This book is a hands-on, project-based guide to learning and using the PIC microcontroller. Principles are introduced gradually, enabling readers to develop their understanding at their own pace. Dave Smith has based this book on his popular short courses on the PIC for professionals and students. The result is a graded text, formulated around practical exercises, which gets engineers and students up and running quickly. Those who are new to microcontrollers generally find the basic concepts of the PIC quite easy but can find the software, debugging and project work more challenging. The practical focus of this book makes it well suited to those whose PIC needs are likely to be project based. Simple working code is introduced early in the book so the reader can program their first PIC within the first twenty pages. In addition, Smith explains how and why the program works, and encourages readers to alter and expand the code for use in their own design projects. The programs use building blocks of code that can be re-used in many different program applications. Includes numerous and varied code examples, explanation, so engineers can use and expand the examples for their own design projects; engineers and students can get up and running quickly and engage in basic practical work while they learn about the theory. Smith explains concepts and simultaneously demonstrates how they work, keeping the reader's interest and letting them learn by doing; introduces the reader to PIC assembly language, and uses the assembler software, MPASM, that is available free from Microchip's website.