> Have you considered giving each student a breadboard and a PIC
> with a Bootloader?  Each student would need only a few
> components.

You must also consider powering. A serial bootloader would require a
separate power (wall wart) or an extra cable to steal USB power. An
usb-to-serial converter (FT232) could be used, but that would be an
extra chip. And bootloader can be overwritten by a clever programmer
(remember, these are students!). The current setup uses a pickit1 clone
circuit, powered from the USB and supported by uChips software. Next
year I'll probably switch to a pickit2 clone.

> With this setup, the students could be given a handful of
> additional parts for each lab. E.g. LEDs, switches, 7 segment
> displays, LCDs, etc.

For certain course objectives that would be a good idea. But remember,
these are informatics students, not electronics. I wanted something they
could take home, which favours an all-in-1 PCB.

Wouter van Ooijen

-- -------------------------------------------
Van Ooijen Technische Informatica: www.voti.nl
consultancy, development, PICmicro products
docent Hogeschool van Utrecht: www.voti.nl/hvu
 

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