ME labs product bundles/ starter kits

Im trying to get started with microcontrollers. I have been involved in electronics as a hobby for a few years and would like to advance into microcontrollers. I have a good working knowledge of linear and digital electronics but have never written code before. My computer experience is limited to using the computer for the internet...email, ebay....I keep some work files on here....nothing involving actually manipulating programs etc. I would like to begin learning about microcontrollers and have been reading various websites and looking for books on PICs and programming in basic.

My question is....Are the product bundles at

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a decent place to start... I would like to purchase the needed items, harware and software needed in one package if possible to avoid any compatability issues that might arise due to my ignorance...while I understand that it is more expensive usually to buy like this..Im willing and able to shell out a few extra bucks....its a hobby Can anyone make any recomendations on these starter kits or on any other places that sell the basic neccesities in a package type situation.

At the moment Im not interested in any particular controlling applications...though eventually I would like to use pics for temperature control, pwm, and servo control

Reply to
aaron_44111
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Software for programming in assembler (MPLAB) can be downloaded at the microchip website :

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this is a simulator i like and it has a build in basic compiler its not expensive at all

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for some boards and programmers you can check out these link,i have good experiences with them.

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Hope it helps you a bit.

Regards,

Bas Laurier

Reply to
Bas Laurier

Aaron,

I have used melabs stuff. I think it is decent, very good as a matter of fact. I'm currently using PicBasic Pro and their in-circuit programmer. I don't think there is any thing wrong with not cobbling together a package from various places. I think their package is a great place to start. Go for it.

I don't work for those guys... I just use their stuff.

Later - Robert

aar>Im trying to get started with microcontrollers. I have been involved in

Reply to
Robert Shanks

Depends.

What do you want to use for writing pic programs ?

Basic , c or assembly ?

The price on the bundles seems a bit to expensive.

Basic For a cheaper way to go but not using a pic.

bascom avr (can start with the free demo version) and an avr board like the marvic2B from

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There is a yahoo group for the mavaric boards for getting help.

bascom avr

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the free demo version here

Some other cheap boards

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These are cheaper that a lot of others but if you run in to trouble you are on your own.

For c microchip has a free student version of their compiler for the 18f pics.

avr - avrgcc or winavr free compilers

Alex

Reply to
Alex Gibson

I've gotten to really like some of Zilog's new products.

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The $49 developemnt kits come with a full C compiler, IDE, application notes & more

Reply to
Tom Wyckoff

Hi,

I use and would recommend the following:

Crownhill at

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The have Proton Development Suite (PDS) which is an complete programming envornment in Basic. You write code, compile and can test in a virtual circuit using Proteus electronic simulation software. So you do not need to do a real hardware you can simulate it first.

Labcenter Electronics at

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This is a electronic circuit design and simulation. It has PIC microcontroller so you can build the circuit write the code with MPLAB in assembler or PDS in basic. Load in to the controller and 'see' it really work, or not 8-)). If you get PDS you have a shareware version of Proteus called ISIS, this is what I started with but so impressed I upgraded to the full version at a special price.

Both these software package are brilliant in their own right but when used together you have the perfect system.

Crowhill also do a dev board at

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this is the top model which I use and when you write your code in PDS then compile it, if this board is connected it downloads the hex and runs the programme. All in one easy step.

I highly recommend this system it has got me going and is easy to programme my PICS. Also both these link and work with MPLAB Microchips development envornment so you can learn assembler and basic all in one. PDS lets you work in assembler also.

Regards Ray

Reply to
Delllap

Specifically, is it the proto boards that attract you? To me, it doesn't appear particularly easy to connect the peripheral devices on that perfboard.

Reply to
Fishface

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