On Sun, 18 Aug 2002, Olin Lathrop wrote:

> > $200 for a programmer that you know will work is cheap,
>
> Then just get the Microchip Picstart+ and be done with it.

Amen, if you think $200 for a programmer is cheap.  Most professionals
think it is, most students and hobbyists think it isn't.  $200 for a
programmer to the average hobbyist is nonsense, I haven't talked to any
PIC beginners that I personally know who would have spent that much.
Warp-13 is IMHO about the best price/performance ratio, but at $100 or so
it's still a little high for many of them.  I know it was for me when I
was just getting started, I went with the EPIC+ which is basically a Tait
design.  I bought that one instead of building an identical design because
it came with really good software, and most if not all of the free
software I could find five years ago would only do one or two PICs.

> However, I think the problem is many hobbyists don't want to spend that kind
> of money.  They want something cheap, cheap, cheap, and are willing to spare
> no expense to get it <g>.  They find some flaky parallel port programmer
> schematic on the web and try to build it because it takes 1 transistor and 2
> resistors less than the next programmer design.  Then they get into trouble
> for a variety of reasons.  It was exactly such a case that started this
> discussion.

Yep.  Exactly.  I think the group is trying to swat a fly with a truck.
Just my own observation -- please don't mind me, I'j must a spectator. ;-)

Dale

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