PIC8bit¶

Registry:

https://registry.platformio.org/platforms/s-celles/pic8bit (not available yet)

Configuration:

[env:myenv]
platform = s-celles/pic8bit

PIC8bit is a series of low-cost, low-power 8-bit microcontrollers based on RISC architecture with Harvard memory organization. The PIC (Peripheral Interface Controller) microcontrollers are manufactured by Microchip Technology and feature FLASH memory technology, making them reprogrammable thousands of times. These microcontrollers are widely used in embedded systems due to their simplicity, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

For more detailed information please visit vendor site.

Warning

⚠️ UNOFFICIAL PLATFORM - NOT SUPPORTED BY MICROCHIP ⚠️

This is an unofficial, community-maintained PlatformIO platform for Microchip PIC 8-bit microcontrollers.

It is experimental and not endorsed or supported by Microchip. Use at your own risk.

Features may change and stability is not guaranteed.

Note

Notes

This platform is unofficial and not supported by Microchip.
Make sure XC8 compiler is installed for compiling.
Make sure MPLAB X and IPECMD are installed for uploading.
See requirements.txt for Python dependencies.

Examples¶

Examples are listed from PIC8bit development platform repository:

Debugging¶

Warning

Debugging support for PIC8bit microcontrollers requires external debug probes and specific hardware configurations. Please refer to Microchip’s official documentation for debug probe compatibility.

Tools & Debug Probes¶

Supported programming and debugging tools depend on the specific PIC microcontroller variant, available hardware and IPECMD compatibility. Common debug tools include:

PICkit™ 4: Universal programmer and debugger for PIC microcontrollers
PICkit™ 3: Universal programmer and debugger for PIC microcontrollers
PICkit™ 2: Universal programmer and debugger for PIC microcontrollers
…

External Debug Tools¶

All PIC8bit microcontrollers supported by this platform require external debug probes and are NOT READY for debugging out of the box. Please click on board name for further details.

Name	MCU	Frequency	Flash	RAM	Debug
`pic16f876a`	PIC16F876A	20MHz	8KB	368B	External

Stable and upstream versions¶

You can switch between stable releases of PIC8bit development platform and the latest upstream version using projectconf_env_platform option in projectconf as described below.

Stable¶

; Latest stable version, NOT recommended
; Pin the version as shown below
[env:latest_stable]
platform = s-celles/pic8bit
board = ...

; Specific version
[env:custom_stable]
platform = s-celles/pic8bit@x.y.z
board = ...

Upstream¶

[env:upstream_develop]
platform = https://github.com/s-celles/platform-pic8bit.git
board = ...

Packages¶

Name	Description
xc8-wrapper	Python wrapper for Microchip XC8 Compiler for 8-bit PIC microcontrollers
ipecmd-wrapper	Python wrapper for Microchip IPECMD command to program PIC microcontrollers

Warning

Linux Users:

Ensure proper USB permissions for PIC programmers/debuggers
Install libusb development libraries if required

Windows Users:

Please ensure you have the correct USB drivers for your PIC programmer/debugger from Microchip

Frameworks¶

Name	Description
framework_pic_native	Native PIC development using XC8 compiler with direct register access and Microchip’s peripheral libraries for maximum performance and hardware control

Boards¶

Note

You can list pre-configured boards by cmd_boards command
For more detailed board information please scroll the tables below horizontally.

Microchip Technology¶

Name	Debug	MCU	Frequency	Flash	RAM	EEPROM
`pic16f876a`	External	PIC16F876A	20MHz	8KB	368B	256B

Board Details¶

PIC16F876A¶

Architecture: 8-bit RISC with Harvard memory organization
Instruction Set: 35 single-word instructions
Package: 28-pin PDIP, SOIC, SSOP
Operating Voltage: 4.0V to 5.5V
Peripherals
- 3 Timers (Timer0: 8-bit, Timer1: 16-bit, Timer2: 8-bit)
- …
- (See datasheet for detailed specifications)

Configuration¶

Basic Project Configuration¶

Create a platformio.ini file in your project root:

[platformio]
src_dir = src

[env:c-simple]
; ⚠️  UNOFFICIAL PLATFORM - NOT SUPPORTED BY MICROCHIP ⚠️
; This platform is community-maintained and experimental
; Use at your own risk for development/testing purposes only
; Official Microchip tools: MPLAB X IDE, MPLAB XC8 compiler
; NOTE: Using local platform for testing - switch to GitHub URL once pushed
; Simple single-file project
platform = file://./platform-pic8bit
; platform = https://github.com/s-celles/platform-pic8bit.git
board = pic16f876a
framework = pic-xc8

