MEMORY ORGANIZATION

2.0 MEMORY ORGANIZATION

There are three memory blocks in each of the PIC16F87X MCUs.

The Program Memory and Data Memory have separate buses so that concurrent access can occur and is detailed in this section.

2.2 Data Memory Organization

The data memory is partitioned into multiple banks which contain the General Purpose Registers and the Special Function Registers.

Bits RP1 (STATUS<6>) and RP0 (STATUS<5>) are the bank select bits.

Each bank extends up to 7Fh (128 bytes). The lower locations of each bank are reserved for the Special Function Registers. Above the Special Function Registers are General Purpose Registers, implemented as static RAM. All implemented banks contain Special Function Registers. Some frequently used Special Function Registers from one bank may be mirrored in another bank for code reduction and quicker access

2.2.2 SPECIAL FUNCTION REGISTERS

The Special Function Registers are registers used by the CPU and peripheral modules for controlling the desired operation of the device.

These registers are implemented as static RAM.

The Special Function Registers can be classified into two sets: core (CPU) and peripheral.

2.3 PCL and PCLATH

The program counter (PC) is 13-bits wide. The low byte comes from the PCL register, which is a readable and writable register. The upper bits (PC<12:8>) are not readable, but are indirectly writable through the PCLATH register. On any RESET, the upper bits of the PC will be cleared. Figure 2-5 shows the two situations for the loading of the PC.

2.4 Program Memory Paging

All PIC16F87X devices are capable of addressing a continuous 8K word block of program memory. The CALL and GOTO instructions provide only 11 bits of address to allow branching within any 2K program memory page. When doing a CALL or GOTO instruction, the upper 2 bits of the address are provided by PCLATH<4:3>. When doing a CALL or GOTO instruction, the user must ensure that the page select bits are programmed so that the desired program memory page is addressed. If a return from a CALL instruction (or interrupt) is executed, the entire 13-bit PC is popped off the stack. Therefore, manipulation of the PCLATH<4:3> bits is not required for the return instructions (which POPs the address from the stack).

2.3.2 STACK

The PIC16F87X family has an 8-level deep x 13-bit wide hardware stack. The stack space is not part of either program or data space and the stack pointer is not readable or writable. The PC is PUSHed onto the stack when a CALL instruction is executed, or an interrupt causes a branch. The stack is POPed in the event of a RETURN,RETLW or a RETFIE instruction execution.

PCLATH is not affected by a PUSH or POP operation.

The stack operates as a circular buffer. This means that after the stack has been PUSHed eight times, the ninth push overwrites the value that was stored from the first push. The tenth push overwrites the second push (and so on).