Mike W wrote:
> I believe the thought process behind the use of the 16F84 was that
> it is/was the most basic flash PIC. Once students gain familiarity
> with the 'F84 they can easily? migrate to bigger and better devices.

I think this is backwards.  The newer 18F PICs are easier to program and
much more capable, thereby making them easier again to use in a particular
project.  On top of that, the 16F84 actually costs more than newer chips
like the 16F628 that have more memory and do more.

In particular, I suggest the following PICs for learning or general hobby
use:

12F629, 12F675  -  8 pins, actually 16F parts architecturally.

18F1320  -  18 pins.

18F252  -  28 pins.

18F452  -  40 pins.

Unless you have a specialized need or a high volume design, these are the
only PICs worth looking at.  All of these are also available in DIP packages
for easy prototyping.


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