>
> One question (in general): any particular reason folks are so
> enamored with
> the 8 pin parts? Personally I avoid them like the plague due to
> extremely
> limited I/O and complete inability to have a bootloader. Unless
> you're talking
> about a 1000+ unit run, the costs between the 8 pin part and a hefty
> capable
> 40 pin part with all the bells and whistles (12F629 and 16F871 as
> examples)
> is only a 3X price difference. In hobbyist/small scale run terms, the
> price
> is negligable.
>
> So I'm just wondering if there is an advantage to develop with a
> extremely
> limited target as opposed to a larger more capable part?

And for only a few times the price of some 40 pin PICs you can get a
rabbit module with 52 i/o, 128k of ram, 256k of flash, and ethernet.

But seriously, I am very fond of the 12f629 & 12f675. The 12f629 and
12f675 are really 16f parts in a 8 pin package so you get the same
instruction set, redesigning for a larger part is easy. They are only a
buck each (very easy for to get in qty of 25) and how much more do you
need to run a RGB LED or a simple temp/light sensor? You even have pins
left over for 3 buttons without any i/o expanding hacks. It all depends
on the project. Would you seriously use a 40 pin part to blink 3 leds?
IIRC even high-end PICs only have up to 2 PWM channels, so you would do
it all in software anyway and only end up using 3 pins.

The only gripe I have about the 8 pin parts is lack of a hardware
USART. Of cource it would then need better OSC options, but those are
already in the works.

IMHO Part of the inspiration to use a PIC in the first place is to
solve complex tasks with simple tools. I believe this ideology extends
to both hobby and production designs.

Of cource you can't do everything with such a limited device, most
projects require more i/o and horsepower.

I personally can't wait to see what I can do with a 10f PIC when/if
they come out.

Hope that helps answer your question :-)

- Ben Hencke


Obligatory Quote:
"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler."

  --  Albert Einstein





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