Need Micro Controller Evaluation

Apr 26, 2005 4 Replies
G

I am looking for a development board for controlling lab instruments and doing some experiments. I expect to use simple interfaces to sensors and to use digital control and also to sometimes interface with a PC for recording data. Getting up and running quickly is important, as is having a flexible system.



I spent a year doing professional firmware on an H8 development board but it was six years ago and I don't remember what I used.



What I think I want is a development board/micro controller with: A few timers, A few channels of ADC (speed not too important-so one ADC should do. I could live with an external multiplexor) Access to the micro's pins. Either via headers or with some space for the Flash memory. 32K should be plenty A few K of RAM. An on board LCD display (32 charecters should be over kill and could live with less). I Could add this but it would be much faster if the eval board came with one. C compilier Debugger USB port would be nice Price


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J

That's pretty cool for $50, all right. But what's with that bizarre RS-

232 level converter with all the bipolars and diodes and stuff? I'd rather see a MAX232ACPE or something that puts more than 5V into the RxD line.

-- jm

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J

1x MAX232 (TI part) 0.5086 CAD 4x 1u Y5V (!) 0603 0.0639 CAD ------ 0.5725 CAD 1x MBT3946 0.06135 CAD 2x FDLL4148 0.04908 CAD 5x 0603 resistor 0.04908 CAD 1x 10u 25 V 0.08616 CAD ------- 0.24657 CAD

(Digikey pricing for 1000 units)

Bizarre, maybe, but I don't see how to make it cheaper. You have to receive the negative voltage before you can transmit it...

Jonathan

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J

That's what I mean. It might have seemed clever, and it might actually be clever if you can assume your DTE will wiggle its TxD line up and down every once in awhile, but hey, it only saves 33 cents on a $50 assembly. It seems like one of those clever ideas that always comes back to haunt you in the end.

Although to be fair, DigiKey wants $5.51 for the MAX232ACPE part I mentioned! I never noticed what I was paying for those, since I've never purchased more than a couple at a time. It does let you use cheaper 0.1 uF ceramics, but sheesh, that's an expensive chip.

-- jm

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