On Sun, Aug 17, 2003 at 07:20:22PM +0200, Floret Morgenstern wrote:
> Am Sonntag, 17. August 2003 19:03 schrieben Sie:
> > On Sun, Aug 17, 2003 at 05:38:46PM +0200, Jan-Erik Soderholm XA (TN/PAC)
> wrote:
> > > Wouter wrote:
> > > > And the frustrated beginners who happen to
> > > > find the piclist are of course the lucky ones...
> > >
> > > True. But as soon as they *do* find the Piclist,
> > > they only find a lot of wackos saying
> > > "skip the 16F84 !"
> >
> > HEY! I represent that remark! ;-)
> >
> > > when Elektor (and the net)
> > > is full of "new" (?) designs using it...
> > >
> > > Can't be easy. I know, I'v been one of them...
> >
> > I still think we should patiently explain why a hardware USART, CCP,
> > multiple timers, and internal oscillators, in addition to more memory is an
> > advantage in long run.
> >
> > BAJ
>
> But what if you don't need a hardware USART, multiple timers, etc.? A PIC16F84
> is a simple, cheap and small (in size) PIC and sufficient for a lot of
> applications.

Project development rarely moves in the direction from complex to simple. As
one gains confidence in one's abilities, the projects that are tackled are
generally more complex over time.

The second issue is that the 16F628 and 16F648A are the same physical size as
the 16F84. And in the US the 16F648A is half the price of a 16F84A.

> However you're of course right, if we wanna deal with more complex tasks. :-)

And you will. But there's another aspect to it. The extra memory and periperals
actually simplifies the process. Consider a simple task to setting up a
serial channel and doing a timing task. With the 16F84A it's really a pain
because there's no hardware USART and only a single timer. So you either have
to share the timer or you'll have to do some elaborate dance to track the
serial port. Whereas with the newer parts, the serial interface is set and
forget, and you have more timers to handle the jobs you need done. There's
less to do and less ways to screw it up. That should be an advantage to any
designer beyond the blinky LED stage.

BAJ

--
http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different
ways.  See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.