UNIT-VI: PIC MICRO CONTROLLERS

Introduction to PIC Microcontroller:

PIC Microcontroller

PIC microcontroller was developed in the year 1993 by microchip technology. The term PIC
stands for Peripheral Interface Controller. Initially this was developed for supporting PDP computers to
control its peripheral devices, and therefore, named as a peripheral interface device.
These microcontrollers are very fast and easy to execute a program compared with
other microcontrollers. PIC Microcontroller architecture is based on Harvard architecture. PIC
microcontrollers are very popular due to their ease of programming, wide availability, easy to interfacing
with other peripherals, low cost, large user base and serial programming capability (reprogramming with
flash memory), etc.

We know that the microcontroller is an integrated chip which consists of CPU, RAM, ROM,
timers, and counters, etc. In the same way, PIC microcontroller architecture consists of RAM, ROM,
CPU, timers, counters and supports the protocols such as SPI, CAN, and UART for interfacing with other
peripherals. At present PIC microcontrollers are extensively used for industrial purpose due to low power
consumption, high performance ability and easy of availability of its supporting hardware and software
tools like compilers, debuggers and simulators.

What is a PIC Microcontroller?

PIC (Programmable Interface Controllers) microcontrollers are the worlds
smallest microcontrollers that can be programmed to carry out a huge range of tasks.
These microcontrollers are found in many electronic devices such as phones, computer control
systems, alarm systems, embedded systems, etc. Various types of microcontrollers exist, even though the

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best are found in the GENIE range of programmable microcontrollers. These microcontrollers are
programmed and simulated by circuit-wizard software.

Every PIC microcontroller architecture consists of some registers and stack where registers
function as Random Access Memory (RAM) and stack saves the return addresses. The main features of
PIC microcontrollers are RAM, flash memory, Timers/Counters, EEPROM, I/O Ports, USART, CCP
(Capture/Compare/PWM module), SSP, Comparator, ADC (analog to digital converter), PSP (parallel
slave port), LCD and ICSP (in circuit serial programming) The 8-bit PIC microcontroller is classified into
four types on the basis of internal architecture such as Base Line PIC, Mid-Range PIC, Enhanced Mid-
Range PIC and PIC18

The term PIC stands for Peripheral Interface Controller. It is the brain child of Microchip
Technology, USA. Originally this was developed as a supporting device for PDP computers to control
its peripheral devices, and therefore named as PIC, Peripheral Interface Controller. They have coined this
name to identify their single chip micro controllers. These 8-bit micro controllers have become very
important now -a -days in industrial automation and embedded applications etc.

One of the earlier versions of PIC Microcontrollers is PIC16C6x/7x. The 7x family has an
enhancement of Analog to Digital converter capability. These cs are available with a range of
capabilities packaged in both dual in-line (DIP) packages and surface-mount packages. These are
available in 28 pin DIP, 40 pin DIP, 44 pin surface mount package…etc. Some of PIC controllers contain
the letter A in their number. The presence of A indicates the brown-out reset feature, which causes a reset
of the PIC when the Power Supply voltage drops below 4.0v.

Architecture of PIC Microcontroller

The PIC microcontroller architecture comprises of CPU, I/O ports, memory organization, A/D
converter, timers/counters, interrupts, serial communication, oscillator and CCP module which are
discussed in detailed below.

Architecture of PIC Microcontroller

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CPU (Central Processing Unit)
It is not different from other microcontrollers CPU and the PIC microcontroller CPU consists of
the ALU, CU, MU and accumulator, etc. Arithmetic logic unit is mainly used for arithmetic operations
and to take logical decisions. Memory is used for storing the instructions after processing. To control the
internal and external peripherals, control unit is used which are connected to the CPU and the
accumulator is used for storing the results and further process.

Memory Organization

The memory module in the PIC microcontroller architecture consists of RAM (Random Access
Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory) and STACK.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

RAM is an unstable memory which is used to store the data temporarily in its registers. The RAM
memory is classified into two banks, and each bank consists of so many registers. The RAM registers are
classified into two types: Special Function Registers (SFR) and General Purpose Registers (GPR).

 General Purpose Registers (GPR)

These registers are used for general purpose only as the name implies. For example, if we want to
multiply two numbers by using the PIC microcontroller. Generally, we use registers for
multiplying and storing the numbers in other registers. So these registers don’t have any special
function,- CPU can easily access the data in the registers.

 Special Function Registers

These registers are used for special purposes only as the name SFR implies. These registers will
perform according to the functions assigned to them , and they cannot be used as normal registers.
For example, if you cannot use the STATUS register for storing the data, these registers are used
for showing the operation or status of the program. So, user cannot change the function of the
SFR; the function is given by the retailer at the time of manufacturing.

Memory Organization
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Read Only Memory (ROM)

Read only memory is a stable memory which is used to store the data permanently. In
PIC microcontroller architecture, the architecture ROM stores the instructions or program, according to
the program the microcontroller acts. The ROM is also called as program memory, wherein the user will
write the program for microcontroller and saves it permanently, and finally the program is executed by
the CPU. The microcontrollers performance depends on the instruction, which is executed by the CPU.

Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM)

In the normal ROM, we can write the program for only once we cannot use again
the microcontroller for multiple times. But, in the EEPROM, we can program the ROM multiple times.

Flash Memory

Flash memory is also programmable read only memory (PROM) in which we can read, write and
erase the program thousands of times. Generally, the PIC microcontroller uses this type of ROM.

Stack
When an interrupt occurs, first the PIC microcontroller has to execute the interrupt and the
existing process address. Then that is being executed is stored in the stack. After completing the
execution of the interrupt, the microcontroller calls the process with the help of address, which is stored in
the stack and get executes the process.

I/O Ports

 The series of PIC16 consists of five ports such as Port A, Port B, Port C, Port D & Port E.

 Port A is an 16-bit port that can be used as input or output port based on the status of the TRISA
(Tradoc Intelligence Support Activity) register.

 Port B is an 8- bit port that can be used as both input and output port.

