Richard Seriani, Sr wrote:
> 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.

See "Why The PIC 16F628: Why the PIC 16F84 is now obsolete." by Byron A. 
Jeff:

http://finitesite.com/d3jsys/16F628.html

> 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 would go with the 18F family. Because they're better than the 16F. :)

What are the course objectives?

> 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.

Yes. :)

> 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.

The good thing about 18Fs is that they come with a free C compiler and 
libraries. You can do a lot in a short period of time.

Vitaliy 

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