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Hi, my name is Ravi, and I'm the creator of SirPic.
I'm a software engineer, with over 13 years of experience
developing software on UNIX, Windows and Palm OS platforms.
My interest in the PIC microchip device has brought my old breadboard and soldering iron back to life,
after almost a decade of collecting dust!
SirPic came about as a spin-off idea from one of my other PIC projects, and as a quest to get "more from less".
SirPic brings together Palm and PIC technologies which together have a great synergy. The resulting product is a
suite of versatile tools designed for PIC developers by a PIC developer.
My various tasks include software design, development, testing, support, firmware, hardware, projects, documentation,
and website admin (to name just a few). I hope you find the end products as useful as I do.
Let me know what you think, good or bad. I'm always glad to get feedback and suggestions to improve the
site and its offerings.
Email:
Please contact me at the following email address for any enquires and feedback you have.
sirpic@sirpic.com
Frequently Asked Questions...
What does SIRPIC stand for?
Its an acronym for "Serial Infra Red Programmable Interface Controller".
What is the typical Infra Red range?
With the LEDS and Palm M505 that I use, I can receive data reliably upto 1.5 metres away (at 9600 baud).
Which hardware PIC programmer do you recommend?
Its always nice to have one with an easy insertion socket which caters for all
the various package devices you use (eg 12F*, 16F*, 18F*). What is more important is future compatability
with newer devices. That all comes down to software support, which leads to the next question.
Which PIC programming software do you recommend?
You will usually get some software with your PIC programmer for current popular devices.
However when newer devices come to market, you may be unsupported (as I found out!).
That was when I switched to "DL4YHF's PIC Programmer for Windows". This is a cool piece of software
which is fully configurable for any custom PIC programmer and newer PIC devices.
Can I use IrTx with a PIC Basic/C compiler?
Yes, it is theoretically possible, but its not currently supported by the SirPic website.
Modulating the infra red signal requires time critical code, usually requiring delay tweaking with a scope.
Also, the Compiler generated code will vary from one compiler to another, and will not be truly portable.
You could always insert the IrTxChr() assembler sub routine as inline assembly in your Basic/C code.
But you need to know where to declare variables/routines and hopefully your compiler will cope.
Can I use SIrTx with PIC Assembler?
Yes, you can use existing serial bit banging routines to drive the SIrTx interface (no RS232 level converters required).
Not the most elegant of solutions, but it will work. Much better to bypass the PS2IR altogether and use
the IrTxChr() routine.
Can I use the SirPic Interfaces with a PC via Infra-red?
No, most Infra-red drivers for PCs communicate use the higher level IrComm protocol, rather than SIR.
My PDA isnt mentioned in the Compatibility page, will it work?
Most probably Yes (providing PalmOs > 3.5 and it doesnt use the OMAP processor).
Look at the back of your Palm, some display the OMAP logo (a bad omen!)
Please email me if you require an infra red
test program for testing IR connectivity with your PDA.
Does it run on PalmOs 5?
According to users, it does. I aim to get it Palm Certified soon.
Why do I sometimes see ÿ when logging data?
This is usually caused by infra-red interference coming from stray infra-red sources
(such as fluorescent tube light or Laptop LCD screens). ÿ is decimal 255, ie a stray infra-red stop bit
followed by 1's.
Is SirPic available elsewhere?
No. SirPic is only available from this website (www.sirpic.com).
SirPic wont install on my PDA?
Remove any read-only memory cards from your PDA, before performing a HotSync.
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