I have never used a PIC before and I want to play with one without
spending very much money. Until now I have ignored them - I use
the 68HC11 - but the newer 12C5xx 8-pin devices caught my eye.

Is there an up to date FAQ? The most recent one I found was 1995.

Can anyone recommend a good introductory book - or a web based
tutorial?

What do I need to get started? If I can get away with it I would like
to make my own serial programmer and download the software. I found a
few circuit designs on the web and they look very similar. Should I
be wary of the ones that derive the programming voltage from the
PC port?

Should I consider making a parallel programmer to handle other
versions of the PIC?

I understand I can find the software I need for a PC on Microchip's
site. Is there anything else I need?

Sorry for asking obvious questions. All help is welcome. Thanks.



        Regards,
            Graeme

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 Graeme Dunbar
 School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
 The Robert Gordon University
 Schoolhill, Aberdeen AB10 1FR, Scotland, U.K.
 Tel. +44 1224 262415
 Fax  +44 1224 262444
 email  g.r.a.dunbar@rgu.ac.uk
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