I think this unit is very good for educational use. But not so good then you shall make your own projects. And the list of supported uCs is small compeared to a PICkit 3. And how about support for newer uCs and incircuit debugging?

But your comparing a dev board to a programmer. I started as a total rookie and I tell you the hardest thing was trying to imagine how everything connected. Once I got a real dev board I could look at the code, run down the pins, look at the components, I finally understood what was going on. Just starting with a breadboard and programmer is really scary to someone with no experience.

 

You can get a bigger BANG for your knowledge:

http://www.microchip.com/stellent/i...Id=1406&dDocName=en539716&redirects=picdemlab

For starts, the following links may assist you on how to write code for the supported microchips by the PICkit 2 programmer. The pickit 2 programmer can program a huge variety of microcontrollers from microchip..........

http://www.gooligum.com.au/tutorials.html
http://www.ermicro.com/blog/?p=875
http://www.ermicro.com/blog/?p=909
http://www.ermicro.com/blog/?p=423
http://www.ermicro.com/blog/?p=820

From knowing what Bill knows and works with, I think this breadboard solution, including the PicKit2 Programmer and a variety of PICs to start with would be very close to what he is looking for.

The huge integrated dev boards make it difficult to build a small project. One becomes used to little things that are included on the dev board, and doesn't think of them when building a standalone PC Board, or putting a PIC on a solderless breadboard.

My son, who is 10, PREFERS maknig/programming the robots we build on solderless breadboards instead of PC Boards or dev kits. He only wants the stuff he is going to use on it so he doesn't get confused. It depends alot, I guess, on whether you are a "hardware guy" or a "software guy". Software guys/programmers at heart, prefer the full dev boards as shown above for $139, and can do amazing things with them. Hardware guys like to do as much as they can in hardware, and touch it up in software, they seem to prefer the more basic items, and solderless breadboarding.

 

lol, I didn't even see it was Bill asking for it. In that case just get a good programmer and breadboard. But I stand by my claim if your a true rookie and don't have anyone local that can help you, go the dev kit way.

 

lol, I didn't even see it was Bill asking for it. In that case just get a good programmer and breadboard. But I stand by my claim if your a true rookie and don't have anyone local that can help you, go the dev kit way.

Do not get me wrong Maxpower, I can agree in you that the easypic would be great in all educational setting, and for people who want programming only. But perhaps somewhat awkward if you want to build small applications just like thatoneguy explained
By the way, we have not heard anything from the OP. Perhaps Bill is somewhat grumpy because he actually puchased the Velleman unit

 

Naw, just put it on the back burner. I sometimes think I have ADD, because I usually come back to projects (unless they're finished) in spirts, it has to do with numbers of irons in the fire.

Just to start off I may download the AVR software. It is free and will let me simulate them without buying hardware, or at least that is what I've been told.

Still looking for the PIC with the 555 command set, you know, comp, out, thresh, etc.

I don't have any projects in the works that need them, just need to expand my horizons.

 

Just to start off I may download the AVR software. It is free and will let me simulate them without buying hardware, or at least that is what I've been told.

Still looking for the PIC with the 555 command set, you know, comp, out, thresh, etc.

I don't have any projects in the works that need them, just need to expand my horizons.

The AVR studio is not Microchip but Atmel. Microchip has something called MPLAB that is free like the AVR studio. And actually many MCUs include analog comparators, and PWM modules.

 

Still looking for the PIC with the 555 command set, you know, comp, out, thresh, etc.

I don't have any projects in the works that need them, just need to expand my horizons.

I think writing code to make a 12F5xx or 12F6xx act like a 555 would be a neat project and have suggested it to a number of OP's who "wanna" project. Call it the 555 challenge. So far as I know, no one has taken it up. I think you might be able to do it without analog inputs, but you could not control threshold. Also, the power and ground pins are reversed on the 12F series vs. a 555.

Now to really tease you, a company called High Tech Chips, Inc. (HTC) made pre-programmed 12C508 chips that sort of emulated the 555. The HTC550 was a monostable multivibrator and the HTC555 was a clock.

I came across that company while researching the feasibility of attacking the 555 challenge. HTC published both its hardware and software, which was fortunately for me in assembly. My links to the company site do not work, so I am assuming it is not in business anymore. I am attaching the pdf and zip files for each device. The pdf describes how the chip works. The zip contains the program and Orcad schematic.

John

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If we use bitbang on the 12F 8-pin PIC to create a 1200bps serial interface, then we can simply download the timing requirement data into the chip, if on power up one of its GPIOs pin is found asserted.

The token to the PIC can be, for example: xxx = 255 or less

I0W022I1W135R018H

I0: set output to LOW on power up, use I1 otherwise
W022: waits 22 seconds, up to 255 seconds, follows by another Wxxx if insufficient
I1: set output high
W135: waits 135 seconds
R018: repeat whole sequence 18 times, R000=repeats indefinitely
H: Halt

other options: use Txxx for wait in mS and Mxxx for minutes

These data will then be stored in the EEPROM and use on next power up.