 Port C is an 8-bit and the input of output operation is decided by the status of the TRISC register.

 Port D is an 8-bit port acts as a slave port for connection to the microprocessor BUS.

 Port E is a 3-bit port which serves the additional function of the control signals to the analog to
digital converter.

BUS

BUS is used to transfer and receive the data from one peripheral to another. It is classified into
two types such as data bus and address.

Data Bus: It is used for only transfer or receive the data.

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Address Bus: Address bus is used to transmit the memory address from the peripherals to the CPU. I/O
pins are used to interface the external peripherals; UART and USART both are serial communication
protocols which are used for interfacing serial devices like GSM, GPS, Bluetooth, IR , etc.

BUS
A/D converters
The main intention of this analog to digital converter is to convert analog voltage values to digital
voltage values. A/D module of PIC microcontroller consists of 5 inputs for 28 pin devices and 8 inputs
for 40 pin devices. The operation of the analog to digital converter is controlled by ADCON0 and
ADCON1 special registers. The upper bits of the converter are stored in register ADRESH and lower bits
of the converter are stored in register ADRESL. For this operation, it requires 5V of an analog reference
voltage.

A/D CONVERTER

Timers/ Counters

PIC microcontroller has four timer/counters wherein the one 8-bit timer and the remaining timers
have the choice to select 8 or 16-bit mode. Timers are used for generating accuracy actions, for example,
creating specific time delays between two operations.

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Interrupts
PIC microcontroller consists of 20 internal interrupts and three external interrupt sources which
are associated with different peripherals like ADC, USART, Timers, and so on.

Serial Communication
Serial communication is the method of transferring data one bit at a time sequentially over
a communication channel.

 USART: The name USART stands for Universal synchronous and Asynchronous Receiver and
Transmitter which is a serial communication for two protocols. It is used for transmitting and
receiving the data bit by bit over a single wire with respect to clock pulses. The PIC
microcontroller has two pins TXD and RXD. These pins are used for transmitting and receiving
the data serially.
 SPI Protocol: The term SPI stands for Serial Peripheral Interface. This protocol is used to send
data between PIC microcontroller and other peripherals such as SD cards, sensors and shift
registers. PIC microcontroller support three wire SPI communications between two devices on a
common clock source. The data rate of SPI protocol is more than that of the USART.

 I2C Protocol: The term I2C stands for Inter Integrated Circuit , and it is a serial protocol which
is used to connect low speed devices such as EEPROMS, microcontrollers, A/D converters, etc.
PIC microcontroller support two wire Interface or I2C communication between two devices which
can work as both Master and Slave device.

Serial Communication
Oscillators
Oscillators are used for timing generation. Pic microcontroller consists of external oscillators like
RC oscillators or crystal oscillators. Where the crystal oscillator is connected between the two oscillator
pins. The value of the capacitor is connected to every pin that decides the mode of the operation of the
oscillator. The modes are crystal mode, high-speed mode and the low-power mode. In case of RC
oscillators, the value of the resistor & capacitor determines the clock frequency and the range of clock
frequency is 30KHz to 4MHz.

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CCP module
The name CCP module stands for capture/compare/PWM where it works in three modes such as capture
mode, compare mode and PWM mode.

 Capture Mode: Capture mode captures the time of arrival of a signal, or in other words, when
the CCP pin goes high, it captures the value of the Timer1.

 Compare Mode: Compare mode acts as an analog comparator. When the timer1 value reaches a
certain reference value, then it generates an output.

 PWM Mode: PWM mode provides pulse width modulated output with a 10-bit resolution and
programmable duty cycle.

PIC Microcontroller Applications

The PIC microcontroller projects can be used in different applications, such as peripherals, audio
accessories, video games, etc. For better understanding of this PIC microcontroller, the following project
demonstrates PIC microcontroller’s operations.

Street Light that Glows on Detecting Vehicle Movement:

The main intention of this project is to detect the movement of vehicles on highways to switch on
a block of street lights ahead of it, and also switch off the trailing lights to conserve energy. In this
project, a PIC microcontroller is done by using assembly language or embedded C.

Street Light that Glows on Detecting Vehicle Movement by Edgefxkits.com

The power supply gives the power to the total circuit by stepping down, rectifying, filtering and
regulating AC mains supply. When there are no vehicles on highway, then all lights will turn OFF so that

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the power can be conserved. The IR sensors are placed on the road to sense the vehicle movement. When
there are vehicles on highway, then the IR sensor senses the vehicle movement immediately, it sends the
commands to the PIC microcontroller to switch ON/OFF the LEDs. A bunch of LEDS will be turned on
when a vehicle come near to the sensor and once the vehicle passes away from the sensor the intensity
will become lower than the LEDs will turn OFF

Advantages of PIC Microcontroller:

 PIC microcontrollers are consistent and faulty of PIC percentage is very less. The performance of
the PIC microcontroller is very fast because of using RISC architecture.

 When comparing to other microcontrollers, power consumption is very less and programming is
also very easy.

 Interfacing of an analog device is easy without any extra circuitry

Disadvantages of PIC Microcontroller:

 The length of the program is high due to using RISC architecture (35 instructions)

 One single accumulator is present and program memory is not accessible

Thus, this is all about PIC microcontroller tutorial which includes PIC microcontroller architecture,
advantages, disadvantage and applications. Apart from this, for any help regarding any electronic and
electrical projects, you can contact us by commenting in the comment section below.

The architectures of various PIC microcontrollers can be divided as follows.

