Here's a question for the more seasoned PicAxers:
Assuming a good working knowledge of C++, how difficult is it to convert a program from PicAxe Basic?
I'm thinking of doing this for a number of reasons, some of which are assumptions on my part because I have not yet tried to program a naked PIC.
1. I'm assuming there are no slot restrictions using native PIC coding. For larger programs, slots a pain to work with. But more importantly, they require a lot of repetitious code and so waste a lot of program space.
2. Loading PicAxe code is excruciatingly slow. And to make it worse, each slot has to be loaded individually. I'm assuming compiled code will load much quicker in the native format.
3. I eventually need to field-upgrade my firmware and would like to develop a way to do that via my LoRa connection to each processor. I don't believe that would be possible using PicAxe Basic. I'm hoping I can use the protected program area to make that possible in native mode.
4. I know I can run with less overhead, which would help me conserve battery. My battery drain is already very low, but I'd like to try for more.
I'd love to hear some insights from any who have tinkered with this.
Assuming a good working knowledge of C++, how difficult is it to convert a program from PicAxe Basic?
I'm thinking of doing this for a number of reasons, some of which are assumptions on my part because I have not yet tried to program a naked PIC.
1. I'm assuming there are no slot restrictions using native PIC coding. For larger programs, slots a pain to work with. But more importantly, they require a lot of repetitious code and so waste a lot of program space.
2. Loading PicAxe code is excruciatingly slow. And to make it worse, each slot has to be loaded individually. I'm assuming compiled code will load much quicker in the native format.
3. I eventually need to field-upgrade my firmware and would like to develop a way to do that via my LoRa connection to each processor. I don't believe that would be possible using PicAxe Basic. I'm hoping I can use the protected program area to make that possible in native mode.
4. I know I can run with less overhead, which would help me conserve battery. My battery drain is already very low, but I'd like to try for more.
I'd love to hear some insights from any who have tinkered with this.