28 Feb 12

Microchip and Matrix combined their efforts with element14, a collaborative global electronics community, to introduce a new concept in programming and electronic design by using a hands-on approach. The new PIC18 Flowcode Development Kit makes it simple and easy by using the graphical design features of Flowcode, an advanced programming language for microcontrollers.

The module is based on Microchip's PIC18F26J50 8-bit MCU, which is designed for low power, cost-effective, high speed USB 2.0 applications, and offers a high degree of peripheral interface flexibility.  A Peripheral Pin Select can be used to map peripherals to I/O pins and the module also features a built in CTMU capacitor touch sensor module for capacitive touch user interfaces.

A potentiometer, several break-out pins, a temperature sensor, and other sensors are also included with the kit to provide data for the data manipulation by the programmer. The low power mode selection also includes a new deep sleep mode for extremely low power applications.  There is a professional edition available which includes driver interfaces for many other devices, including LCDs, keypads, and seven segment displays. This edition also features PWM along with several communication protocols, such as I2C, SPI, RS-232, Zigbee and TCP/IP.

Flowcode 4 is considered to be one of the world’s most advanced graphical programming languages for microcontrollers. Complex electronic systems can be designed in minutes even by those with little to no programming experience.  Flowcode is normally used with Microchips PICkit programmer, but can also work for third party programmers, and it is also compatible with the HI-TECH C compiler. Flowcode supports microcontrollers in the PIC12, PIC16, PIC18, PIC24 and dsPIC series.

This is one of the first microcontroller development kits available that is not designed only for engineers, but can be used by complete novices.  The kit features the PIC18F26J50-EVK Board, USB cable, and the "Lite" version of Flowcode 4.