Does Braille Technical Press or anything similar exist any more?

        I have been trying to get in to the world of PIC's for several
years and finally found that the Linux environment has a suite of
open-source programs written by several individuals that, along with
the Picstart-Plus programmer sold by Microchip through Digikey makes
it possible to program PIC's.

        In all honesty, I have only programmed a PIC16F84 to build a
special piece of test equipment for me, but any person who is blind,
using Linux, should be able to use the development software.  Most of
it is either command-line or a combination of GUI under X windows or
command-line depending upon what you want.

        The assembler is totally command line and the PIC emulator
needs a number of X windows libraries to compile, but you can then
tell the make process that you don't want the GUI and you get an
emulator that lets you pretty-well trace your program's execution
before you burn it in to a PIC.

        I am certainly willing to share what little I know with any
other PIC tinkerers who are blind.

        This looks like it is going to be lots of fun.  My mind is
buzzing with lots of possible things to build.

        There are many ham-related PIC projects in "QST" from time to
time so you can get a good idea of what PIC's are used for.

        They are relatively cheap and no harder to hook up than any IC.
They take the place of many older logic and counter IC's so you can
build stuff much smaller and faster than before.

        One final thing I notice already.  In the past, I could build
a digital circuit and, if I kept very careful Braille notes, I could
go back months or years later and tell what I had done.  If I forgot
or got lazy, I might have to almost tear the circuit up before I
reminded myself what I hooked to what originally.

        Withe PIC's, a lot of the wiring exists as lines of software
to which one can add comments like, "This is Push Button one which
starts the system." or something similar.  The program can be your
documentation if you do it right.

        If your project is contained within one PIC, then the only
wiring you must do is to connect the socket to power, ground, and any
other switches, buttons, crystals or sounders that your project needs.
The final assembly gets a lot neater.

        By the way.  PIC stands for Peripheral Interface Controller.
The first PIC's were designed to simplify the hardware used in
electronic signs and displays.  They are still used for that plus
everything else imaginable and even some things not so imaginable.
Some TV remote controls use PIC's and a First Alert carbon monoxide
detector of ours that died turns out to have been built around a
PIC16c75.

Martin McCormick WB5AGZ  Stillwater, OK
OSU Information Technology Division Network Operations Group