On Thu, Nov 11, 2004 at 02:42:30PM -0500, crayola@optonline.net wrote:

I decided to throw a couple of thoughts into this fray...

1. I agree with Olin almost 100 percent. Learn assembly as it's the linqua
franca that most PIC people speak. Also spend some time learning the hardware
infrastructure of the PIC and the associated electronics.

2. One variation is the programming environment. As a pro sometimes Olin
misses the disconnect of purchasing a $200 programmer to program $3 chips.
While to a pro it's pretty much chump change, it's a significant investment
for a hobbyist. Other options include the olimex ICD2 clone at half that
price:

http://www.sparkfun.com/shop/index.php?shop=1&cat=3

Wouter's WISP628

http://www.voti.nl/wisp628

And I have no clue why Olin didn't plug his own EasyProg:

http://www.embedinc.com/EasyProg

My own Trivial programmers are the cheapest of the bunch, but does require
some TLC to get stable:

http://www.finitesite.com/d3jsys

3. Whichever family you choose make sure to get a copy of the Reference 
Manual for it. Hundreds of pages of descriptions and code examples on every
aspect of the part. This coupled with the datasheet are foundations for use.

4. When searching out tutorial material, take some care to understand the
difference between using real hardware onchip and simulation. A lot of 
tutorials are geared around the 16F84, which as I argue here all the time is
virtually obsolete. Newer parts carry tons of onboard stuff like PWM, ADC,
comparators, USARTS and the like. But since the 16F84 has virtually none of
these, all the tutorials talk about how to simulate these activities in
software. The good thing about hardware is that it's pretty much setup and
forget it. You'll need PWM for your animatronics. But if you read a tutorial
for an older part, you may get the impression that you'd have to manage PWM
by hand. But the current parts all have hardware PWM that you can setup and
forget and it'll just run.

Just some thoughts,

BAJ
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