Simple Project, little experience

[Getrag]

I am doing a basic project for someone I know and I'm looking for some tips for the electronics.
I'm new to microcontrollers, the only experience I have is using the "Handyboard" for a
mechatronics project while doing mechanical engineering in school.
The program I would prefer to use is C.

The project is basicaly i will have a motor running a device (it will be powered separatly using motor speed controller) and i'll need 2 or 3 optical interrupt sensors counting when they are tripped. when they reach a certain number I want it to shut off a switch that is inline from the motor speed controller to the motor itself.
I would like to power the microcontroller with just a 6-12V dc converter that i can plug in.

Would something like the AVR butterfly work well for this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Pommie]

How will the microcontroller control the motor?
How often will the interrupt be and how long will the signal be present?
What else will it have to do?

Mike.

 

[Diver300]

You could certainly use a PIC.

It sounds like the actual programming will be quite simple. As you haven't programmed a microcontroller before, most of the work will be working out how they function, and a lot of the cost will be a programmer. The PICkit3 is about $35

 

[Getrag]

How will the microcontroller control the motor?
How often will the interrupt be and how long will the signal be present?
What else will it have to do?

Mike.

The microcontroller will never control the motor other than switching it's power on and off. I'm going to have the DC motor on the speed controller for easy variable input.
The interrupt will be 35-50 times per min, depending on motor speed.
Only other thing I would like it to do is have an input that the user pushes to set the number of interupts before it switches the motor off. This could be a button that increases in increments of 50 or 100 for example, and resets at a predefined number (ie 5000 interrupts) incase you accidently push it more times than desired.
Thats realy all it will do. It should be fairly simple programming.

Diver, I'll look into that PICkit3 also, thanks

 

[Pommie]

With those requirements almost any chip could do it. However, how will the user know how many interrupts he selected? Will a display of some description be needed?

Mike.

 

[Getrag]

With those requirements almost any chip could do it. However, how will the user know how many interrupts he selected? Will a display of some description be needed?

Mike.

Yeah, a display would be needed. I would like something that requires minimal custom building, thats why I'm wondering if the AVR butterfly would do the trick