New to microcontrollers

Hey guys:

I realize how important microcontrollers are but I don't have any experience whatsoever with them....I've never even seen one before. Can anyone give me advice on where to get started? like a beginners book or project maybe... ?

Thanks.

www.winpicprog.co.uk - Nigel's tutorials on pic's
Complete with a programmer scematic and software

I recommend you to purchase this book called
Oreilly (publisher) called Embedded System Design.
Best book you can get for a hobbyist and even for an unexperienced electrical engineer like me.


btw this is my first post!

I'd say it depends on your current programming/hardware experience.

If you're new to low-level programming I'd probably recommend the Parallax . The Basic Stamp Rev-D is a very robust, embedded module that can be programmed via Parallel link. I say it's embedded because it packs alot of features that make it the ideal learning tool (a built-in regulator, prototyping board space, etc.). It's also got other powerful features which allow you to do projects for motor control, LCD interfaces, and remote controls with ease.

If you're looking for something a little more versitile, I'd try looking into PICs or AVRs. If you're close to a high-end bookstore, there are 3 books published by McGraw-Hill called: "Programming and Customizing the BASIC STAMP", "Programming and Customizing the PIC Microcontroller", and "Programming and Customizing the AVR Microcontroller" that explain them all in great detail (with sample projects included). They're also available on Amazon.com and bn.com. :wink:

In my opinion, you don't need to buy any book to start learning microcontrollers. Try to read the datasheet, itself is a very good tutorial.

And with PIC, you can download, Mid Range references at microchip.com