> Finally, Ian, you are doing the RIGHT thing: using a simulator.  Trying
> this with hardware with a very limited knowledge base and perhaps no
> oscilloscope or signal generators, etc. will be an exercise in
frustration.
>  As others have mentioned about the value of the MPLAB sim for software,
an
> simulator for circuits is a great idea. Plus you don't let out any smoke
or
> burn fingers.  You can build circuits all day and see what they will do
> without having to buy and destroy any parts.

Simulation certainly has its place.  It is a great testbed for *theory*.
However, there is still no substitute for real parts as a testbed for
*practice*.  In the end you get valuable and somewhat different
experiences from both.  There is little point in building a circuit that
the simulator says won't work, but I strongly encourage fiddling with real
parts and an oscilloscope.  Some things can only be learned this way.


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