Low - end PIC Architectures:
Microchip PIC microcontrollers are available in various types. When PIC microcontroller MCU
was first available from General Instruments in early 1980's, the microcontroller consisted of a simple
processor executing 12-bit wide instructions with basic I/O functions. These devices are known as low-
end architectures. They have limited program memory and are meant for applications requiring simple
interface functions and small program & data memories. Some of the low-end device numbers are
12C5XX
16C5X
16C505

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Mid-range PIC Architectures:
Mid range PIC architectures are built by upgrading low-end architectures with more number of
peripherals, more number of registers and more data/program memory. Some of the mid-range devices
are
16C6X
16C7X
16F87X
Program memory type is indicated by an alphabet.
C = EPROM
F = Flash
RC = Mask ROM
Popularity of the PIC microcontrollers is due to the following factors (features).
1. Speed: Harvard Architecture, RISC architecture, 1 instruction cycle = 4 clock cycles.
2. Instruction set simplicity: The instruction set consists of just 35 instructions (as opposed to 111
instructions for 8051).
3. Power-on-reset and brown-out reset. Brown-out-reset means when the power supply goes below a
specified voltage (say 4V), it causes PIC to reset; hence malfunction is avoided.
A watch dog timer (user programmable) resets the processor if the software/program ever
malfunctions and deviates from its normal operation.
4. PIC microcontroller has four optional clock sources.
 Low power crystal
 Mid-range crystal
 High range crystal
 RC oscillator (low cost).
5. Programmable timers and on-chip ADC.
6. Up to 12 independent interrupt sources.
7. Powerful output pin control (25 mA (max.) current sourcing capability per pin.)
8. EPROM/OTP/ROM/Flash memory option.
9. I/O port expansion capability.
10. Free assembler and simulator support from Microchip at www.microchip.com

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CPU Architecture:
The CPU uses Harvard architecture with separate Program and Variable (data) memory interface.
This facilitates instruction fetch and the operation on data/accessing of variables simultaneously.

Fig: CPU Architecture of PIC microcontroller

PIC Memory Organization:
PIC microcontroller has 13 bits of program memory address. Hence it can address up to 8k of
program memory. The program counter is 13-bit. PIC 16C6X or 16C7X program memory is 2k or 4k.
While addressing 2k of program memory, only 11- bits are required. Hence two most significant bits of
the program counter are ignored. Similarly, while addressing 4k of memory, 12 bits are required. Hence
the MSB of the program counter is ignored.

Fig: Program Memory map

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The program memory map of PIC16C74A is shown in Fig
 On reset, the program counter is cleared and the program starts at 00H. Here a 'goto' instruction is
required that takes the processor to the mainline program.
 When a peripheral interrupt, that is enabled, is received, the processor goes to 004H. A suitable
branching to the interrupt service routine (ISR) is written at 004H.
Data memory (Register Files):
Data Memory is also known as Register File. Register File consists of two components.
1. General purpose register file (same as RAM).
2. Special purpose register file (similar to SFR in 8051).

Fig: Data Memory map

The special purpose register file consists of input/output ports and control registers. Addressing
from 00H to FFH requires 8 bits of address. However, the instructions that use direct addressing modes in
PIC to address these register files use 7 bits of instruction only. Therefore the register bank select (RP0)
bit in the STATUS register is used to select one of the register banks.
In indirect addressing FSR register is used as a pointer to anywhere from 00H to FFH in the data memory.

SALIENT FEATURES
 Speed: When operated at its maximum clock rate a PIC executes most of its instructions in 0.2 s or
five instructions per microsecond.
 Instruction set Simplicity: The instruction set is so simple that it consists of only just 35 instructions
 Integration of operational features: Power-on-Reset (POR) and brown-out protection ensure that
the chip operates only when the supply voltage is within specifications. A watch dog timer resets the
PIC if the chip malfunctions or deviates from its normal operation at any time.
 Programmable timer options: Three timers can characterize inputs, control outputs and provide
internal timing for the program execution.

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 Interrupt control: Up to 12 independent interrupt sources can control when the CPU deal with each
sources.
 Powerful output pin control: A single instruction can select and drive a single output pin high or
low in its 0.2 s instruction execution time. The PIC can drive a load of up to 25A.
 I/O port expansion: With the help of built in serial peripheral interface the number of I/O ports can
be expanded.

EPROM/DIP/ROM options are provided.

 High performance RISC CPU
 Operating speed: DC – 20 MHz clock input DC – 200 ns instruction cycle
 Eight level deep hardware stack
 Direct, indirect and relative addressing modes
 Power-up Timer (PWRT) and Oscillator Start-up Timer (OST)
 Three Timers Timer0, Timer 1 and Timer 2.
 Watchdog Timer (WDT) with its own on-chip RC oscillator for reliable operation
 Programmable code-protection
 Power saving SLEEP mode
 10-bit multi-channel Analog-to-Digital converter
 Selectable oscillator options
 One USART /SCI port with 9-bit address detection.
 Low-power, high-speed CMOS EPROM/ROM technology
 Fully static design
 Wide operating voltage range: 2.5V to 6.0V
 Commercial, Industrial and Extended temperature ranges
 Low-power consumption: <2mA @5V, 4MHz, 15 A typical @ 3V, 32 kHz, <1 A typical standby
current

PIC Microcontroller product family:

8-bit microcontrollers
 PIC10
 PIC12
 PIC14
 PIC16
 PIC17
 PIC18

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16-bit microcontrollers
 PIC24F
 PIC24H
32-bit microcontrollers
 PIC32
16-bit digital signal controllers
 dsPIC30
 dsPIC33F

 The F in a name generally indicates the PIC microcontroller uses flash memory and can be erased
electronically.
 The C generally means it can only be erased by exposing the die to ultraviolet light (which is only
possible if a windowed package style is used). An exception to this rule is the PIC16C84 which uses
EEPROM and is therefore electrically erasable.

Why PIC16F877A is very popular?

This is because PIC16F877A is very cheap. Apart from that it is also very easy to be assembled. An
additional component that you need to make this IC work is just a 5V power supply adapter, a 20MHz
crystal oscillator and 2 units of 22pF capacitors.
What is the advantage of PIC16F877A?
This IC can be reprogrammed and erased up to 10,000 times. Therefore it is very good for new product
development phase.
What is the disadvantage of PIC16F877A?
•This IC has no internal oscillator so you will need an external crystal of other clock source.

