PICKINI V4 - an easy to build, self adjusting PI detector

[Mdtoday]

Thanks Bernard,

I will try MPLAB-X, will let you know when I have completed the port to the new/different compiler ..

Cheers

@Saltydog,
The port will be minimal, a few bit defines and PWM routine changes. Just write direct to the registers for timers or PWM.

MikroC uses a complete definition of register and bit

for instance ADCON0.ADON = 1; // ADC on

In XC8 it would be ADON=1;

So for the timer setup it would be something like this;

// Timer0 timebase - for sound generation
PS0 = 1;
PS1 = 1;
PS2 = 0; //prescaler / 16
PSA = 0;
TMR0CS = 0; // FOSC / 4 --> 8 MHz
TMR0IE = 1; // timer0 interrupt enable

I did port the Pickini 4 project to XC8 some time ago and had it working on a PIC18F1829 no worries.
Thought I would be smart and use the MCC setup which also worked...but then when making some changes one day, a software update occured and it crashed and the MCC file became corrupt, lost that part although the main C code was fine.

Will share the code when I get back to tidying it up but I have paying work and a lot of other projects lined up so might be a while.
Can send it via private mail if you like as a reference but for general sharing here it would add confusion and I would much rather wait and have it completed and share it as a complete project as my take on the Pickini design.



Cheers

Mdtoday

[SaltyDog]

@SaltyDog

I developed the Pickini project on a Windows 7 Virtual box running in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - at the time.
- mikroC PRO for PIC v5.61 -- I had a license at work
- MPLAB IDE v8.83 - for the PicKit3 programmer

I assume you can also use the MPLAB C compiler for PIC16 - after replacing some mikroC specific library functions.

Not sure if these are available for MAC OS / Linux ?

- Bernard

Thanks Bernard,

I will try MPLAB-X, will let you know when I have completed the port to the new/different compiler ..

@waltr Don't you mean the XC16?

Cheers

[dbanner]

Hi waltr, yes, indeed. I have bionic puppy installed on my laptop, and it has a link to install the compiler.

[waltr]

@SaltyDog

I developed the Pickini project on a Windows 7 Virtual box running in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - at the time.
- mikroC PRO for PIC v5.61 -- I had a license at work
- MPLAB IDE v8.83 - for the PicKit3 programmer

I assume you can also use the MPLAB C compiler for PIC16 - after replacing some mikroC specific library functions.

Not sure if these are available for MAC OS / Linux ?

- Bernard

The newer MPLAB-X runs on MAC, Linux and Windows. It is written in Netbeans Java.
This uses the XC8 compiler so there will be some code changes needed.

These are Free downloads from Microchip.

[BC547]

@SaltyDog

I developed the Pickini project on a Windows 7 Virtual box running in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - at the time.
- mikroC PRO for PIC v5.61 -- I had a license at work
- MPLAB IDE v8.83 - for the PicKit3 programmer

I assume you can also use the MPLAB C compiler for PIC16 - after replacing some mikroC specific library functions.

Not sure if these are available for MAC OS / Linux ?

- Bernard

[6666]

I will no longer be offering my kits to the trolls in this forum .... It will go on sale as a commercial product ...
You reap what you sow ..

What happened to your project, did it work, did you sell it , is it on the net somewhere ?

[SaltyDog]

Hi Bernard,

I am wanting to have a play around with your code. I assume you are using mikroC for code development, correct?
Are you using the free or paid version? .. and is it available for MAC OS X ?

Cheers

[bernte_one]

hi Chris, not good to post a e-mail adress here
you are welcome in this forum, or german detektorforum.de

[GeoMax]

Hi Bente_one,

I see that you are from Berlin/Germany. I'm from Dortmund/Germany but many times I'm in Berlin. To write you a personal note is disabled so I try this way. Maybe we can catch-up and talk about our common MD hobby by a coffee or so when I'm in Berlin next time. If you are interested, send me an email to [email protected]

Chris

[bernte_one]

[QUOTE=F117;223494]To check if your coil is pulsed or not, I once made a simple coil tester from a 5V relay coil and a hi-bright LED. As you can see in the pictures, it also works on a VLF detector (XP GMp):


lot easier, take a neodym magnet and move it clos to the coil windings, feel the vibes, or maybe the sound (if you have working ears)

[BC547]

The only issue with the BS170 I recall in this thread was mentioned by ripsdevala:

https://www.geotech1.com/forums/showthread.php?23400-PICKINI-V4-an-easy-to-build-self-adjusting-PI-detector&p=223458#post223458

The BS170 is only a level converter from the 5V output pulse of the PIC to a 12V inverted pulse to the MOSFET gate.
You might as well replace it with a BC549 or a general purpose NPN switching transistor.

[Goaty]

I've just finished repairing a friend's newly completed Pickini board and thought it might be worth relating what the problem was as it could help someone else with similar symptoms.

When the board was first fired up using a current limiting power supply set to 1A it appeared to have a dead short circuit which caused the power supply to go into current limiting. A feel of the components on the board showed that Q1, the IRF740, was the only thing getting warm and also there was no audio output.
When I unplugged the coil and again applied power all seemed OK except that after the initial auto-tune sequence it gave the coil fault tone as it should. When I plugged the coil in now everything worked fine with it detecting perfectly. At this stage I carefully examined all of the solder joints an touched up a couple of sus ones but it still would not work on power up with the coil attached.
I then checked that all of the components were fitted correctly and of the specified values - all seemed good.
After replacing the 5v reg (78l05) with still no improvement I moved on the the BS170 FET. Replacing this with a new one did the trick and everything was good.

Out of curiosity I checked the FET but it appeared fine on my tester. I have no idea why it was shorting with the coil but not without, especially since it is only driving the IRF740 which carries the coil current.

[6666]

Good job, glad the chip worked ok.

[sinclairuser]

hi bernard, and all, i finally finished my pickini i have been going through my projects finishing them up,

.

so i got there in the end, thanks to bernard, and bruce(6666), for the chips both work great, and thanks to kosacid for the boards.

p.s. please ignore the pic below of the grubby mainboard i got in for repair the image made it into the upload by mistake i tried to remove it but it put it beneath.
thanks
aly.

[RH-Lightning]

thanks a lot.
will report on experiments with larger coils/pulse width after testing.