Beginer microcontrollers - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Mattwarne
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2012, 01:52:08 am
content: I would like to know what the best microcontroller is for basic electronics that includes R/CThanksMatt

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2012, 02:06:38 am
content: Any one that you like the look of. (But Arduino might be a good place to start.)

author: don.r
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2012, 02:47:34 am
content: If you can live with 8 bit D/A A/D and 8 bit programming and limited programming space then the Arduino would suit. Otherwise check out the SMT32 series based on ARM. 12 bit D/A A/D and loads of 32bit programming space.

author: Teknotronix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2012, 03:13:08 am
content: A big part of the learning curve with microcontrollers is made up of the tool set. Arduino is much easier in that respect but you loose a lot of control and features in the IDE. For me this is a pretty big drawback, however if you have never done any micro stuff before Arduino is a good start to learn some basics and then move onto a more advanced chip/IDE like those from Atmel or Microchip. The IDE software is free so you could download it, take a test drive and maybe run through some tutorials to see which you like best.I personally recommend the PIC Kit 3 package, which is affordable, comes with the programmer/debugger and sample test board. There is a bunch of learning material that compliments this kit. There are so many dev kits to choose from, researching and trying them is part of the fun!

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2012, 06:07:51 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on January 03, 2012, 02:06:38 amWTF?

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2012, 06:09:47 pm
content: If you can get a certain brand of microcontroller locally, then go for it. It is a real time-saver, specially when you have to wait 3-4 days for a $5 chip to arrive (and pay $7 for shipping).

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 03, 2012, 08:47:00 pm
content: Quote from: don.r on January 03, 2012, 02:47:34 amI believe the Arduino (ATmega328) has a 10-bit ADC and no DAC (except PWM).Quote from: don.r on January 03, 2012, 02:47:34 amAnd loads of complexity to confuse a beginner.In my opinion the suggestion to either pick the easy to use Arduino (and possibly graduate to programming the AVR in bare C later) or pick something that's readily available or that your friends use. I would stick to the popular 8/16-bit ones like the PIC, AVR or MSP430, not some obscure architecture like STM8 or complex ones like the ARM. If you want ARM, thembedmight be worth a look. The online development environment and libraries are quite nice, and programming through the USB flash emulator is a breeze, although an experienced programmer will miss a real IDE and offline compiler.

author: slateraptor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2012, 01:14:19 am
content: Quote from: ivan747 on January 03, 2012, 06:07:51 pmLMFAO!!P.S. The Arduino platform is where you need to be.

author: Mattwarne
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2012, 02:12:09 am
content: Quote from: SimRacer on January 03, 2012, 03:13:08 amI will look at the pic kit 3 package thanks

author: Teknotronix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2012, 02:14:21 am
content: Just make sure you get the right package. The PicKit 3 also comes in a version without the demo board. Enjoy

author: Mattwarne
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2012, 02:19:10 am
content: Quote from: SimRacer on January 04, 2012, 02:14:21 amI would like the dev board idea.