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Bubble diagram of PIC16F877

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 PIC 16F877
Overview and Features
 The PIC 16F8XX Microcontrollers are basically RISC microcontrollers with very small instruction
set of only 35 instructions and a two-stage pipeline concept fetch and execution of instructions. As a
result, all instructions execute in a single cycle except for program branches. .
 There are four devices in 16F8xx family, PIC16F873, PIC16F874, PIC16F876 and PIC16F877. The
PIC16F876/873 devices come in 28-pin packages and the PIC16F877/874 devices come in 40-pin
packages. The Parallel Slave Port is not implemented on the 28-pin devices.
 PIC 16F877 is a 40-pin 8-Bit CMOS FLASH Microcontroller. The core architecture is high-
performance RISC CPU.
 Since it follows the RISC architecture, all single cycle instructions take only one instruction cycle
except for program branches which take two cycles.
 16F877 comes with 3 operating speeds with 4, 8, or 20 MHz clock input. Since each instruction cycle
takes four operating clock cycles, each instruction takes 0.2 μs when 20MHz oscillator is used.
 It has two types of internal memories .One is program memory and the other is data memory.
Program memory is provided by 8K words (or 8K*14 bits) of FLASH Memory, and data memory has
two sources. One type of data memory is a 368-byte RAM (random access memory) and the other is
256-byte EEPROM (Electrically erasable programmable ROM).
 The core features include interrupt up to 14 sources, power saving SLEEP mode, a single 5V supply
and In-Circuit Serial Programming (ICSP) capability.
 The sink/source current, which indicates a driving power from I/O port, is high with 25mA. Power
consumption is less than 2 mA in 5V operating condition.
PICs have different on-board peripherals some common peripherals are:
 3 Timers (0 & 2- 8bits, 1-16 bits)
 2 Compare/Capture/PWM Modules
 Analog to Digital Converters (ADC) (8, 10 and 12bit, 50ksps)
 Serial communications: UART (RS-232C), SPI, I2C, CAN
 Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) (10bit)
 Voltage Comparators
 Voltage Reference Modules
 MSSP – Master Synchronous Serial Port
 I2C (Master and Slave)
 SPI (Master and Slave)
 Watchdog timers, Brown out detect, LCD drivers

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PIN DIAGRAM OF PIC16F877:

Pin
Pin Name Description
Number

MCLR is used during programming, mostly connected to

1 MCLR/Vpp
programmer like PIC Kit

2 RA0/AN0 Analog pin 0 or 0th pin of PORTA

3 RA1/AN1 Analog pin 1 or 1st pin of PORTA

4 RA2/AN2/Vref- Analog pin 2 or 2nd pin of PORTA

5 RA3/AN3/Vref+ Analog pin 3 or 3rd pin of PORTA

6 RA4/T0CKI/C1out 4th pin of PORTA

7 RA5/AN4/SS/C2out Analog pin 4 or 5th pin of PORTA

8 RE0/RD/AN5 Analog pin 5 or 0th pin of PORTE

9 RE1/WR/AN6 Analog pin 6 or 1st pin of PORTE

10 RE2/CS/AN7 7th pin of PORTE

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11 Vdd Ground pin of MCU

12 Vss Positive pin of MCU (+5V)

13 OSC1/CLKI External Oscillator/clock input pin

14 OSC2/CLKO External Oscillator/clock output pin

15 RC0/T1OSO/T1CKI 0th pin of PORT C

16 RC1/T1OSI/CCP2 1st pin of POCTC or Timer/PWM pin

17 RC2/CCP1 2nd pin of POCTC or Timer/PWM pin

18 RC3/SCK/SCL 3rd pin of POCTC

19 RD0/PSP0 0th pin of POCTD

20 RD1/PSPI 1st pin of POCTD

21 RD2/PSP2 2nd pin of POCTD

22 RD3/PSP3 3rd pin of POCTD

23 RC4/SDI/SDA 4th pin of POCTC or Serial Data in pin

24 RC5/SDO 5th pin of POCTC or Serial Data Out pin

25 RC6/Tx/CK 6th pin of POCTC or Transmitter pin of Microcontroller

26 RC7/Rx/DT 7th pin of POCTC or Receiver pin of Microcontroller

27 RD4/PSP4 4th pin of POCTD

28 RD5/PSP5 5th pin of POCTD

29 RD6/PSP6 6th pin of POCTD

30 RD7/PSP7 7th pin of POCTD

31 Vss Positive pin of MCU (+5V)

32 Vdd Ground pin of MCU

33 RB0/INT 0th pin of POCTB or External Interrupt pin

34 RB1 1st pin of POCTB

35 RB2 2nd pin of POCTB

36 RB3/PGM 3rd pin of POCTB or connected to programmer

37 RB4 4th pin of POCTB

38 RB5 5th pin of POCTB

39 RB6/PGC 6th pin of POCTB or connected to programmer

40 RB7/PGD 7th pin of POCTB or connected to programmer

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ARCHITECTURE
The PIC16FXX is a family of low-cost, high-performance, CMOS, fully-static, 8-bit
microcontrollers.
All PIC microcontrollers employ an advanced RISC architecture. The PIC16FXX microcontroller
family has enhanced core features, eight-level deep stack, and multiple internal and external interrupt
sources. The two-stage instruction pipeline allows all instructions to execute in a single cycle, except for
program branches (which require two cycles). A total of 35 instructions (reduced instruction set) are
available. Also, a large register set helps to achieve a very high performance.

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 Fig.: Block diagram of PIC 16F87X Microcontroller

The PIC 16FXX uses Harvard architecture, in which; program and data are accessed from separate
memories using separate buses. This improves bandwidth over traditional Von Neumann architecture
where program and data may be fetched from the same memory using the same bus. Separating program
and data buses further allows instructions to be sized differently than 8-bit wide data words. Instruction
opcodes are 14-bits wide making it possible to have all single word instructions. A 14-bit wide program
memory access bus fetches a 14-bit instruction in a single cycle. A two-stage pipeline overlaps fetch and
execution of instructions. Consequently, all instructions execute in a single cycle (200 ns@ 20MHz)
except for program branches.

