Beginer microcontrollers

[Mattwarne]

I would like to know what the best microcontroller is for basic electronics that includes R/C


Thanks
                               Matt

[IanB]

Any one that you like the look of.                                                                                          (But Arduino might be a good place to start.)

[don.r]

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.

[Teknotronix]

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!

[ivan747]

Any one that you like the look of.                                                                                          (But Arduino might be a good place to start.)                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                        WTF?

[ivan747]

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).

[alm]

If you can live with 8 bit D/A A/D and 8 bit programming and limited programming space then the Arduino would suit.

I believe the Arduino (ATmega328) has a 10-bit ADC and no DAC (except PWM).

Otherwise check out the SMT32 series based on ARM. 12 bit D/A A/D and loads of 32bit programming space.

And 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, the mbed might 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.

[slateraptor]

Any one that you like the look of.                                                                                          (But Arduino might be a good place to start.)                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                        WTF?

LMFAO!!


P.S. The Arduino platform is where you need to be.

[Mattwarne]

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!

I will look at the pic kit 3 package thanks

[Teknotronix]

Just make sure you get the right package. The PicKit 3 also comes in a version without the demo board. Enjoy

[Mattwarne]

Just make sure you get the right package. The PicKit 3 also comes in a version without the demo board. Enjoy

I would like the dev board  idea.