z8encorexp+programmer

[sandeepa]

hello everyone
i was a user of z8 family,but it seems shifting to encore is a better option as z8 chips have become very difficult to get esp in small quantities.i want to know whether there are any encorexp users here and how good those chips are.how easy is it shifting from z8 series to the encorexp series.is it worth investing in the development kit?
also what about programing the chip?from what i read ,if i buy the development kit,the cable that comes along with it can be connected to the board and used to program the chip.can someone please explain this clearly?will i need to buy/make a programmer?
the encore/encorexp series or then the good old pics is what i am considering shifting to.also wondering how come there is such little help available for zilog where loads of good stuff is available for pic and thw likes?
also,i want to add that i think this is a great forum.i have been hanging around here for a while and have learnt a real lot.
thank you all
sandeepa

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

also wondering how come there is such little help available for zilog where loads of good stuff is available for pic and thw likes?

PIC's are cheap, easy to use, have free tools you can download, and have been available for many years - this has resulted in them being very popular, and produces loads of examples and help. Certainly they are the most popular hobbiest micro-controller, it's almost got to the stage that PIC is used as a generic term for a micro-controller (rather like Hoover and vacuum cleaners).

 

[DirtyLude]

There's little help for the Encore because it's so new. It's still going through growing pains even now.

The z8encore Yahoo group is fairly active if you want help.

If you buy the development kit, you do not need to make a programmer. The Encore has a one pin in circuit debug/programming pin, that's fast and easy to use with the development environment that comes with the development kit.

You can see my page for an example of setup. It shows the old TIM module programmer, but the new smart cable works exactly the same.

**broken link removed**

If you buy anything, get the Encore 642 development kit. The EncoreXP is a limited chip, and the development tools and programming/debugging cable can be used for any chip in the Encore series, so you can move to the XP later if you want.