These industry standard simulators work with both analogue and digital
components but are more difficult to use. They often feature the word spice
which refers to one of the earliest and best established methods. These programs are used
by engineers in industry to perform the first tests on designs and are also widely used
in Universities. Most companies provide free versions of their software for students
so that they can get familiar with the software whilst they are learning electronics.
The PC can be made to operate as a piece
of lab test equipment, this is often a cheap and convenient solution to
making measurements when the correct equipment is not available.
The college uses two types of microcontrollers to teach about microprocessors and programming:
the PIC and the AVR
AVR software
BASCOM-AVR is used for writing
BASIC programs for the AVR. This version of BASIC is closest to the dialect used in the
exam so is the one we concentrate on. The program also includes a simulator so is very useful
for checking your programs at home.
AVR studio from
Atmel, the manufacturers of the AVR, is used for writing assembly programs for the AVR.
PIC software
PIC Basic Lite, also known as LET Basic,
can be used to program PIC microcontrollers using the basic language.
MPLAB
from Arizona Microchip, the manufacturer of PIC microcontrollers, is the essential piece of
software for writing programs in assembly. MPLAB can also be used to check the programs
with a built in simulator.
Micro-code studio
is a nice PIC code editor that is supposed to aid program writing in assembly.
Software