All:

  I'm new to the PICLIST, and essentially a "virgin" PIC'er. (Some
fumbling in the back seat with Stamps, but not The Real Thing.)

  I have a small application in mind, and would like some input
from the group as to the best way to go. This would be a very
simple, and simple to program, Programmable Logic Controller. I
would be using several of them to control special effects for
a Halloween haunt, and know a number of other individuals that
would make good use of them in the same type of application.
Each PLC would accept a limited number of inputs and drive a
few optically-isolated outputs. In the past, I've used a
central PC as a controller, with a PLC scripting language
I developed to run it. The need for expansion and desire to make
the units available to other users has prompted me to try
something like this.

  These would be an excellant application for a BASIC Stamp,
with the limited I/O requirements, ease of programming in
Stamp BASIC (simple Button events, accurate-enough timer
functions, easy to make one or a few threads of control),
and all-in-one package development board. Of course, the
downside would be the higher cost of a Stamp, vs. a "bare"
PIC and a serial EEPROM. I would want this to be something
a user with rudimentary computer experience could program
and operate, downloading the logic code from a PC, and if
possible, not requiring any sort of compiler or PIC
programmer on the PC.

  To that end, if I went with a (non-Stamp) PIC, I would need
to develop much more in the way of a resident logic program
interpreter for the PIC, and a clean way of loading pseudo-code
into the EEPROM. With a Stamp, that's (mostly) already there.

  Basically (BASICally?), does it seem like it's worth the
effort of development, in order to build a number of perhaps
$10 (possible?) PIC boards instead of buying a like number
of $29-$34 Stamp boards? Packaging, PC cabling, isolators,
input buffers, etc. would be added to either version.

  Any thoughts or suggestions from the List are very welcome!

Thanks!

Dave Bell