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 The PIC 16F87X devices have a 13-bit program counter capable of addressing an 8KX14 program
memory space. The PIC 16FF876/877 devices have 8Kx 14 words of Flash program memory .The
RESET vector is at 0000h and the Interrupt vector is at 0004h.

Memory organization:
The memory module of the Controller has three memory blocks.
a) Program memory
b) Data memory
c) Stack
a) Program Memory:
The PIC 16F877 has 4k x14 program memory space (0000H-0FFFH).It has a 13 bit Program
counter (PC) to access any address (213=4k). This PIC family uses 13-bit program counter allowing the
controllers to an 8k-program memory without changing the CPU structure.

Two addresses in the program memory address space are treated in a special way by the CPU. The
first address 000H being a go to mainline instruction the second special address, 004H being a „go to in
service‟ instruction can be assigned to this address to make the CPU to jump to the beginning of the
Interrupt Service routine located elsewhere in the memory space.

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 When we deal with tables, they are assigned to addresses in the range H‟005 – H‟0FF‟ because for
most of the applications this space is sufficient. The main line program begins after the tables.

Data Memory:
The data memory of PIC 16F877 is partitioned into multiple banks which contain the general
purpose registers and the Special function Registers. (SFRs).The bits RP1 and RP0 bits of the status
register are used to select these banks. Each bank extends up to 7FH (128 Bytes).The lower bytes of the
each bank are reserved for the Special Function Registers. Above the SFRs are general purpose registers
implemented as static RAM.
Register File Structure:
In PIC Microcontrollers the Register File consists of two parts namely
a) General Purpose Register File
b) Special Purpose Register File

a) General Purpose Register File:

The general purpose register file is another name for the microcontroller‟s RAM. Data can be
written to each 8-bit location updated and retrieved any number of times.
b) Special Purpose Register File:
The special function register file consists of input, output ports and control registers used to
configure each 8-bit port either as input or output. It contains registers that provide the data input and
data output to a chip resources like Timers, Serial Ports and Analog to Digital converter and also the
registers that contains control bits for selecting the mode of operation and also enabling or disabling
its operation.

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CPU REGISTERS:
The CPU registers are used in the execution of the instruction of the PIC microcontroller. The
PIC PIC16F877 Microcontroller has the following registers.
1. Working Register-W (Similar to Accumulator)
2. Status Register
3. FSR – File Select Register (Indirect Data memory address pointer)
4. INDF
5. Program Counter
1. Working Register:
Working Register is used by many instructions as the source of an operand. It also serves as the
destination for the result of instruction execution and it is similar to accumulator in other cs and ps.

2. Status register:
In most cases, this register is used to switch between the banks (Register Bank Select), but also has other
capabilities.

With the help of three left bits (IRP, RP1, and RP0) one can control the transition between the banks:
 IRP - Register Bank Select bit, used for indirect addressing method.
 RP1:RP0: - Register Bank Select bits, used for direct addressing method.
To distinguish between the two methods, at this point, the will use the definition of fundamental concepts.
Later on, the two methods will be studied in detail.
When the IRP Equal to 0, the program will work with banks 0, 1.
When the IRP Equal to 1, the program will work with banks 2, 3.
The following table demonstrates, which of the Banks the program is working with, based on the
selection of the RP0 and RP1 bits:

RP1:RP0 BANK
00 0
01 1
10 2
11 3

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An example of using STATUS register and Register Bank Select bit:
1. bsf STATUS, 5 ; Change to Bank 1

2. clrf TRISB ; Set PORTB as output

3. bcf STATUS, 5 ; Change to Bank

In the first line, we are in changing/setting the 5th bit, RP0, in the STATUS register to 1, and thus,
base on the table we are switching/selecting Bank 1. After PortB was set as output in the second line, we
switched back to Bank 0 by in changing/setting the 5th bit, RP0, in the STATUS register to 0, in the third
line.

C: Carry/borrow bit (ADDWF, ADDLW,SUBLW,SUBWF instructions)

1 = A carry-out from the Most Significant bit of the result occurred
0 = No carry-out from the Most Significant bit of the result occurred

An example of using STATUS register and Carry/borrow bit:

1. Movlw 200

2. Addwf 100, 0

In this example, we are assigning value of 200 to the W (working) register. Then, we are adding the
value of 100 and the W register together. The result is stored in W register and should be 300 (200+100).
However, the maximum value is 256, resulting in carry out. The C (bit 0) of the STATUS register
becomes 1 (C = 1). Register W will contain the reminder: 44.

DC: Digit carry/borrow bit (ADDWF, ADDLW, SUBLW, SUBWF instructions) (for borrow, the
polarity is reversed)
1 = A carry-out from the 4th low order bit of the result occurred
0 = No carry-out from the 4th low order bit of the result

Z: Zero bit
1 = The result of an arithmetic or logic operation is zero
0 = The result of an arithmetic or logic operation is not zero

The bits 3 and 4 are used with WDT - Watchdog Timer.

PD: Power-down bit

1 = After power-up or by the CLRWDT instruction
0 = By execution of the SLEEP instruction

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TO: Time-out bit
1 = After power-up, CLRWDT instruction or SLEEP instruction
0 = A WDT time-out occurred

3. FSR – (File Select Register):

It is the pointer used for indirect addressing. In the indirect addressing mode the 8-bit register file
address is first written into FSR. It is a special purpose register that serves as an address pointer to any
address through out the entire register file.

4. INDF – (Indirect File):

It is not a physical register addressing but this INDF will cause indirect addressing. Any
instruction using the INDF registers actually access the register pointed to by the FSR.

5. PROGRAM COUNTER
PIC PIC16F877A has a 13 bit program counter in which PCL is the lower 8-bits of the PC and
PCLATH is the write buffer for the upper 5 bits of the PC.

PCLATH (program counter Latch can be read or from or written to without affecting the Program
Counter (PC).The upper 3 bits of PCLATH remain zero. It is only when PCL is written to that PCLATH
is automatically written into the PC at the same time.

