----- Original Message ----- 
From: "wouter van ooijen" <wouter@voti.nl>
To: "'Microcontroller discussion list - Public.'" <piclist@mit.edu>
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 1:48 PM
Subject: RE: [PIC] University Project Idea


>> If anyone has any ideas for a project that would interact with a
>> computer using PICs, so that there is a hardware element as well as
>> software. I have only recently started using PICs and my knowledge of
>> them isn't that great but I would like to improve on this.
>
> - low-frequency oscilloscope and/or logic analyser
> - recording some physical measurement (temperature, humidity,
> acceleration, sound pressure, hartbeat, etc) over time for later storage
> and/or presentation and/or analysis
> - a 'protected' bootloader (for various meanings of 'protected'!)
> - a PIC introduction course that makes the world forget about the 16x84
> - a PIC video frame grabber with reasonable resolutio
> - a room-sized GPS: low-budget position and orientation sensing in a
> room or on a table (use sound, IR, long-wave radio, whatever you want)
> - help kyle (the current jal maintainer/developer) to port Jal to the
> 18F's
> - a LED experiment: is 100% 10mA or 50% PWm 20mA more visible (for
> various brands, colors, duty cycles, average currents, etc)
>
> Wouter van Ooijen

Wouter wrote, " - a PIC introduction course that makes the world forget 
about the 16x84"

Okay, I'll open (reopen?) this can of worms.
I am a new guy in that I have a total of one university course on PIC 
microcontrollers. The course was based on the 16F84A, with some 16F88. I 
used the 16F88 almost exclusively for my labs because I found it a bit more 
challenging and I liked the internal clock. However, I did find the 16F84 to 
be a good intro due to its relative simplicity. As a believer in starting 
with the basics, I felt it gave me enough knowledge and confidence to move 
on to other PICs. Reading and understanding the datasheets and errata sheets 
was probably the biggest help to learning, other than the hands-on..

That said, I now have an opportunity to help create a high 
school/college-level introductory course on PICs. The lead person is pushing 
for the 16F84A (we've agreed to start with a mid-range PIC). The most 
obvious reason is the shear amount information that is already available in 
hardcopy and on the internet. Some are leaning toward the added features of 
the 16F88, while others are thinking along the lines of other 16F series 
PICs.

Given that the selection of the mid-range PIC is not going to change and 
remembering that this is an introductory course (no more than 16 weeks, 3-4 
hours per week, including lab time), which mid-range PIC would you selct, 
and why?

I'm especially interested in hearing from those of you who are actually 
working with PICs on  a daily basis and, hopefully, doing so profitably. Our 
primary goal is the give these youngsters an introductory course that will 
pique (no pun intended) their interest in the world of microcontrollers 
enough to get them to think about pursuing the possibities in EE or EET 
degree programs.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Richard Seriani, Sr.




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