Newbie asking 4 Hints on a board to practice on

Hello to everyone,

I wish to begin to work on embedded systems, i've got some years of experience with C++, and i bought (and read) some book about the argument. I wish to know in yours opinion on what kind of processor i could begin to practice. On one of the book i read there was examples with Intel 80188EB, but i founded only 300$ boards and so on! I wish to find sometihng cheap, i could even build the board by myself having some experience in electronics (but analogue unlickily!)

Any help greatly appreciated

to reply directly write to snipped-for-privacy@sonoio.fastwebnet.it moving away the sonoio.

E.Da Ros from Italy

Ps, excuse my awful english!

Reply to
E.Da Ros
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Hi, Similar to yourself, I was in search of a cheap little embedded board to test my code on. I managed to get hold of the Flashlite 186 board made by JK Micro - see

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at 99 USD plus shipping for the board, cables, PSU and Borland Turbo C++ ver 4.52. This is a great little board and you can also add a Disk-on-Chip to give it some extra storage. It runs a DOS like OS, but the documentation on this OS isn't too good. I bought mine in the UK, but there are other European distributors listed.

regards,

Colin

Reply to
Colin MacDougall

In article , E.Da Ros writes

No.... All replies will do to the NG. That is the idea of them the answers help/hinder all equally. Also the answers can be discussed openly and opinions aired.

Why do you want to work on embedded systems? what do you want to do?

The most common embedded processor on the planet is the 8051 and there is a vast amount of in expensive support for it. working boards from

50USD

PIC is common and has inexpensive tools.

Neither will (really) run an RTOS or C++.

Why do you need x86 and C++? x86 is not common in embedded work (186 and 386 were).

Work out what you want to do and why and ask again.

I would suggest 8051 and C or an old 286 PC and a free DOS (with source code) and a Borland compiler. However if you are in to comms then Power PC (or an old 68K board).... id depends on what you want to achieve.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ \/\/\/\/\ Chris Hills Staffs England /\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/ snipped-for-privacy@phaedsys.org

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Reply to
Chris Hills

Hello! First thanks to Colin for your answer! Second i'll begin to answer!

Basically i worked for some years on trading-on line back ends with vc++, than i begun with java (and i don't like it so much, 'cuz of too much strange things that Sun create :-P ) in my opinion (humble and radical!! ) i don't like that, i hope this will not be intended as flaming, and i beg your pardon if i was offensive before but i don't like it! Ok given these basis, i want to work on limited, small, well done code. Last year i had to do (i feel bad 4 that) 700 lines of Js code in a single stupid webpage 'cuz my chiefs wanted to finish asap and told me: "optimization, doesn't matter; components? what language are you speaking? reuse? reuse is selling the app to other companies!!!

So i wish to do small "cammeo" or at least things that MUST WORK (i beg your pardon for capital letters but is my biggest dream) or bad things happens. Where there are possibles time limits!!!

But i need experience... and you could make experience by working on the systems by yourself or by other people! How could i achieve that, i asked to me..my answer was: take some board and begin to do some exercice and you'll see!

That's a good thing! 50$ is ok!

Uh-oh i don't understand, what you mean with PIC

i simply love C++ (and all that is below that like asm :) ) and about x86 is just cuz of the book i read "Programming Embedded Systems" by M.Barr (O'Reilly)

I admit that it was not clear why and what, is that my chief always tells when i write relations on meeting (ah yes i even hate to write what happens into meetings :P )

My first goal is to tell basically that i tried to use some kind of embedded systems and in general i've got some starting point form wich evolve (finding the right job)

Thank you 2 everyone for the answers!!

to reply directly write to snipped-for-privacy@sonoio.fastwebnet.it moving away the sonoio.

E.Da Ros from Italy

Ps, excuse my awful english!

Reply to
E.Da Ros

PIC is a microcontroller made by Microchip Technology. PIC has been around (like the 8051) for a very long time and has evolved. There are several families of PIC that use a common set of instructions. More sophisticated PICs have a larger instruction set. The PIC-18 family is the high-end where it is possible to use C. The intermediate family is the PIC-16, which doesn't really have the support needed for C. See

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to read about it.

Some companies have free development software that include simulators so you can learn the instruction set of the microcontroller without hardware. Atmel's AVR Studio (for their AVR microcontroller) and Microchip's MPLAB are both free to download and have simulators.

Reply to
Gary Kato

That is saying, I want to buy a car..... we do not know if you are looking for a volkswagon bug or a ferrari. Ferraris are expensive and high maintenance, volkswagon bugs, you can figure out how to tune up the motor youself.

If you speak of C++, then you are confined to looking at only ferraris. If you can work with C, then you can also work with mid-size cars. If you understand assembler, then you can work on ferraris, mid-sized and volkswagon bugs (as a comparison).

Go to

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and get the data sheets for the pic16c54. If you think you understand that, and think you could write something in assembler, then you would be able to work on the volkswagons ;-) If that looks confusing.... then unfortunately, you have much to learn and are unfortunately confined to the more expensive embedded stuff. Read up a few ANxxx examples to compare/learn. People will rightly so, point out the 16c54 is very very basic and replaced by other processors, yes, that is true.... I just wanted to point out the most basic chip.

The cheapest I've ever built was a serial cable to program a 68hc11... however, as you are learning, I would recommend something like

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(I don't remember if it is 1 or 2 l's).

This would be a serious flaw if you are seriously thinking of embedded stuff, because if you cannot build it cheaply, simple enough, then you are going to have to rely on ready-made solutions, which means more expensive, which means more difficult for you to compete against someone who knows electronics and can build something cheaper because they don't have to rely on ready-made parts from another company.

Reply to
Amused

I have been writing embedded assembler code for about 20? years and _I_ find the 16C54 a pig to work with and very hard to programme. I would not recommend it to my worse enemy.

I haven't used the Atmel series but people speak well of them, you could also look at devices like the 8051 or Z80 or 68HC11 families, IMO all are much easier to work with than that bloody

16C54. Other PICs are a bit better if you want to use one try the 16F877 or similar series.

Mike Harding

Reply to
Mike Harding

Everyone will now start pushing their favourite parts:-)

The most common MCU on the planet is the 8051. Lots of stuff for that in C and Assembler. From free to VERY expensive pro stuff for safety critical. Lots of cheap HW for this. Even as far as second hand ICE on Ebay!

PIC. An oddball system that is quite popular. Assembler and free tools but it has odd word sizes.

68HC** is popular but long in the tooth. You should find support for this.

Z80 is very old and whilst "we all did Z80" at one time that time was a a long while ago.

AVR is popular and has some cheap dev kit. runs with C.

For C++ you will been more powerful 16/32 bit systems that cost a LOT more. You could start with an old 286 or 8086 PC and a free DOS you can take apart. Use the Borland compilers.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ \/\/\/\/\ Chris Hills Staffs England /\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/ snipped-for-privacy@phaedsys.org

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Reply to
Chris Hills

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