Tech First Kit-Microchip-DM183034-EVK

As embedded microcontrollers reach into all corners of modern life, many applications can benefit from coin-cell battery power. Some benefits are reduced product size and cost, enhanced design simplicity, portability, and electrical isolation. Microchip Technology, the number one supplier of 8-bit microcontrollers in the world, is using their nanoWatt Technology features to achieve these benefits.

The Qwik&Low Board is a companion board for the book entitled Coin-Cell-Powered Embedded Design written by John B. Peatman, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The book explores how nanoWatt features impact the design process. It employs the Qwik&Low board as the learning vehicle for the reader.

• PIC18LF4321-I/PTPIC18LF4321-I/PT and a PIC18LF6390
• 8-character LCD
• In-Circuit Serial Porgramming
• Debugging interface

• It uses peripherals whose current draw can be reduced to zero (either under control of the PIC18LF4321-I/PTPIC18LF4321-I/PT MCU or by opening a switch or jumper) to monitor the MCU current.
• It uses an eight-character LCD having a PIC18LF6390 chip as its controller, to reduce the LCD-plus-LCD-controller current draw to 5uA.
• It includes a prototype area to allow the use of additional peripheral devices.
• The PIC18LF4321-I/PTPIC18LF4321-I/PT can be programmed with Microchip’s low-cost ($35) PICkit 2 programmer shown probing the Qwik&Low board in Figure 2-11.
• Alternatively, the PIC18LF4321-I/PTPIC18LF4321-I/PT can be linked to a PC via either a $5 serial cable (for PCs having a DB-9 serial port) or a $10 USB-to-serial adapter. Then a free QwikBug utility (discussed in Chapter Three) running on the PC can download and run a C-compiled “hex” file on the PIC18LF4321-I/PTPIC18LF4321-I/PT. QwikBug supports debugging with breakpoint capability, single stepping, and variable watching and modifying. A window in QwikBug’s display can be written to by a user program to extend the display capability of the board beyond that of the eight-character LCD.