I was looking at this offering from BG Micro. Has anyone used it? It looks extremely simple to use (though I've never seen a DIP package that big before).

http://www.bgmicro.com/bredboardarduinokit.aspx

"Breadboard Arduino Kit". Build your very own Arduino-compatible microcontroller. No tools required. You will need a PC, Mac or Linux computer with a spare USB port, a USB A to Mini-B cable (almost any camera or MP3 player cable will work) and the free Arduino IDE software from http://arduino.cc. All the other parts are included in the kit. Assembly time is under one hour (probably 15 minutes, but take your time, have fun). When you are finished, you will have the equivalent of the "Arduino Duemilanove", sporting an Atmel AVR ATmega328 running at 16 MHz. All this is built on a solderless breadboard (included!) that allows you to add more components as your experiments grow. Complete instructions included. Actually this is one of the featured articles in "MAKE" magazine volume 25, available January 2011.

Could someone please correct the dumb spelling of Arduino in my title? Thanks.

 

Looks like a typical 28pin skinny dip.

 

I've not used it, but I have made several PIC projects on breadboards without many problems as long as jumpers are kept short.

The Arduino itself is programmed through a bootloader.

The USB breadboard power supplies are handy, but I'd add extra caps to the power rails.

The 28 pin DIPs are not rare with uCs, a lot more I/O than a 16 or 18 pin DIP, and leaves plenty of room on breadbaord compared to a 40 pin DIP.

 

Ain't typical if you've never seen one.

How fragile is it? Looks like it would break pretty easily.

 

Fragile? The skinny dip with the blue sticker or the wee USB to TTL (FT232R) PCB in the upper left corner?
The dip is pretty rugged, common for some microcontrollers and old SRAM chips. 0.3" wide and 1.5" long. I've got rails of 18F2550 PICs that are exactly the same.

My Junebug kit uses one.

 

A couple alternatives for you Mr Marsden;

Seeduino v2.2

Modern Devices

You can purchase those solderless breadboards seperately for about $5.

Happy Holidays!

Cheerful regards, Mike, K8LH

 

Bill,

If you are interested in exploring microcontrollers, I would recommend that you go ahead and purchase an Arduino Duemilanove or Arduino Uno for $30 plus shipping. You will find tons and tons of already written software examples. You will also find an extensive library available from www.arduino.cc. You will be able to take the duemilanove or uno right out of the box and start programming it using the free software that can be downloaded from www.arduino.cc.

I have been using the Arduino since last spring and it has not disappointed me yet.

If you have any questions I will be more that happy to answer them if I can.

hgmjr

 

The one I showed had the USB port in the corner, which is fairly attractive to my mind. The store is local too, which is another plus. If you look at the documentation they mention the Arduino websites.

How much is that microcontroller chip? I suspect that would be the expensive part for any project.

 

Get a low cost programmer/debugger. Like a PICKIT or the AVR equivalent . Then purchase some MCUs. If you select PIC go for the 18F series. Download a free C compiler. And you are ready to roll. I think that little gizmo is just a USB to rs232 converter with TTL level output.

 

The one I showed had the USB port in the corner, which is fairly attractive to my mind. The store is local too, which is another plus. If you look at the documentation they mention the Arduino websites.

How much is that microcontroller chip? I suspect that would be the expensive part for any project.

Bill,

The ATMEGA328 (28-pin DIP) comes with the Arduino board. It comes already loaded with the boot-loader. The boot loader is what facilitates the programming of the Arduino. There is no programmer required since the boot-loader allows you to program the Arduino board using the PC USB port.

I just checked Mouser and the ATMEGA328 (28-pin DIP) single piece price is a little over $4.

The Arduino is a great introduction to the programming world. You program in C-language. There is a free library available for almost anything you would like to experiment with. All you do is purchase the Arduino and download the free Arduino Intergrated Development Environment and you are ready to go. The board can be powerer by the USB port or by an external power supply (e.g. wall-wart). You will want to purchase a prototyping shield (just a piggyback board) that gives you a place to breadboard you hardware that you will talk to with the Arduino.

If you need more information I will be happy to answer any of your questions.

hgmjr