2 Instruction Set Overview
The dsPIC33A instruction set provides a broad suite of instructions that includes traditional microcontroller applications and DSP-based math-intensive applications. Since almost all of the functionality of the 16-bit MCU and DSC instruction set has been maintained, this hybrid instruction set allows an easy 32-bit migration path for users already familiar with the PIC microcontroller architecture and instructions.
Instructions can be grouped into the functional categories, as shown in Table 2-1. Table defines the symbols used in the instruction summary tables. Table 2-1 through Table 2-13 define the syntax, description, storage and execution requirements for each instruction. Storage requirements are represented in 32-bit instruction words and execution requirements are represented in instruction cycles.
| Functional Group | Summary Table |
|---|---|
| Move Instructions | Table 2-3 |
| Math Instructions | Table 2-4 |
| Logic Instructions | Table 2-5 |
| Rotate/Shift Instructions | Table 2-6 |
| Bit Instructions | Table 2-7 |
| Compare/Skip and Compare/Branch Instructions | Table 2-8 |
| Program Flow Instructions | Table 2-9 |
| Shadow/Stack Instructions | Table 2-10 |
| Control Instructions | Table 2-11 |
| DSP Instructions | Table 2-12 |
| FPU Instructions | Table 2-13 |
Several instructions have different addressing modes and execution flows, which require different instruction variants. For instance, there are up to seven unique ADD instructions and each instruction variant has its own instruction encoding. Instruction format descriptions and specific instruction operations are provided in Instruction Descriptions. Additionally, a composite alphabetized instruction set table is provided in the Reference section.