True enough Nigel, especially for price =) But it's just so fun to say 'use an MCU' all the time =) And given what they can do nowadays, there's very little that can't be helped by using them, especially for the development of an idea. If you start out on good footing with an MCU, future 'branching' into other realms is easier and less costly. They really are 'what if' devices. The can do the simplest things easily, and are programming wise limited almost only by the programmers innovativeness and knowledge to obtain results. A big hunk of digital logic like an MCU and a little bit of analog or digital ingenuity will get you a lot farther than knowing the right part to use in every single macroscopic situation. The only thing better than an MCU is an FPGA, but those things are like digital magic, programmable hardware =)