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more confused than ever!!

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You seem a little confused?, an Arduino is just a board containing an AVR, not a device of it's own.

Not confused, and not just a board containing an AVR. The Arduino is a whole ecosystem of hardware and software, pretty much all open source. It also has a very active user base and very extensive library support.

I suspect it is the single largest community of uC users in a single environment ( The PIC is broken up by all sorts of versions of the chip and different languages and compilers )

With any uC you have to add a clock, power supply.... There are many ways to do this and the Arduino makes it simple by making all these decisions for you. Board is pretty close to cost of parts so if you want to roll your own you need some good reason.
 
Russ Hensel said:
"I suspect it is the single largest community of uC users in a single environment ( The PIC is broken up by all sorts of versions of the chip and different languages and compilers )"

Hi Russ, I agree because IMHO AVR stuff, at least for the compiler, has
a big advantage: GCC
And since I do also kernel stuff on Solaris, *BSD etc... I'm familiar with
GCC and just like it :)

Russ Hensel said:
"With any uC you have to add a clock, power supply...."

Well, most uCs have the option of using an internal clock.
Especially the smaller or tiny ones.

"... Board is pretty close to cost of parts so if you want to roll your own you need some good reason..."

Absolutely! My reason is, do most of all by myself :)
Atmel ATmega (ATmega16 / ATmega32) - MMC (Multi Media Card) Flash Memory Extension

Cheers!
 
does it have any advantages over pic? also could u take a look at **broken link removed** let me know what you think and if its gonna cover what i need :D cheers guys
 
does it have any advantages over pic? also could u take a look at **broken link removed** let me know what you think and if its gonna cover what i need :D cheers guys

Advantages ? No, well, except for a free available compiler.
I took a look at the pickit, but I think it overpriced.

Spending about 15USD for the simple programmer I mentioned
I think you have much more for your money.
...and if you have a thingie afterwards, that is working, you
have built yourself, and enjoy, that is worth more than a working
particle accelerator (CERN)

Furthermore, the pickit only "likes" windows, so just in case you
have to do stuff on other operating systems, it might be a problem.
Sure there are compilers and prg. software for Linux, etc... but
there might be some limits, since the operating system world is
not a uniform world.

OK, having said enough, these are the recommendations for you:

1. Try to find "your" language: Means, look on google for tutorials
in assembler, C.... choose what you like best

2. Search for uCs where compilers are available.
GCC for AVRs, others for PICs

3. Well, that might be number 2 aswell, but find a device that fits
you best. E.g. number of port pins, ADC, serial comm, etc...

4. If you choose an AVR, feel free to post another thread and
I'll be there to help you as much as I can.

Cheers!
 
I like that board on ebay mainly because it comes with a ZIF board :

3M ZIF on programmable chip package: DIP8, DIP14, DIP18, DIP20, DIP28, DIP40

So he can use it for programming many pics without breadboard..... I would recommend this tho.
 
I like that board on ebay mainly because it comes with a ZIF board :

3M ZIF on programmable chip package: DIP8, DIP14, DIP18, DIP20, DIP28, DIP40

So he can use it for programming many pics without breadboard..... I would recommend this tho.

Sure, totally agreed. Well, in my case I decided for one AVR and
built the parallel port programmer for the ATmega16. That means
that for most things a ATmega is overkill, but I have a stable
devel platform for just a few bucks.

IMHO, it the choice of the user if they use an AVR or a PIC, just
like choosing analog stuff. One prefers ANALOG or NATIOAL or
whatever company ... with analog stuff you also have to learn,
not programming of course, but where to put what voltage.
 
yeah but the MOST important thing over price is SUPPORT. This is because if you pay the least amount and the support isnt as good then your stuck paying for it.

Im not saying the AVR support isnt good. There are a bunch of places including here with lots of support but the majority is for PIC micros.

Remember even microsoft doesnt know what to PIC(K) lol.... The XBOX/XBOX 360 contains both ATMEL and MICROCHIP parts inside the controller and system... Just food for thought. You dont have to choose 1 for life but just for the time being.
 
For a hobby why would you need a zif socket with a icsp programmer and most people new to programming are not going to have a easy time using a zif socket. To easy to put the chip in wrong.
And why would you want to move from zif to bread board to run a program.
Like holding wires to a light bulb.
 
"yeah but the MOST important thing over price is SUPPORT"

this forum ? :)

"Remember even microsoft doesnt know what to PIC(K) lol.... The XBOX/XBOX 360 contains both ATMEL and MICROCHIP parts inside the controller and system... Just food for thought."

LOLMAO ... MS is using those bugs in the Xbox ?
WOW! Didn't know that! I bet they use OSS for their
stuff. Unbelievable! I think they're doing anything
to get their products on the market.

Cheers!
 
For a hobby why would you need a zif socket with a icsp programmer and most people new to programming are not going to have a easy time using a zif socket. To easy to put the chip in wrong.
And why would you want to move from zif to bread board to run a program.
Like holding wires to a light bulb.

Be,

you're right but what I try to tell people here is my experience.
That means suggesting easy cheap solutions but of course with
some (at least BASIC people have) language knowledge.
What I try to do here is not convincing people to use AVR or
PIC or vice versa, just trying to help :)

My mission here is that I can help people, and for a reward I
hope to get some help for my probs, which are sometimes
pretty strange.

Ciao from Italy, I hope you understand my English :)
 
captainhannes you are clearly biased in favor of AVR and that is OK as long as you admit to it.

I many/most cases you can get free compilers for PICs.
The PICkit2 includes a debugger and it works with most Microchip Chips.
You can build inexpensive PIC programmers if you choose.

Yes it only works with windows. I doubt that changing that would be of much value to them.

3v0
 
captainhannes you are clearly biased in favor of AVR and that is OK as long as you admit to it.

I many/most cases you can get free compilers for PICs.
The PICkit2 includes a debugger and it works with most Microchip Chips.
You can build inexpensive PIC programmers if you choose.

Yes it only works with windows. I doubt that changing that would be of much value to them.

3v0


3v0,

yeah sure, I'm biased fro AVRs. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Best from Asia (back in a few)
 
Your request sound like a simple uncomplicated design. I suggest you check out the Nano at Basic Micro. Their 18-pin Nano is only $8, the USB-ready development board is another $50. They supply a many-featured powerful BASIC for a free download. Check it out at:
**broken link removed**
The USB port is used to program the chip, then can be used as a serial port to do communications and debugging, using the same cable.
The only down side is a slow forum and outdated manuals. I happen to be a moderator on the forums, going by kenjj. If you do a quick registration there, you can place a post describing what you want to do and ask for input about how the Nano can do what you want. If you want to go ahead with using the part for your work, people on BMicro's forum can help you achieve your project.
Having said all that, I can't fault any advice given out here so far. There are many companies offering any number of good solutions. I mention Basic Micro because I have used their products extensively and think it will easily do what you want.
Happy Holidays!
kenjj
 
I'm a dyed-in-wool PIC nut but I have to say I'm really impressed with what you can do with a $30 Arduino or Freeduino board. No programmer required and you can even load a program onto it to turn it into a programmer.

Regards, Mike
 
hmmm i never thought it would be so complicated!!! thanks for all the info. i am goi ng to take the plunge later today and choose one, is good to know there is so much support around on here. cheers
 
If you need a way to decide then look at how many posts are Pic or Avr related.

Unless you are willing to change forums then Pics win hands down.

Mike.
 
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