PARALLEL I/O Ports

PORT register:
The role of the PORT register is to receive the information from an external source (e.g. sensor) or
to send information to the external elements (e.g. LCD). The 28-pin devices have 3 I/O ports, while the
40/44-pin devices, like PIC16F877, have 5 I/O ports located in the BANK 0.

PORTA is a 6-bit wide, bidirectional port. The corresponding data direction register is TRISA.
Setting a TRISA bit (= 1) will make the corresponding PORTA pin an input. Clearing a TRISA bit (= 0)
will make the corresponding PORTA pin an output.

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PORTB is an 8-bit wide, bidirectional port. The corresponding data direction register is TRISB.
Setting a TRISB bit (= 1) will make the corresponding PORTB pin an input. Clearing a TRISB bit (= 0)
will make the corresponding PORTB pin an output.
PORTC is an 8-bit wide, bidirectional port. The corresponding data direction register is TRISC.
Setting a TRISC bit (= 1) will make the corresponding PORTC pin an input. Clearing a TRISC bit (= 0)
will make the corresponding PORTC pin an output.
PORTD is an 8-bit port with Schmitt Trigger input buffers. Each pin is individually configurable as an
input or output.
PORTE has three pins (RE0/RD/AN5, RE1/WR/AN6 and RE2/CS/AN7) which are individually
configurable as inputs or outputs. These pins have Schmitt Trigger input buffers.

Timer modules in PIC 16F877:

The PIC 16F877 basically has three timer modules. These timer module terminals are also multiplexed
with other functions for handling alternate functions. These timer modules are usually denoted by the
symbols TIMER-0, TIMER-1, and TIMER-2.These modules help to perform various timing and counting
functions inside the chip.

TIMER-0 module:
The main timing/counting features of Timer-0 module are given below.
 Timer-0 module has built in 8 bit timer/counter
 It can be easily readable/writable
 Built in 8 bit software programmable pre-scalar functions
 Easily select internal/external clock pulses
 Interrupt with overflow from the value FFh to 00h
 Edge selection for external clock pulse

The block diagram of timer-0 module is given in the figure below. The timer mode is normally selected
by clearing the T0CS bit in the register. In Timer mode, when the Timer 0 Module increases with every
instruction cycle, the TMR0 register is written, the increment is inhibited for the following two
instruction cycles. The user can work around this by writing an adjusted value to the TMR0 register.
Counter mode is selected by setting bit T0CS in Counter mode. Timer 0 will increment either on every
rising or falling edge of pin RA4/T0CKI. The incrementing edge is determined by the Timer 0 Source
Edge Select bit, T0SE. Clearing bit T0SE selects the rising edge. The pre-scalar is mutually exclusively
shared between the Timer0 module and the Watchdog Timer.

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TIMER-1 module:
Timer 1 module is a 16 bit timer/counter unit. That is, it consists of two 8 bit (8+8) registers (TMR1H,
TMR1L) which read and write easily. TMR1 register is a pair of TMR1H and TMR1L and also its value
increment its value from 0000h to FFFFh and rolls over to 0000h.

Timer 1 module basically operates in two different modes. They are

1) Timer mode

2) Counter mode

The operating mode of timer 1 module is selected by using the clock select bit (TMR1CS), in timer mode.
The timer 1 increases on every instruction cycle. But in counter mode, it increases on every rising edge of
the external clock input. Timer 1 pin can be enabled/disabled easily by setting/clearing the control bit
(TMR1ON). This timer1 pin also has an internal reset input function. It can be generated by either of the
two CCP modules.

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The block diagram of timer1 module I given in the image below.

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TIMER 2 Module:
Timer 2 is an 8-bit timer with a pre-scalar and a post-scalar. It can be used as the PWM (pulse width
modulation) time base for the PWM mode of the CCP module(s). The block diagram of timer 2 module is
given in the figure below.

The TMR2 register is readable and writable and is cleared on any device Reset. The input clock
(FOSC/4) has a pre-scale option of 1:1, 1:4 or 1:16, selected by control bits T2CKPS1:T2CKPS0
(T2CON<1:0>). The Timer 2 module has an 8-bit period register, PR2. The value of Timer 2 increments
from 00h until it matches PR2 and then resets to 00h on the next increment cycle. PR2 is a readable and
writable register. The PR2 register is initialized to FFh upon Reset. The match output of TMR2 goes
through a 4-bit post-scalar (which gives a 1:1 to 1:16 scaling inclusive) to generate a TMR2 interrupt
(latched in flag bit, TMR2IF (PIR1<1>)). Timer 2 can be shut-off by clearing control bit, TMR2ON
(T2CON<2>), to minimize power consumption.

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CAPTURE/COMPARE/PWM (CCP) Modules in PIC 16F877
Capture-Compare-Pulse-Width-Module (CCP) is a special module designs for modulation and waveform
generation applications. This module basically works on three different modes (capture/compare and
PWM odes). The PIC 16F877 chip contains two CCP ports (CCP1 and CCP2). Each of this CCP module
contains 16 bit registers which works as

 16-bit Capture register

 16-bit Compare register

 PWM Master/Slave Duty Cycle registers

The CCP1 and CCP2 modules are identical in its operation except in its special event trigger operation. In
each CCP modules, the capture, compare and PWM modes using different timer resources. The table
below shows the different CCP modes and its timer resources. The detailed explanations and functions of
CCP module is given below.

INTERRUPTS:
The PIC16F877 family has up to 11 sources of interrupt. The interrupt control register (INTCON)
records individual interrupt requests in flag bits. It also has individual and global interrupt enable bits.
Global interrupt enable bit, GIE enables all un-masked interrupts or disables all interrupts. When
bit GIE is enabled, and an interrupt flag bit and mask bit are set, the interrupt will vector immediately.
Individual interrupts can be disabled through their corresponding enable bits in the INTCON register. GIE
is cleared on reset.
The “return from interrupt” instruction, RETFIE, exits the interrupt routine as well as sets the GIE
bit, which re-enable interrupts.
The RBO/INT pin interrupt, the RB port change interrupt and the TMR0 overflow interrupt flag
bits are contained in the INTCON register.
The peripheral interrupt flag bits are contained in special function registers PIR1 and PIR2. The
corresponding interrupt enable bits are contained in special function registers PIE1 and PIE2 and the
peripheral interrupt enable bit is contained in special function register INTCON.
When an interrupt is responded to, bit GIE is cleared to disable any further interrupts, the return
address is pushed onto the stack and the PC is loaded with 0004h. Once in the interrupt service routine the
source(s) of the interrupt can be determined by polling the interrupt flag bits. The interrupt flag bit(s)
must be cleared in software before re-enabling interrupts to avoid recursive interrupts.

