Hi,

Do the classes on Free Virtual Hardware, (www.virtualbreadboard.com) and
show the kids how to program the pics' using Industry standard Language
(Java), (www.muvium.com) using an Industry Standard Open source
OpenSource development IDE tool like Eclipse.. (www.eclipse.org).. They
might find they skills that extend beyond the hardware quirks of certain
hardware releases of certain PIC chips at the end of it all..

It's what Microchip is thinking..
http://www.microchip.com/1010/pline/picmicro/category/embctrl/32kbytes/d
evices/18f8720/related/index.htm

Just a thought...

James Caska
www.muvium.com
uVM - 'Java Bred for Embedded'



-----Original Message-----
From: pic microcontroller discussion list
[mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU] On Behalf Of Jan-Erik Soderholm XA
(TN/PAC)
Sent: Monday, 19 January 2004 11:37 AM
To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: [PIC]: PIC tools in the educational sector.


William Chops Westfield wrote :

> 1) i would sort of think that learning about "quirks" would be an
> important part of a 'serious' "intro to embedded programming"

Yes, if they was general in nature (common to any MCU family, not only
PICs).

No, if you mean design flaws in *some* PICs specificaly.

There is no reason to start with showing all the things that make people
switch to *other* MCU families, are there ?

> 2) Once you decide to go to a new, non-quirky 28 or 40 pin chip
> without all the hobbyist history of the 16F series, are you still sure
> you want to use a PIC?  I mean, there are LOTS of $10 40pin
> flash microcontrollers.  (hmm.  Aside from the expense of
> tools, I wonder if a 'comparative religionxxxxx I mean
> microcontroller" class where you implement the same project
> on several different chips would be more beneficial than an
> in-depth study of one particular chip...)

It's not going to be in-depth, even if *only* using PICs.

It's ment as an introduction and to show that there are
other things "out there" then HTML, JavaScript and PHP...

(I'm also discussion on setting up an OpenVMS environment there to show
that there actualy exists *good* operating systems, not only those
comming from Microsoft... But that's another story for another
mail-list... :-) )

Jan-Erik.

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