Project: Radio control variable speed bidirection

I am doing several small projects. But it seems like a good idea to have a goal to work towards. I am breaking up this project into parts and learning how to do each one. I plan to use this blog to walk through the project as I develop it. Some of the experiments will be only slightly related. Since I am relativly new to electronics I have a lot to learn.

Since this is the first post I will give some of my background. I am a Junior Mechanical Engineering student. I work for a company that makes large mining equipment in the division that does surface mining machines. I am proficient in VB, C++ and fortran, and somewhat familiar with Java, and assembly. I have been working with electronics as a hobby since January 09. I started with refreshing on electrical principals, Resistance, inductance, capacitance. Then I read up on how semiconductors work, and I've been picking up what I can about methods and mechanisms used wherever I can.

The skills I've aquired so far are that I can solder a good joint that blends smoothly into the pin and the board, I can setup a pic, program it and get it running. And I've begun to learn to use C18, though I've played with some of the other languages, thats the one I'm really training on.

Ok, now to the point
The motor controller outline:
Design and construct a device that will plug into two servo ports of the reciver of a factory made Radio Control set, such as Futaba or Traxxas, and will control two small motors, bidirectionally with variable speed, for use in a tank drive vechicle.

Specifics:

• Handle small motors with a stalled current of up to 800ma.
  
• Operate from a standardised jack that will connect to a 9v battery, 8 AA batteries in series, or a 9-12vdc wall adapter.
  

• Figure out how to build an H bridge that meets specifications and can be controlled by logic level current from an average PIC chip - Done (details in next post)
  
• Learn how to program a PIC chip (basic hardware and software setup, not coding proficiency) - Done
  
• Capture PWM signal with PIC
  
• Produce motor control PWM signal with PIC
  
• Make prototype that uses both features to control a motor
  
• Make full prototype with adjustable relative speed and two motors
  
• Choose and learn to use a method of creating PCBs
  
• Build complete device on a PCB
  
• Once complete create project tutorial for others to use
  

• Learn more about using C18, my current chosen pic programming language, currently working on timer interrupts
  
• Learn debugging methods, currently working on making an LCD readout, also planning on learning about MPLAB debudding and data gathering tools, along with debug features of Junebug.