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 For external interrupt events, such as the RB0/INT pin or RB port change interrupt, the interrupt
latency will be three or four instruction cycles. The exact latency depends when the interrupt event
occurs. The latency is the same for one or two cycle instructions. Once in the interrupt service routine the
source(s) of the interrupt can be determined by polling the interrupt flag bits. The interrupt flag bit(s)
must be cleared in software before re-enabling interrupts to avoid infinite interrupt requests. Individual
interrupt flag bits are set regardless of the status of their corresponding mask bit or the GIE bit.

INTCON

INT INTERRUPT:
External interrupt on RB0/INT pin is edge triggered: either rising if edge select bit INTEDG is set,
or falling, if bit INTEDG is clear. When a valid edge appears on the RB0/INT pin, flag bit INTF is set.
This interrupt can be disabled by clearing enable bit INTE. The INTF bit must be cleared in software in
the interrupt service routine before re-enabling this interrupt. The INT interrupt can wake the processor
from SLEEP, if enable bit INTE was set prior to going into SLEEP. The status of global enable bit GIE
decides whether or not the processor branches to the interrupt vector following wake-up. See for details
on SLEEP mode.

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TMR0 INTERRUPT:
An overflow in the TMR0 register will set flag bit T0IF. The interrupt can be enabled/disabled by
setting/clearing enable bit T0IE.

PORTB INTERRUPT ON CHANGE:

An input change on PORTB sets flag bit RBIF. The interrupt can be enabled/disabled by
setting/clearing enable bit RBIE.

WATCH DOG TIMER (WDT):

The Watchdog Timer is a free running on-chip RC oscillator which does not require any external
components. This RC oscillator is separate from the RC oscillator of the OSC1/CLKIN pin. That means
that the WDT will run, even if the clock on the OSC1/CLKIN and OSC2/CLKOUT pins of the device has
been stopped, for example, by execution of a SLEEP instruction. During normal operation, a WDT time-
out generates a device reset. If the device is in SLEEP mode, a WDT time-out causes the device to wake-
up and continue with normal operation. The WDT can be permanently disabled by clearing configuration
bit WDTE.

WDT PERIOD:
The WDT has a nominal time-out period of 18 ms, (with no pre-scalar). The time-out periods vary
with temperature, VDD and process variations from part to part (see DC specs). If longer time-out
periods are desired, a pre-scalar with a division ratio of up to can be assigned to the WDT under software
control by writing to the OPTION register. Thus, time-out periods up to seconds can be realized.

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 The CLRWDT and SLEEP instructions clear the WDT and the post-scalar, if assigned to the
WDT, and prevent it from timing out and generating a device RESET condition.
The TO bit in the STATUS register will be cleared upon a WDT time-out.
WDT PROGRAMMING CONSIDERATIONS:
It should also be taken in account that under worst case conditions (VDD = Min., Temperature =
Max., max WDT pre-scalar) it may take several seconds before a WDT time-out occurs.

ADDRESSING MODES:
The PIC microcontrollers support only TWO addressing modes .They are
(i) Direct Addressing Mode
(ii) Indirect Addressing mode

Direct Addressing: Using this method we are accessing the registers directly by detecting location inside
Data Memory from op-code and by selecting the bank using bits RP1 and RP0 of the STATUS register.

Indirect Addressing: To implement indirect addressing, a File Select Register (FSR) and indirect
register (INDF) are used. In addition, when using this method we choose bank using bit IRP of the
STATUS register. Indirect addressing treated like a stack pointer, allowing much more efficient work
with a number of variables. INDF register is not an actual register (it is a virtual register that is not found
in any bank).
Don‟t be confused! There is SFR (Special Function Register) - special registers of RAM, and there is FSR
(File Select Register). The following figure shows the two addressing methods:

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INSTRUCTION SET:
While writing the instructions, the following guidelines are followed.
a) Write the instructions mnemonics in lower case (example: x or wf)
b) Write special Register names, RAM variable names and bit names in upper case (example:
STATUS, RPO….)
c) Write instruction and subroutine labels in mixed case (example: Mainline, Loop Time..)

The instruction set of PIC is divided into three basic categories. They are
(a) Byte oriented Instructions

(b) Bit oriented Instructions

(c) Literal and Control Instructions

Byte Oriented Instructions

In a byte oriented Instructions f represents a file register and d represents destination register.
The destination specifies where the result of operation is to be placed. If d = 0 the result is placed in W
register (Accumulator) and if d = 1 , the result is placed in the file register specified in the instruction.
ADDWF f, d ; Add W and f
CLRF f ; Clear f
MOVWF f ,d ; Move f
NOP ; No operation
SUBWF f ,d ; Subtract W from f
Bit Oriented Instruction
In bit oriented instructions, b represents a bit field designator which selects the number of the bit
affected by the operation and f represents the number of the file in which the bit is located.
BCF f, b ; Bit clear f
BSF f, b ; Bit set f
BTFSC f, b ; Bit test f, skip if set

Literal and Control Instructions

In literal and control instructions K represents an 8 or 11 bit constant or literal value.
ADDLW k ; Add literal and W
ANDLW k ; AND literal with W
CALL k ; Call subroutine
MOVLW k ; Move literal to W

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 SUBLW k ; Subtract W from literal
Based on the type of operation PIC supports various Instructions. They are explained below.

