On Thu, Jun 03, 2010 at 09:24:24AM -0400, Xiaofan Chen wrote: > On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 8:24 PM, Byron Jeff wrote: > > And I'm waiting for the 8 pin 12F1822 to come on line. 2K of program > > memory, 128 bytes of ram, hardware USART and SPI/I2C (both of which can > > operate at the same time), internal oscillator that runs up to 32 Mhz, all > > in a 8 pin package that's $1 each in quantity. > > > > With Microchip, it's always best to look at their newest offerings. Unlike > > most companies, which charge a premium for their new shiny stuff, Mchip has > > been consistent over the years in offering much more for much less. > > > > Actually pretty all the MCU vendors are doing this right now. The > MCUs become kind of commodity product, even the 32bit MCUs > are now approaching US$1, many of them cost US$2 at reasonable > quantity. Of course a bit higher for hobbyists. But they may not > be really easy for hobbyist due to various reasons (eg: packaging). Price, packaging, and availability are all reasons that PICs work for me as a hobbyist. The tube of 16F1936s that I have will last for a double handful of projects. > If only comparing pricing, Microchip MCUs are not that competitive. > However, Microchip is quite hobbyist friendly, that is one reason > to use PIC as a hobbyist. Microchip is also quite small-business > friendly, that is one good reason to use PIC for small business. > Microchip also keeps product life quite long, that is one important > reason to use PIC for many customers, even big players. Therefore > Microchip earns quite good money whereas Atmel loses money > or barely break even. And as has been pointed out in other threads, a lot of Atmel parts seem to be made of unobtainium. It can be the best and cheapest part on the planet. But it's not very useful if you cannot get your hands on it. BAJ -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist