Comments on: Where to start with Microcontrollers http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/ Microcontrollers Electronics Hobby Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:58:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Getting Started with AVR Studio | uC Hobby http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/comment-page-1/#comment-1476 Getting Started with AVR Studio | uC Hobby Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:37:20 +0000 http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/#comment-1476 [...] this article Jacob Woj continues with his getting started with Microcontroller projects theme. In the first article he compared the Arduino, Make Controller Kit, and more direct programming using AVR-GCC and an [...] [...] this article Jacob Woj continues with his getting started with Microcontroller projects theme. In the first article he compared the Arduino, Make Controller Kit, and more direct programming using AVR-GCC and an [...]

]]> By: Kai http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/comment-page-1/#comment-1475 Kai Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:22:06 +0000 http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/#comment-1475 I've been programming AVR chips in C using ISP/JTAG, but using Arduino based hardware in addition to breadboarding. Like Winston I like the Boarduino and also the Sanguino (ATMega64 based board). That said I have two decades of programming experience but very little electronics background so figuring out electronics bugs has actually been quite entertaining and educational. I’ve been programming AVR chips in C using ISP/JTAG, but using Arduino based hardware in addition to breadboarding. Like Winston I like the Boarduino and also the Sanguino (ATMega64 based board). That said I have two decades of programming experience but very little electronics background so figuring out electronics bugs has actually been quite entertaining and educational.

]]> By: Jacob http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/comment-page-1/#comment-1474 Jacob Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:38:10 +0000 http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/#comment-1474 Well the fact of the matter is that all of the solutions are cross platform and the only one that is not open source is the AVRISP (though o/s ISP programmers do exist). For that reason, I didn't really feel a major need to highlight it. I guess I could have dealt with hardware a bit more, but then again, there is not one universal configuration in ISP programming that works for all projects. Well the fact of the matter is that all of the solutions are cross platform and the only one that is not open source is the AVRISP (though o/s ISP programmers do exist). For that reason, I didn’t really feel a major need to highlight it.

I guess I could have dealt with hardware a bit more, but then again, there is not one universal configuration in ISP programming that works for all projects.

]]> By: Larry http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/comment-page-1/#comment-1473 Larry Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:29:00 +0000 http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/#comment-1473 I was a little amazed that the fact that the Arduino platform is open sourced both on it's software and hardware and it's IDE (now at version 12) runs on all three major PC platforms, MS-Apple-Linux, was not mentioned. Lets face it, the low cost access to these great chips is only possible because of the PC platform they all rely on for developing ones projects. While I'm not trying to imply that the Arduino is the end all & be all, the fact is that being open sourced was already spawned a large available choice of compatible and competitive priced hardware choices. This lack of vendor lock in and active open source software development was a large reason for me to choose it recently. I was a little amazed that the fact that the Arduino platform is open sourced both on it’s software and hardware and it’s IDE (now at version 12) runs on all three major PC platforms, MS-Apple-Linux, was not mentioned. Lets face it, the low cost access to these great chips is only possible because of the PC platform they all rely on for developing ones projects.

While I’m not trying to imply that the Arduino is the end all & be all, the fact is that being open sourced was already spawned a large available choice of compatible and competitive priced hardware choices. This lack of vendor lock in and active open source software development was a large reason for me to choose it recently.

]]> By: Eric http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/comment-page-1/#comment-1472 Eric Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:08:27 +0000 http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/#comment-1472 I personally use the Roboduino microcontroller board Its basically a better version of the Arduino and is 100% compatible with the Arduino software More info: http://curiousinventor.com/kits/roboduino I personally use the Roboduino microcontroller board

Its basically a better version of the Arduino and is 100% compatible with the Arduino software

More info: http://curiousinventor.com/kits/roboduino

]]> By: Winston http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/comment-page-1/#comment-1471 Winston Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:22:21 +0000 http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/#comment-1471 After initially buying a $20 TI eZ430-F2013 and finding their documentation on the controller's ADC section sorely lacking, I went with a $25 Boarduino, a very compact breadboard compatible version of the USB Arduino Diecimila. Plenty of ADC docs are available for Boarduino's ATMega168 and I'm very happy with the unit in other respects, too. After initially buying a $20 TI eZ430-F2013 and finding their documentation on the controller’s ADC section sorely lacking, I went with a $25 Boarduino, a very compact breadboard compatible version of the USB Arduino Diecimila. Plenty of ADC docs are available for Boarduino’s ATMega168 and I’m very happy with the unit in other respects, too.

]]> By: WestfW http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/comment-page-1/#comment-1470 WestfW Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:23:28 +0000 http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/#comment-1470 You make it sound like porting the relatively simple Arduino runtime environment to other CPUs and/or boards would make them significantly easier to use. That's an INTERESTING observation; most of the arduino project is tied up in the IDE and backward/forward compatibility. I would think that it would be relatively easy to implement the core arduino library on nearly ANY cpu, if you can do things make the "pin numbers" equal to chip numbers or something... Also, I think you skip over hardware complexity a bit too much. With either Make Controller or Arduino, you can ask basic questions and people can assume a particular (and WORKING) hardware configuration. Whereas when dealing with bare AVR chips, you might need to start with "well, how are your fuses burnt? Did you remember a pullup on RESET/ ? Having "known working" and "common" hardware is a big advantage when getting community help... You make it sound like porting the relatively simple Arduino runtime environment to other CPUs and/or boards would make them significantly easier to use. That’s an INTERESTING observation; most of the arduino project is tied up in the IDE and backward/forward compatibility. I would think that it would be relatively easy to implement the core arduino library on nearly ANY cpu, if you can do things make the “pin numbers” equal to chip numbers or something…

Also, I think you skip over hardware complexity a bit too much. With either Make Controller or Arduino, you can ask basic questions and people can assume a particular (and WORKING) hardware configuration. Whereas when dealing with bare AVR chips, you might need to start with “well, how are your fuses burnt? Did you remember a pullup on RESET/ ? Having “known working” and “common” hardware is a big advantage when getting community help…

]]> By: Jacob http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/comment-page-1/#comment-1469 Jacob Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:33:48 +0000 http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/#comment-1469 Good point, but it's not entirely the case. The Make comes with libraries that are prebuilt for many of the functions both on the chip and on the board, in standard C++, so it's not too complicated to get started. Good point, but it’s not entirely the case. The Make comes with libraries that are prebuilt for many of the functions both on the chip and on the board, in standard C++, so it’s not too complicated to get started.

]]> By: Berni http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/comment-page-1/#comment-1468 Berni Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:19:58 +0000 http://www.uchobby.com/index.php/2008/12/07/where-to-start-with-microcontrollers/#comment-1468 That make controller kit is very powerful since it uses a ARM7, but that probably means a lot of complication. I personaly use PICs That make controller kit is very powerful since it uses a ARM7, but that probably means a lot of complication.

I personaly use PICs

]]>