i have done a detailed study of 8051
do i need to learn PIC too..
does 8051 perform all the tasks that PIC does...

 

I think you will find that both the PIC and the AVR have a couple of internal functions that are not native to the 8051. The one advantage to the PIC and the AVR are the ease with which they can be reprogrammed through their ISP (In-system programming) connections. The ability to quickly reprogram either of these micros without removing them from the circuit is a major convenience.


hgmjr

 

so which one should i go ahead and study...an AVR or PIC..and can i know difference between them...

 

Either one will perform pretty much any robotics function you need.

I am most familiar with the AVR family so naturally I am biased. What I like about the AVR is that the software development tools are free. YES, you heard me correctly. They are free. And the tools are very powerful to boot. AVRSTUDIO4 can be downloaded to your Windows PC right now by going to www.atmel.com and installing it. AVRSTUDIO4 provides the basic Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and give you immediate access to the development of assembly language software programs. If you desire to use C-language, you can get the C-language ADD-IN for the AVRSTUDIO4 by going to www.sourceforge.net and downloading WINAVR.

A couple of websites will give you a leg up on programming the AVR. There is www.avrbeginners.net and www.avrfreaks.net.

hgmjr

 

I think it totally depends on what the robot does, if it needs a lot of processing or not.

For example (even though I did not even start on it), for the robot that I want to make I will use a computer PC as the "brains", and I will use several PICs to collect information from several sensors and pass that info to the PC. The PC will then build a 3D image of the surroundings. And that I don't think it can be done with any microcontroller that I know of, it's just too much data to go through.

So it all depends on how advanced you want the robot to be...

 

rufio,

Maybe you can help us assist you by providing us some details of what you would like to do with your robotic project.

hgmjr

 

Thanks a lot for ur replies...my dilemma is resolving now...@hgmjr abt the robotics project..i will surely ask for your help whenever its required..thanks a lot..

 

Thanks a lot for ur replies...my dilemma is resolving now...@hgmjr abt the robotics project..i will surely ask for your help whenever its required..thanks a lot..

We are here to help you as you work your way through your robotics project.

hgmjr

 

If you are in a school situation. I would say use the same MCU brand as you use in school. As you will benefit from that. I also think it do not matter if you go for Microchip or AVR. Microchip have become quite popular due to the cheap programmer named PICKIT 2 (or 3). I have one my self. And it offer very good value for little money. With this device you can program a huge range of flash based Microchip MCU. From 8 to 32 bits versions. AVR do have a similar device. But it cost somewhat more. And I do not know if it is USB based like the PICKIT. Another important thing is the availability regarding MCU units. You can not do much MCU work without MCUs

 

This is not a brand-specific tips, but if you are building a batterypowered car or something you might wannt to choose a microcontroller wich can operate on low voltages.

 

Good points to all. The other designers on the team should let you know of available power you have for the "brains". If you have already decided on a power supply and such, that will narrow down things a bit.

If you are new to microcontrollers, I would go with PIC or AVR. There are hundreds of websites with thousands of people using them. This is a GREAT resource for such uCs. Also, the communities have created many free and powerful applications for use in creating and simulating these uCs. You will have to decide on the amount of info and sensors you will be controlling, the type of communications with the outside world(and uC to uC) and the speed of operation.

BUT, like I said, your available power will dictate what is available to you.