Microcontrollers

[Ampersand]

Hey guys. I'm getting kind of seriously interested in electronics lately, and I was interested into making more advance, more usable components. So of course, I thought of microcontrollers.

Suggestions on good microcontrollers for fun projects?

 

[samjc3]

Definitely go with AVR. From there, theres lots you can do. Adafruit is your friend. As is Sparkfun/Littlebird.

 

[bassmasta]

PIC is good too. It really depends on what you want to do with it.

Maybe pick up an Arduino?

 

[Ampersand]

I'm currently looking at AVR, because I found out there's a bunch of places I can sample them for free (of course I'll buy them if I find them useful/fun, but eh, if I can try before buying, why not? ).

 

[XCVG]

AVR is better than PIC. First off, Arduino is excellent. Getting an Arduino with a protoshield is an excellent way to get started whether you plan to use the Arduino IDE or not. Of course you could just poke an ATmega168 or (better but more expensive) breaboardable Arduino into a breadboard. USB programming is very convenient- but you could make do with an essentially free DAPA cable. You can build a programmer that will work with almost all common AVR chips for free- something you can't do with PIC. Apparently programming it in assembly is easier, but that probably won't matter to you.

If you can get started for free, go for it. A breadboard, an ATMega168, and a DAPA cable are all you need.

 

[Ampersand]

I have a breadboard, I can find a DAPA cable, and I can get an ATMega168 for free. I'll do that.

 

[robm]

Yeah, I would advise not getting an arduino. They have their advantages, but learning how to do things without what is basically a front-end is a bit more... well, productive.

And honestly, don't do a DAPA cable. Just order one of Adafruit's tinyusbs, solder it all together, and have a great, easy-to-use USB programmer. I did the DAPA cable thing for a while, and it's just not ideal at all. The hardest part you're going to run into is getting your dev environment set up; from there, it's pretty straightforward.

With that said... if you really want a DAPA cable, I can send you mine. I am done with it.

 

[XCVG]

Use the DAPA cable to burn a bootloader then program either through serial or USB-to-Serial. I think the Metaboard uses software USB- maybe you can use that bootloader.

Yeah, I guess Arduino is a bit watered-down. But it is really slick and easy to use. I love it and highly recommend it, but I sort of see where you are going wiht that.