CLASSIFICATION OF INSTRUCTIONS:
All the instructions of the PIC microcontroller are classified into nearly 9 groups. They are given below
with examples.
(i). Arithmetic Operations:
ADDLW k ; Add literal value k to W
ADDWF f, d ; the contents of the W register are added with the register f.
SUBWF f, d ; the contents of W register are subtracted from register f
(ii). Logical Instructions:
ANDLW k ; the contents of W register are ANDED with the 8-bit literal k .The result
is stored in the W register.
IORLW k ; Inclusive OR the literal value into W register
XORWF f, d ; the contents of W register are XORed with register f and the result is stored in W
or f.
COMF f, d ; Complement f.
(iii). Increment/Decrement Instructions
INCF f, d ; Increment contents of f register by 1
DECF f, d ; Decrement f by 1
(iv). Data Transfer instructions:
MOVF f, d ; Move f to W i.e. The contents of register f is moved to a destination depending
on d
MOVLW k ; Move literal k to W
MOVWF f ; Move W to f
(v). Clear Instructions
CLRF ; Clear file f
CLR W ; Clear the contents of W register and zero bit is set
CLRWDT ; Clear Watch dog timer
BCF ; Clear bit b of register f.
(vi). Rotate Instructions
RLF ; Rotate Left f through carry
RRF ; Rotate Right f through carry
(vii). Branch Instructions: There are two types of Branch instructions.
a) Conditional Branch and
b) Un conditional Branch instructions.

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 (a) Conditional Branch Instructions
BTFSC f, b ; Bit Test skip if clear
BTFSS f, b ; Bit test f , skip if set
If bit B in register f is zero, then the next instruction is executed, otherwise next instruction is
Discarded and a NOP is executed.
DECFSZ f, d ; Decrement f, skip if zero.
INCFSZ f, d ; Increment f, skip if zero
(b) Unconditional Instructions
CALL k ; Call the subroutine k unconditionally
GOTO k ; Unconditional k branch
RETURN ; Return from subroutine
REETLW k ; Return with literal in W register.
(viii). Miscellaneous
BSF f, b ; Set bit b of register f
SLEEP ; Go into standby mode
NOP ; No operation i.e Do nothing, wait one clock cycle.
The various instructions used in PIC are presented in the Table below.
Legend
f - Any memory location (register);
W - Working register (accumulator);
b - Bit address within an 8-bit register;
d - Destination bit; [label] - Set of 8 characters indicating start of particular address in the program;
TOS - Top of stack; [] - Option; <> - bit field in register (several bit addresses);
C - Carry/Borrow bit of the STATUS register;
DC - Digit Carry bit of the STATUS register; and
Z - Zero bit of the STATUS register.
Ex: ADDLW - Add literal and W Syntax: [label] ADDLW k Description:
The content of the register W is added to the 8-bit literal k. The result is stored in
the W register. Operation: (W) + k -> W Operand: 0 ≤ k ≤ 255 Status affected: C, DC, Z Number of
cycles:

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 INSTRUCTION DESCRIPTION OPERATION FLAG CLK *

Data Transfer Instructions

Move constant to
MOVLW k k -> w 1
W

MOVWF f Move W to f W -> f 1

MOVF f,d Move f to d f -> d Z 1 1, 2

CLRW Clear W 0 -> W Z 1

CLRF f Clear f 0 -> f Z 1 2

f(7:4),(3:0) ->
SWAPF f,d Swap nibbles in f 1 1, 2
f(3:0),(7:4)

Arithmetic-logic Instructions

Add W and
ADDLW k W+k -> W C, DC, Z 1
constant

ADDWF f,d Add W and f W+f -> d C, DC ,Z 1 1, 2

Subtract W from
SUBLW k k-W -> W C, DC, Z 1
constant

SUBWF f,d Subtract W from f f-W -> d C, DC, Z 1 1, 2

Logical AND with

ANDLW k W AND k -> W Z 1
W with constant

Logical AND with

ANDWF f,d W AND f -> d Z 1 1, 2
W with f

Logical AND with

ANDWF f,d W AND f -> d Z 1 1, 2
W with f

Logical OR with W
IORLW k W OR k -> W Z 1
with constant

Logical OR with W
IORWF f,d W OR f -> d Z 1 1, 2
with f

Logical exclusive
XORLW k OR with W with W XOR k -> W Z 1 1, 2
constant

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 Logical exclusive
XORWF f,d W XOR f -> d Z 1
OR with W with f

INCF f,d Increment f by 1 f+1 -> f Z 1 1, 2

DECF f,d Decrement f by 1 f-1 -> f Z 1 1, 2

Rotate left f
RLF f,d through CARRY C 1 1, 2
bit

Rotate right f
RRF f,d through CARRY C 1 1, 2
bit

COMF f,d Complement f f -> d Z 1 1, 2

Bit-oriented Instructions

BCF f,b Clear bit b in f 0 -> f(b) 1 1,2

BSF f,b Set bit b in f 1 -> f(b) 1 1,2

Program Control Instructions

Test bit b of f. Skip

BTFSC f,b the following Skip if f(b) = 0 1 (2) 3
instruction if clear.

Test bit b of f. Skip

BTFSS f,b the following Skip if f(b) = 1 1 (2) 3
instruction if set.

Decrement f. Skip
f-1 -> d skip if Z
DECFSZ f,d the following 1 (2) 1, 2, 3
=1
instruction if clear.

Increment f. Skip
f+1 -> d skip if Z
INCFSZ f,d the following 1 (2) 1, 2, 3
=0
instruction if set.

GOTO k Go to address k -> PC 2

PC -> TOS, k ->

CALL k Call subroutine 2
PC

Return from
RETURN TOS -> PC 2
subroutine

Return with k -> W, TOS ->

RETLW k 2
constant in W PC

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 Return from TOS -> PC, 1 ->
RETFIE 2
interrupt GIE

Other instructions

TOS -> PC, 1 ->

NOP No operation 1
GIE

Clear watchdog 0 -> WDT, 1 ->

CLRWDT TO, PD 1
timer TO, 1 -> PD

0 -> WDT, 1 ->

SLEEP Go into sleep mode TO, PD 1
TO, 0 -> PD

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