PIC-Based 8-Channel Analog Data Logger
Approx construction cost US$70
8-Channel Analog Data Logger -- EPE Online August 1999 The new PIC16F87x family are much more powerful than their 84 predecessors (as was outlined in the PIC16F87x Review, EPE Online, April 1999). They have, for example, up to eight channels of analog to digital conversion available; they can be used for serial communications input/output at controllable baud rates; they can write to and read from addressable serial data memories; apart from enlarged program memories, they also have increased on-chip EEPROM data memory capacity; their special register set is much larger; and they can operate at up to 20MHz.

It is some of these attributes that are put to use now in this Data Logger. This double article, represents not only a highly useful constructional project, but also a mini tutorial, with particular reference to the PIC16F877. The Tutorial is not full in-depth coverage but, if you already know about using other PICs, it will certainly get you started with using the new devices for yourself.

After reading both articles, you should have a pretty good idea about the following aspects of the PIC16F87x family:

o) Using PORTA and PORTE for digital input/output
or analog data input
o) Analog-to-digital conversion (ADC)
o) Storing and retrieving data bytes using the PICs
     internal EEPROM memory
o) Storing and retrieving data bytes using external
     serial memory chips
o) Transmitting serial data bytes to the outside world
     at different baud rates (up to 9600 baud)
o) Using a PC to input serial data from PIC16F87x
     devices via the COM ports
o) Inputting formatted serial data from all PIC analog
     channels (up to eight) to Microsoft Excel for
     display and printout as text and graphs

More details on this construction project can be found in the August and September 1999 issues of EPE Online, the world's first web-delivered electronics and computing hobbyist magazine.

PURCHASE this issue or peruse more Projects

Copyright & Contact Info