JMac3108 Makes great points. I learned C on PC because microcontrollers didn't exist when I learned C.

However they are slightly different animals, namely, the lack of "Standard Input" and "Standard Output", which many tutorials assume exist by use of printf statements. These are only created, minimally, by connecting an LCD or a serial port.

I would only suggest one addition to JMac's learning map: After LCD, learn I²C interfacing (also known as two-wire). There are a ton of ICs out there from real time clocks to LED drivers that use the I²C interface, so a controller can switch hundreds of outputs and do a lot of functions with only two pins. After that, look into SPI and other bus protocols. SPI is popular, but uses 3 wires and the coding is similar, but adds a wire.

 

Agreed. I2C or SPI ... just pick whichever talks to the chips you want to play with.

I like SPI because its much faster.