Hi All,
Sorry for the cross post.
http://www.servomagazine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5101
How to get started with STAMP's and Microcontrollers ?
how to get started with micros?
Well, my opinion theres two great mircos out there PIC and the MSP430.
you can find Eval boards of these devices here.
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php
Sparkfun is a great site. It can set you up with the basics... and when you are ready you can do your own prototyping. I have never used a stamp board so I am no help there!
Well, my opinion theres two great mircos out there PIC and the MSP430.
you can find Eval boards of these devices here.
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php
Sparkfun is a great site. It can set you up with the basics... and when you are ready you can do your own prototyping. I have never used a stamp board so I am no help there!
After doing some reading from the links you guys provided, stamp's are not what I thought they were. It seems to be a PCB with some basic stuff like voltage regulator, xstal oscillator, etc... built up for you and has a flash PIC and they can be pretty pricy! Also, the programming seems to be a form of BASIC code that is a higher level of code than what I was expecting. I've worked with assembly, Quick Basic and C but have not used Basic or C to code a micro. Probably easier to use Basic or C if writing a piece of code from scratch. From my experience it just feels like you have more control & you know what's going on when programming at the assembly level. You can write the code & sit there with a digital O-scope to see exactly what's going on (or what's wrong). You know exactly what's going in/out of the port and why.
I haven't determined exactly what chip part numbers I'd want or need to use. I haven't decided on an application yet to get started with PIC programming. I guess I'd want something with a multi-channel ADC? I'd probably want to go with a chip that is cheap (like withing a couple bucks).
So, recommendations on what PIC's to start programming with would be great.
Thanks
I haven't determined exactly what chip part numbers I'd want or need to use. I haven't decided on an application yet to get started with PIC programming. I guess I'd want something with a multi-channel ADC? I'd probably want to go with a chip that is cheap (like withing a couple bucks).
So, recommendations on what PIC's to start programming with would be great.
Thanks
Hi there,
You can also get EVERYTHING you need from CCS (www.ccsinfo.com), the C compiler, proto boards, Programmers etc.
Microchip also sells protoboards etc., They have a kit that contains the PicDem2 Plus proto board, and a ICD2.
~Kam (^8*
You can also get EVERYTHING you need from CCS (www.ccsinfo.com), the C compiler, proto boards, Programmers etc.
Microchip also sells protoboards etc., They have a kit that contains the PicDem2 Plus proto board, and a ICD2.
~Kam (^8*
- HighFrequency
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- Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2005 1:01 am
- Location: Victoria BC
- Contact:
MPLAB is free, and you can get C compiler plugins for it for free. PICCLite is a good one, although it limits some chips' resources in the free version. PIC16F628A is a good learning chip, also the PIC16F877A (which has more IO pins, plus some other goodies). These chips can be sampled from Microchip at no cost to you, that includes Fedex shipping.
There is only one correct answer, mine.
one other possibility is the MSP430 - it's a TI microprocessor. you can get a complete system - programmer/debugger and target for $20 - ez430. You'd need to make a harnes to use the chip in a breadboard but the price is right. the debugger works suprisingly well. you get a trial version of the IAR ISE including a C compiler (4K code limit). It's a 16 bit chip so it's a lot easier to write for.
If you want to do PICs, I'd get the 16F88. It's a really nice 18 pin chip with ADC, 4K of code space and is self-programmable (bootloader). The 628A (or it's little brother the 627A) is ok though no ADC.
Phil
If you want to do PICs, I'd get the 16F88. It's a really nice 18 pin chip with ADC, 4K of code space and is self-programmable (bootloader). The 628A (or it's little brother the 627A) is ok though no ADC.
Phil
What's the difference between a PIC JDM programmer and a PIC ICD2 In circuit debugger?
It seems the ICD can also program the chip. But I was looking at the ICD-2 on ebay (a knockoff) and could not see how the ICD board could hook up to the circuit under test. When I did this stuff years ago I used an in-circuit-debugger which was a box that I had a ribbon cable with a header on the end. The header plugged into the PIC's socket on the board under test. Is this what this ICD-2 does?
The ICD
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %3AIT&rd=1
The JDM
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :IT&ih=002
Could someone with experience with the JDM and ICD explain what the real difference is between both? Also, what should I get... the ICD or the JDM?
Edit: I added a link to the ICD that I'm referring to above
It seems the ICD can also program the chip. But I was looking at the ICD-2 on ebay (a knockoff) and could not see how the ICD board could hook up to the circuit under test. When I did this stuff years ago I used an in-circuit-debugger which was a box that I had a ribbon cable with a header on the end. The header plugged into the PIC's socket on the board under test. Is this what this ICD-2 does?
The ICD
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %3AIT&rd=1
The JDM
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :IT&ih=002
Could someone with experience with the JDM and ICD explain what the real difference is between both? Also, what should I get... the ICD or the JDM?
Edit: I added a link to the ICD that I'm referring to above
Great web pages. Thanks.
Sounds to me (if I want to spend some $ to get up & running quick) to buy the ICD with ZIF and if there's limitations in programming the chips I want then just build myself a JDM. Also, it seems some chips can be re-programmed in-circuit when it has bootloader capability.
In the ICD link above, I see no connector for a header. There's the USB & DB9 jacks for programming and on the other side there's an RJ-45. What's the RJ-45 for? Maybe you need another board to convert RS232 into parallel on a separate jig for a ribbon cable & header??
Sounds to me (if I want to spend some $ to get up & running quick) to buy the ICD with ZIF and if there's limitations in programming the chips I want then just build myself a JDM. Also, it seems some chips can be re-programmed in-circuit when it has bootloader capability.
In the ICD link above, I see no connector for a header. There's the USB & DB9 jacks for programming and on the other side there's an RJ-45. What's the RJ-45 for? Maybe you need another board to convert RS232 into parallel on a separate jig for a ribbon cable & header??
- HighFrequency
- Posts: 122
- Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2005 1:01 am
- Location: Victoria BC
- Contact:
Take a look at ZBasic and it's stamp. Orders of magnitude better than PIC stamps, esp. the ZBasic IDE and language which even has structures. Very much like VisualBasic for PCs.
www.zbasic.net
www.zbasic.net/forum/
I don't work for nor have a financial stake in them.
www.zbasic.net
www.zbasic.net/forum/
I don't work for nor have a financial stake in them.
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