Visual C# Training Course

Visual C Training Course

Visual C# Training Course
Teaching Windows Programming
and PC Interfacing

Our Visual C training system for complete beginners teaches practical Windows programming. We start in the very simplest way. A few mouse clicks to create the outline programme, drag one button onto the Windows form, type one simple programme line, press the F5 key to build the programme and you have written your first Windows programme. Click on the button and a message box will pop up displaying the message that you have typed into your programme. It is so easy to get started that anyone who can operate a computer can follow these instructions.

Then we experiment with other ways of displaying text, find how to enter numbers, and write a simple programme to calculate the frequency of a phase shift oscillator circuit. In the space of 20 pages we learn how to create a sophisticated programme using very simple techniques.

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Read the difference between C, C++ and C#

Having just learned the simple way to create Windows programmes we need a means to connect into and out of our PC. For this we will use a latching serial port and the next chapter in the book explains how this is designed. Strictly we do not need this information as the port is supplied built and tested but having the essence of this background knowledge helps us to understand the interfacing.

As you can see from the picture on the left the latching serial port has a plug to connect a liquid crystal display, and is mounted on a board with a plugboard for wiring the experimental circuits.

We start our interfacing experiments by wiring an light emitting diode into the plugboard and write a programme to use our PC to flash the LED on and off. Then we build a simple and a realistic dice machine, an automatic IC tester, and write software to send messages from the PC to the liquid crystal display. We build our own analogue to digital converter to help us understand the principles, and use it with a thermistor to measure temperatures

We have just one more series of experiments needed before we can begin writing the software to create an audio oscilloscope. We must learn how to write graphic information to the PC screen. We start by drawing a straight line then expand this procedure to link calculated points to draw a graph. We draw a simple sine wave, we add in first one harmonic then several to help understand the construction of complex audio sounds.

At this point we have built an analogue to digital converter and we have learnt how to display waveforms on the PC screen, so we have all the information that we need to construct a simple oscilloscope. But we change tack. Our latching serial port is based on a PIC18F2525. We will use the ADC in the PIC18F2525 to create and store our waveform samples. The PIC18F2525 is a powerful microcontroller with enough internal memory to store a complete set of data for two oscilloscope traces.

We begin our new task by using the PIC18F2525 to send a set of preprogrammed data that represents a sawtooth audio waveform. The PIC18F2525 is already programmed to perform all these tasks so all we need to do is to send a control code to the latching serial port, collect the 400 bytes of data, and write these to the PC screen as a graph. That allows us to test out the basic oscilloscope system.

Then we build a phase shift oscillator by fitting resistors, capacitors and a transistor into the plugboard following the detailed instructions in the book. We connect the oscillator output to an analogue input on the latching serial port and display the sinewave on our PC screen. We modify the software to trigger the waveform so that it is always displayed starting at a known point (usually a zero crossing going positive).

We expand our software so two independent traces can be displayed. We write software to perform a fourier analysis of the waveform and list the harmonic levels. Then we experiment with a more accurate trigger system and modify the software so that we can adjust the sample rate.

The picture on the left is an actual photograph of the final oscilloscope window showing the waveform and harmonic content of the phase shift oscillator.

Price list:-

Our Visual C Training System consists of one book, a latching serial port, a liquid crystal display assembly, a kit of components, and a CD containing the programme text as written in the book. The latching serial port is supplied fully programmed and ready to use. The Visual C# Express Edition Windows programming software must be downloaded from the Microsoft website. The express edition is free to download and full details of how to do this are included in the book (needs Windows XP, NT, 2000 or later).

Book: Experimenting with Visual C#....................................£25.00

AUX200 latching serial port.................................................£39.00

Liquid crystal display assembly..........................................£15.00

Kit of components for plugboard circuits...............................£ 9.00

CD with programme text.....................................................£ 5.00

UK postage and insurance..................................................£ 8.00
(Europe...£14.00. USA by FedEx...£25.00. Rest of world...£22.00)

Order code VCS101 = items 1 to 5........£88.00 plus post and ins

Other items which may be needed:-
    3. RS-232 lead........................................................................£ 3.00
    4. UK plugtop power supply......................................................£ 4.00
         (PSU additional postage. UK....£2. Europe.... £3. Rest of world....£5)

The AUX200 latching serial port needs a supply of between 8 and 20 volts. It has a standard 2.1mm DC connector. The AUX200 also needs an RS-232 lead to connect to your PC. These two items are the same as supplied with our PIC training system.

The AUX200 can be connected directly to COM1 or COM2 on your PC, or it can be connected through a USB to COM adaptor using COM3, COM4, COM5 or COM6.

Visual C# 2005 express edition needs Windows XP, 2000, NT or similar operating system, it will not work within Windows 98, ME or 95.

Content of kit of components

6 off resistor 470 ohm 5%
10 off resistor 1k ohm 5%
10 off resistor 4k7 ohm 5%
10 off resistor 100k ohm 5%
2 off resistor 1M ohm 5%
8 off resistor 15k ohm 1%
8 off resistor 30k ohm 1%

4 off capacitor 0.1uF ceramic
3 off capacitor 0.1uF 10%
1 off capacitor 4u7 electrolytic
7 off red LEDs

1 off NPN transistor BC548B
1 off thermistor 100k

1 off IC 74HC00
1 off IC 74HC08
1 off IC 74HC32
1 off IC 74HC86
1 off IC LM339

1 pack trimmed wire links