Newbie - Pic, Stamp or Eprom

[TEMP]

Hey Group,

Im looking at learning to develop and program one of the above, and just
wondered if anybody could give me any ideas or experiances. I have a good
background in IT and basic software development skills. I also have a basic
knowlage of Electronics!

I can spend some money on buying some kit but im a bit strapped at the
moment so cheap is good. I wonder if anybody could point me in the right
direction to buy some kit or links on the web for help wityh choosing or
programming?

Many Thanks
Si

 

[petrus bitbyter]

Hey Group,

Im looking at learning to develop and program one of the above, and just
wondered if anybody could give me any ideas or experiances. I have a good
background in IT and basic software development skills. I also have a basic
knowlage of Electronics!

I can spend some money on buying some kit but im a bit strapped at the
moment so cheap is good. I wonder if anybody could point me in the right
direction to buy some kit or links on the web for help wityh choosing or
programming?

Many Thanks
Si

Si,

Lots of PIC info on the web. Look at
http://www.voti.nl
for instance. Free info and software. Also really cheap equipment and
components.

Stamp(s) are development board(s). Often using Basic for programming. I
consider them pretty expensive for personal use.

Programming an EPROM sounds confusing, because you can put any program or
other data into an EPROM which is called "programming" it but the program
can be written for anything between and including an old 8080 and the newest
AMD or Intel processors.

petrus bitbyter

 

[Al Klein]

kits from $99:
http://www.imaginetools.com

kits from $139
http://www.rabbitsemiconductor.com

Everything you need is in the kits.

Or you can build a programmer for about $10 and buy a prototype board
from MPJA for less than $30.

 

[Al Klein]

Im looking at learning to develop and program one of the above, and just
wondered if anybody could give me any ideas or experiances.

You write programs for PICs. You write sort of programs (BASIC
programs) for the Stamp. YOu program (electrically - it has nothing
to do with writing programs) an EPROM, which can be used with a Stamp
or PIC (or any other CPU).

It's a personal choice, but I'd start with a PIC or some other
microcontroller (Atmel, Intel, Motorola, etc.). Then you can program
in whatever language you prefer. (Although programming in assembler
allows you to write tighter, more exact code, and it's not much more
difficult to learn than BASIC.)

I can spend some money on buying some kit

See my other post.

 

[whbjr24]

Si,

I have checked into many different micro controllers including the PIC and
the Stamp. I settled on the stamp for the following reasons:
1. It programs using basic. This is a simple language, wasy to learn. (I am
a C++ programmer and systems designer and have written many object oriented
programs for the palm pilot so I know of what I speak)
2. It comes with sw (the development kit) and cable and can be programmed
using a standard computer serial port ( a serial interface is included on
the stamp board)
3. It contains a real time debug capability - debug statements appear in a
debug window on your computer
4. The development software is easy to use.
5. Plug the stamp into the board it comes with and be running programs you
write in 15 minutes.
6. Initially, no wiring is required. Only if you add circuitry do you have
to worry about wiring.
7. There are many plug in modules you can buy to quickly develop complex
functionality
8. It is easy to interface to - I have a CAN bus running in my house using
the stamp. Two wires connect the stamp controllers together to share
information. The CAN interface is less than 10 bucks, Sw in 30 minutes.

The down side, the stamp has limited memory for programs and variables and
only 16 IO pins. However, I have generated some complex functionality. Using
serial chips and a couple of IO pins, you can easily expand this capability.
The up side - Creating the capability you want is easy and FAST! No long
nights with a volt meter trying to "devine why it won't work". As for price,
initially it appears pricy, but when you consider the speed at which you can
develop and the nights you can spend out instead of huddled over your
creation, the cost is reasonable. If I had a nickel for every time I have
tried "free" or "low cost" items off websites only to spend hours trying to
figure them out, I would be much better off.

Ultimately, the decision is yours, however I have found that you truely "get
what you pay for". Parallax, maker of the stamp, is at www.parallax.com

Bill