; Build configuration
build_flags =
    -DDEBUG=1
    -Wall
    -O2

; Source filter to include only simple subdirectory
build_src_filter = -<*> +<simple/*>

; Upload configuration via IPECMD wrapper
upload_protocol = ipecmd-wrapper
upload_flags =
    --tool=PK4  ; Available: PK3, PK4, PK5, ICD3, ICD4, ICD5, ICE4, RICE, SNAP, PM3, PKOB, PKOB4, J32
    --power=5.0
    --ipecmd-version=6.20
;    --ipecmd-path=C:\Program Files\Microchip\MPLABX\v6.20\mplab_platform\mplab_ipe\bin\ipecmd.exe
;    --erase=true

; Custom build flags for XC8
board_build.f_cpu = 4000000L
board_build.mcu = pic16f876a

; Remove incompatible flags
build_unflags =
    -std=gnu11

Advanced Configuration¶

For more complex projects, you can define multiple environments in your platformio.ini file. Each environment can have its own configuration, such as different boards, frameworks, and build flags.

Getting Started¶

1. Install PlatformIO¶

Follow the PlatformIO installation guide for your operating system.

2. Create a New Project¶

pio project init --board pic16f876a --project-dir my-pic-project
cd my-pic-project

3. Write Your First Program¶

Create src/main.c:

/*
* PIC 16F876A Project with PlatformIO
* 4MHz Crystal - LED Blinking on PORTB
*/

#include <xc.h>

// Configuration bits for PIC16F876A with 4MHz crystal
#pragma config FOSC = HS        // HS oscillator (high speed crystal)
#pragma config WDTE = OFF       // Watchdog Timer disabled
#pragma config PWRTE = OFF      // Power-up Timer disabled
#pragma config BOREN = ON       // Brown-out Reset enabled
#pragma config LVP = OFF        // Low Voltage Programming disabled
#pragma config CPD = OFF        // Data EEPROM Memory Code Protection disabled
#pragma config WRT = OFF        // Flash Program Memory Write Enable disabled
#pragma config CP = OFF         // Flash Program Memory Code Protection disabled

/** Define crystal frequency (4MHz) */
#define _XTAL_FREQ 4000000

#define LED4 PORTCbits.RC2
#define LED3 PORTCbits.RC1
#define LED2 PORTCbits.RC0
#define LED1 PORTAbits.RA5
#define LED0 PORTAbits.RA3

#define BUT0 PORTAbits.RA2
#define BUT1 PORTAbits.RA1
#define BUT2 PORTAbits.RA4

void main(void) {
    TRISC = 0b00100000;
    TRISA = 0b00010110;
    TRISB = 0b00000000;
    ADCON1 = 0b00000110;

    LED0 = 0;
    LED1 = 0;
    LED2 = 0;
    LED3 = 0;
    LED4 = 0;

    // Main loop
    while(1) {
        // Blinking sequence
        LED2 = !LED2;
        __delay_ms(500);       // 500 ms before toggle
    }
}

4. Build and Upload¶

pio run
pio run --target upload

Features¶

Comprehensive Toolchain: Integrated XC8 compiler support
Multiple Programming Methods: Support for various Microchip programmers
Rich Peripheral Support: ADC, UART, SPI, I²C, PWM, and Timer libraries
Configuration Management: Easy configuration bit management
Code Optimization: Multiple optimization levels supported
Debugging Support: Integration with Microchip debugging tools

Limitations¶

Warning

This platform is currently in Work In Progress (WIP) (it’s neither supported by Microchip nor by PlatformIO) status:

Limited board support (currently focusing on PIC16F8XX series)
Debugging features may require additional configuration
Some advanced PIC features may not be fully supported
Community-driven project with unofficial support

Community and Support¶

GitHub Repository: s-celles/platform-pic8bit
Issues and Feature Requests: Use GitHub Issues for bug reports and feature requests
Documentation: PlatformIO PIC8bit Platform Docs
Microchip Official Resources: Microchip Developer Help

Contributing¶

This is a community-driven project. Contributions are welcome! Please:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Submit a pull request with your improvements

Areas where contributions are particularly welcome:

Additional board definitions
Enhanced debugging support
More comprehensive examples
Documentation improvements
Framework enhancements

License¶

This platform follows the same licensing as PlatformIO Core. Please refer to the LICENSE file in the repository for details.

projectconf_env_platform¶

This is a placeholder for the ‘projectconf_env_platform’ label.

projectconf¶

This is a placeholder for the ‘projectconf’ label.

framework_pic_native¶

This is a placeholder for the ‘framework_pic_native’ label.

cmd_boards¶

This is a placeholder for the ‘cmd_boards’ label.