I think I might go the route of getting a 16f84 first, then moving to a 
16f628.  Especially since a book a bought a while back only uses the 84.. :)

John J. McDonough wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shay" <shay@highstyleweb.com>
> Subject: [PIC] Programming a 16f84 vs 16f877
>
>
>> found.  I still haven't figured out what chip I should start with but 
>> am now leaning towards the 16f877.
>
>
> Shay
>
> Neither I, nor anyone else, responded to this comment.
>
> As both Olin and I mentioned, moving between the various 16F's really 
> isn't much of an issue.  The 877 is a fairly old chip, and it is kind 
> of expensive.  But it does give you lots of pins to play with, and 
> pins are resource you typically run out of first.
>
> As I mentioned in an earlier post, one thing you have to do with most 
> parts is some initialization of various I/O devices.  On most PICs, 
> every pin has multiple functions.  If you are just learning, this can 
> get pretty confusing.  The 16F84 is a sort of special case.  Only one 
> pin has multiple uses and it defaults to the same behavior as the 
> other pins.  So getting started, the 84 is a little easier than most 
> of the others.
>
> On the other hand, the F84 is close to, if not the most expensive 18 
> pin part.  Almost every other 16F has more stuff (memory, I/O) at a 
> lower price. Once you get you head around the initialization of the 
> various I/O devices, almost any other part is a better choice.
>
> If you are on a program of learning the PIC, I would suggest buying a 
> 16F84 and a 16F628.  Do some simple stuff on the 84, then port it to 
> the 628.  The 628 has more memory, and a few pins have the additional 
> I/O initialization to worry about.
>
> Once you are comfortable with those, then try the same sort of 
> exercise on the 87x series.  This is a really neat group of parts.  
> The 87x parts are very similar.  They only differ in the number of 
> pins and memory size. (Well, the 872 lacks one I/O device ... I don't 
> recall offhand what it is).
>
> The 84, 628, and 87x (but not the A versions except for the 84) are 
> supported by the widest range of public domain software.  However, 
> newer parts like the 16F88 have some pretty neat features.  So as you 
> get set up, think about those other parts.  If you arrange to have 
> some flexibility in your development environment, switchnig between 
> chips is pretty simple business.  And then you can spend only as much 
> as you have to for the PIC in your projects.  Plus, sometimes you see 
> a really good deal on something.  If you have more flexibility in what 
> you can use, you can take advantage of more of those deals.
>
> If you are not put off by the price, get an ICD2 for programming and 
> debugging.  If the price scares you, build or buy an in-circuit 
> programmer. There are a million designs you can build for under $20 
> (if your PC has a REAL serial port).  Programmers like Wouter's 
> Wisp628 or Olin's EasyProg are inexpensive to buy, too.  I think both 
> are still under $40 if you include shipping, and they free you from 
> the "real serial port" limitation.  If you buy a Wisp pick up a few 
> PICs from Wouter too, and save a separate shipping bill.  Programmers 
> with their own socket may look neat, but operationally they are a real 
> hassle.  Read the ICSP document on Microchip's website and do things 
> that way.  It makes life a lot easier.
>
> --McD
>
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