on-board.

 

High-Speed USB-2.0 Programmer

The EasyLV18F v6 features an on-board state-of-the-art very fast USB 2.0 18FJprog programmer (also compatible with USB1.1) and is supplied with easy to install drivers and Windows-based LV18PICFlash programmer software. Programming support is provided for many PICs with software updates freely available for continued support of future PICs. If you're using one of MikroElektronika's mikroBASIC, mikroC or mikroBASIC PRO for PIC compilers then you can compile your project and program a PIC with a single click.

 

mikroICD In-Circuit Debugger

The smart choice for PIC microcontroller debugging, mikroICD is MikroElektronika's highly effective tool for real-time debugging on a hardware level and comes integrated on the EasyLV18F v6. mikroICD enables you to execute a mikroBASIC, mikroC or mikroPascal PRO for PIC program on a target PIC with a visual feed-back of the values of your program's variables and the contents of the PIC'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.

 

Supported Microcontrollers

The EasyLV18F v6 supports popular 20, 28 and 40-pin DIP-packaged PICs in the PIC18FxxJxx and PIC18FxxKxx families. Newly released PICs are supported by regularly updated versions of the LV18PICFlash programmer software. The following PICs are currently supported by the EasyLV18F v6:

PIC18F J-SERIES MICROCONTROLLERS
PIC18F24J10	PIC18F25J10	PIC18F44J10	PIC18F45J10
PIC18F2xJ11	PIC18F2xJ50
PIC18F K-SERIES MICROCONTROLLERS
PIC18F13K22	PIC18F14K22	PIC18F13K50	PIC18F14K50
PIC18F23K20	PIC18F24K20	PIC18F25K20	PIC18F26K20
PIC18F43K20	PIC18F44K20	PIC18F45K20	PIC18F46K20
PIC18(L)F2xK22	PIC18(L)F4xK22

 

Package Contents

The EasyLV18F v6 comes packed in a protective box along with documentation and software CD-ROM. Package contains:

• EasyLV18 v6 development board.
• USB cable.
• CD-ROM with software, drivers and examples in BASIC, C and Pascal.
• Printed documentation that includes: EasyLV18F v6 User Manual, EasyLV18F v6 Schematic Diagram, 18FJprog Programmer Manual, mikroICD Manual and Quick Guide for Installing USB Drivers).

Also included are fully functional demonstration versions of MikroElektronika's mikroC, mikroBASIC and mikroPascal PRO for PIC compilers (HEX output is limited to 2K program words).

 

It Doesn't End There

The LV18F v6 is supported by a 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 compatible with 3.3V currently include:

• EasyBee (ZigBee module for connection to PIC's USART).
• EasyBee3 (ZigBee/MiWi/MiWi P2P module with SPI interface).
• EasyBT (Bluetooth module for connection to PIC's USART).
• mikroSD card reader.
• MMC/SD card reader.
• SmartGPS.
• SmartGSM/GPRS.
• SmartMP3.

Plus:

• Interfacing adapters.
• Prototyping boards and adapters.

A 3.3V to 5V voltage translator board is also available to allow 5V I/O add-on boards to be connected to LV18F v6.

 

Please note that character and graphic LCDs, touchscreen overlay, DS1820 temperature sensor and RS-232 serial cable are not included with the LV18F v6 and should be ordered separately if required - see accessories for details and to order. Alternatively, see one of our LV18F v6 Starter Packs for a more comprehensive package!