> > here before.  However if you do go this route, at least use a 16F648A or
> > 16F88 instead of the obsolete 16F628.  For low volume projects, it doesn't
>
> It depends a little on Shay's take on development.
>
> If he builds a programmer, then the 16F84, 16F84A, 16F628, 16F87x are
> supported by a wide range of public domain software.  Support for the 88,
> 648A, and 87xA is pretty limited.  Non nonexistent by any means, but not
> nearly as widespread as the older parts.

I would say: get a better programmer. Even the lowly JDM that I got
from Olimex was able to program the 16F628A, 16F877A and 16F688
without problems. If you have a programmer that can't program new
parts, you're bound to get frustrated anyway.

> *BUT*, if he gets an ICD2 (best aproach IMO), or a Wisp or EzProg, then you
> are absolutely right.  The 88 is a really nice chip, and the 648A barely
> costs more than the 628 and has twice the memory.

Comparing the 16F648A with the 16F628 is unfair. Compare it with the
16F628A, it is 13% more expensive, which I won't call "barely". Of
course, I believe in designing something first, and then implementing
it, and therefore I would know approximately how much memory I would
need before I get the part. As an all purpose 18-pin device, the 16F88
would indeed be superior, but please don't forget the 16F688, which is
a wonderful 14-pin device (AND fully compatible with the PICkit-2 and
its demoboard).

> I like the 84A to 628 move as a simple learning step, but once you have the
> developent capability, the 648A is exactly the same as the 628 from that
> perspective.  Although I personally prefer the 16F88, the change from the
> 84A is a bigger step, and so a little scarier.

I already mentioned how much I hated the fact that my first PIC was a
16F84A. It was as close to wasting time as I ever got in my life
(apart from getting physics classes about location/speed/acceleration
without knowledge of differential equations). Please, don't let anyone
else suffer again...

> But I've seen so many foks who are scared off by all the I/O choices.  I

It takes two to five lines of code to make almost any 16F chip behave
like a 16F84A. These lines are known and well documented, and if
someone has found this list, they will find those lines. Beyond the
initial step of those lines of code, you only gain options, that you
can ignore, or use to simplify things even further.

Greetings,
Maarten Hofman.

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