Sean,
I just began my journey into embedded. I'm enrolled in the embedded certificate program at UC Irvine Extension. The intro class uses the STK500 and STK502 development kits from Atmel. I am having a blast! Having done just general application programming for 8 years (most of it in Java), I'm finally starting to feel like a REAL programmer again.
Another class I'm taking is Embedded System Architecture. We're using Altera's UP2 student board. It's got a ton of doodads on it, and we're learning how to use Verilog HDL to design processor cores (I think!) to download onto the board.
I can't wait to work full time with hardware and software, maybe Embedded device drivers! Java and web programming is so boring to me now, I can't wait to go back to C and maybe a little asm!
My ultimate goal (besides a new career): emulate Hayes over Telnet between Commodore 64's so that vintage telcom software can use the internet instead of the phone lines WITHOUT using an intermediate computer and null modem. Some have already made ethernet possible on the C64, but I don't think they've quite done what I want to do: C64 -> Hayes -> Telnet -> Hayes ->
C64. I figure even if I don't get it to work, my brain will swell at least
2 sizes to fill the voids caused by high level programming!
Check out avrfreaks.com and avrbeginners.net for projects, knowledge bases, and all around gurus (please search archives before posting questions).
So much to learn, so little time, argggg!!!
-microman (aka whtwrx aka Jeff)