On Sat, Mar 13, 2004 at 10:00:34PM -0500, Robert L Cochran wrote:
> >http://www.finitesite.com/d3jsys/16F628.html
>
> Thank you for your help. I did read this and take your page to heart.
> Currently, I'm waiting to confirm my registration for
> samples.microchip.com so I can then order the chips your web page above
> talks about as samples.

I ordered a set of chips over a month ago. They still haven't been shipped.
If you need to get some in hand quickly I recommend Randy Jones at
http://www.glitchbuster.com. He has 16F88s in stock. You can buy it now
on Ebay and shipping is only $1.80 to US destinations. He has the parts for
$3.28 each which is well over a buck better than Digikey, and 6$ better if
you factor in shipping/handling.

>
> >
> >Right now I'm thinking that for the 18 pin package that the 16F88 is as
> >good
> >as it gets. 4K memory, self programmable, A/D, CCP/PWM, comparators,
> >multiple
> >timers, hardware USART, Syncronous Serial Port, 368 bytes of RAM, and
> >nanowatt
> >technology (which can add up to an additional 3 I/O pins) puts a premium
> >power package in a price point that is cheaper than the 16F84A.
> >
>
> I'm ordering one as part of the samples. I already have 2 16F877s and a
> 16F877A is on order. I haven't noticed any tutorials online for the
> 16F877. I have a Richard Benson's Easy PIC'n book, my plan has been to
> follow the lessons in the book and then experiment with other chips as
> well. I'm new to electronics.

Understood. However the similarities of all the parts in this family is what
binds them together. At the low end they are pretty much interchangable.
I always suggest to hobbyist to start with the most featured chip and then
work their way down. That gives the opportunity to see all the cool features.

Nigel Goodwin's Winpicprg tutorial suite is pretty good about showing the
capabilities of the more featured members of the 16F family. They are based
around the 16F628, the 16F876, and the 16F877. It's still not as up to date
as the latest chips, especially the ones with nanowatt capability. But it's
quite an advance over the 16F84. You can find it here:

http://www.winpicprog.co.uk/pic_tutorial.htm

>
>
> >But it illustrates the "simulate in software" attitude with almost
> >everything
> >related to the 16F84. The newer chips have hardware to handle tasks like
> >Syncronous and Async serial, PWM, timing capture, A/D, and the like. And
> >trust me once you get beyond the most simple intro projects, each of these
> >tools have a place in your toolkit.
> >
>
> Thanks again for your help! I didn't know that Microchip offers samples,
> and I just placed an order.

Cool. I hope they come soon.

BAJ

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