On Mon, Oct 11, 2004 at 02:58:05PM -0400, Olin Lathrop wrote:
> Byron A Jeff wrote:
> > Isao didn't specify the application. I think we probably need to come
> > back to why are we still working with 16F parts anyway when the 18F
> > family (all of which are bootloadable ;-) are generally better
> > overall performers.
> 
> The other families are far from dead.  In high volume applications the lower
> price is very important, and the 16, 12, and 10 families come in smaller
> packages that the 18 and 30 parts don't fit in.  Even for a hobby project,
> the 16F628 may be preferred because it has a comparator whereas the 18F1320
> does not.  And then there's the coolness factor of showing off your 10F206
> project and pointing out the smallest chip on the board as being the
> computer.

Olin,

Glad to see you're back. You are well versed enough in BAJspeak to know that
I was aksing the question from a hobby perspective.

It does beg a question from the pro side of the fence though: How do you choose
the right part for a particular job? Do you start with the smallest/cheapest
part then iterate as needed for more features? Or is it better to prototype
with more than you need, then pick the chip that fits the final software? Or
is cost the ultimate arbiter?

>From a hobby perspective there's rarely a valid comparison between the 16F628A
and the 16F88. The latter has both comparators and ADC, nanowatt, double the
program memory and 50% more RAM. And the 30 cent cost difference in singles
is negligable.

And as cool as the 10F family is, it's tough for a novice (or even intermediate)
hobbyist to prototype with them, despite the coolness factor.

I keep reading on the list that the higher potential speeds, banking 
simplification, and rich feature set makes the 18F family a better overall
bet for the hobbyist. I'm just wondering if that is in fact true.

BAJ
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