Hello PICList,

I am new to PIC programming.  I have dabbled in electronics
since I was about 12 years old, I work with computers professionally,
and I studied mechanical engineering at university.

Recently, I decided I would build a robot to load tapes, and
another to load CDs, into some different devices.  I needed to
control some stepper motors and read the state of home switches,
and all that rudimentary robotics sort of stuff.  I came across
some PIC applications for stepper control, and I was hooked.

I have purchased a small JDM compatible programmer and have programmed
2 16F84A PICs successfully.  Made a little PCB, and had fun moving
the motors by PCM with commands from my computer's parallel port to the
PICs.

I am looking forward to the discussions and reading more of the list
archives.  PICs are quite neat.  I want to learn more about them
and use them for other applications than my robot projects.

I purchased a MAX232 RS-232 controller/driver chip, and I've noticed
in the archives that people have had varying results with resonators
and xtals when controlling serial communications in software. I'm wondering
if I have to worry about clock drift between the MAX232 and a PIC, using
the same clock source for both (if possible), and if the MAX232 has the
same problems a software-based RS-232 controller has.  I'm still a neophite,
so I will try to make some sensible questions and post to the PIC: threads.

Anyway, this looks like a very active group, and I'm glad to be with others
interested (and moreover knowledgable) in the electronics world.

Gustaf

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