The sensor I was looking at buying is the following:
'Sharp GP2D12
Distance Measuring Sensor
Infrared distance measuring sensor accurately determines range to target between 10cm and 80cm.
Supplied with 12” connection lead (26 gauge stranded wire) one end of which has a machine crimped JST connector and the other end of the lead is left free.
Can be used as a proximity detector to detect objects between 0cm and 130cm.'
I chose this sensor because of the distance it can reach. Although I only plan to use around 10-20 cm distance it seems to be the lowest sensor at a reasonable price without going into tiny measurements such as 1 inch.
Would I be right in thinking that after programming the PIC and Im sure everything worked it would be a matter of connecting the sensor to the pins on the pic and a power supply to some of the other pins on the pic and a RS232 connector onto some of the pins?
Am I being a bit crude and missing vital components here?
Thanks. Ill look into the kit you recommended now