Subject:                Re: Questions from a beginner...
Date sent:              Fri, 10 Dec 1999 09:38:39 -8, PST

Challenge:  can anyone do this cheaper than me?

Shopping list for absolute minimal beginner entry--many
substitutions are of course possible:

Computer:  old computer running DOS-- even old 8086 compaq
portable running off 2 floppies with no hard drive will actually work.
About 10 floppies.   Cost: $150 for new power supply.  Copy of Dos
Edit.com--free.

book: easy pic'n.  Has general blinkie circuit.  Essential.  Cost:
about $20

Programmer: David Tait's serial port programmer using the in-circuit
version.  The documentation whole thing is available as a download
from many places, Don McKenzies site is one, but there are others.
Cost $0

Parts:
Wire:  haunt the people who install phone systems, and beg them
for a handful of multicolored phone wire.  Cost:  $0 cash, some
loss of dignity.  Radioshack wants too much for wire.

solderless breadboard-get the bigger one.  you will need it.
Cost:  $7
Wall wart:  radioshack has one that has 12volts down to 3 volts
with a switch.  Cost:  about $5.  Make sure its 12 volts.

  10-10K resistors. 10-leds, get the mixed bag.  2 momentary
contact micro push switches in a bag, one red, one black.  10-120
ohm resistors.  1-4-Mhz crystal.  2 33pf capacitors.  1-1Megohm
resistor. 2-22K resistors. 1 2.2K resistor.  1 good machined pin 18
pin socket for the pic.  1 piezo buzzer (substitutes for
oscilloscope).  3 0.1uf capacitors.
7805 voltage regulator (not a 78L05, get the big one).  One solder-
cup female db-9 connector or db-25 depending on serial port of
computer, used to make a four-wire cable as per the Tait directions
that goes right to the breadboard.  and finally, one or two pic16f84
chips.  Cost:  about $25

wire cutters, needle nose pliers, tweezers. soldering iron &
electronic solder.--cost:$0 ( stuff is already around the house)

The 1-meg resistor sticks up from the ground bus and you touch
the end for luck before messing with the circuit.
Finally:  the most valuable of all:  the piclist.

total:  $ $57 in parts and about $150 to fix up the computer. advice
from piclist is beyond price but i dont know how to put a value on
the inestimable.

good luck

alice

> Hello all,
>
> It appears an application I wish to design would best be done with some kind o
f
> PIC.  I have absolutely ZERO experience with such, however, and would GREATLY
> appreciate your advice on a couple of questions:
>
>  1) Price: Right now, things are a bit tight, so I need to know the least
>     costly entre into PICdom.  This includes everything that would be necessar
y
>     to get me started: the chip itself, support hardware, programming hardware
,
>     and programming software.  I have Linux, DOS, and Win95 at home, so anythi
ng
>     to reduce cost by using a PC would help.
>
>  2) Selection: How do I choose from the wide variety out there, from MicroChip
>     PICs, to Parallax Basic Stamps, to who knows what else?  Keeping cost in
>     mind, and knowing that I am just a beginner who's not trying to make an
>     application to control every last Christmas tree bulb in Boise (or, for th
at
>     matter any Christmas lights), how do I determine the proper PIC to use?
>
>  3) General advice: Any other advice for a newcomer to this stuff?
>
>
> aTdHvAaNnKcSe (Thanks in advance).
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________
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