[Jay Lundy]

Up to this year I had been mostly a high level programmer like yourself. I had done a lot of programming with languages like C++, Java, and PHP in web and windows environments. I had always been interested in the low level side but I never really did much with it.

Then in winter 2003 when I found out about the new controller I decided I needed to learn more about it. I was already a pro at C++ and had done a lot with C as well, so the programming wasn't hard, I just needed to learn about the actual PIC itself and basic EE concepts. I got a jumpstart from Ken Krieger, who taught me a bunch of the basics, and from there I learned most of what I needed from the PIC18F8520 manual. It may seem a little heavy at times, but it's actually a great learning tool, not just about the specific chip but about microprocessors in general. I followed that up with some EE theory from Radio Shack books and physics class, and some example circuits online, and that knowledge let me do quite a lot with this year's control system.

I also found it a lot of fun and a great learning experience working with character LCD displays. My first "major" electronics project was interfacing an LCD to the computer parallel port. It let me program in a familiar environment, but in an unfamiliar way (bit twiddling). It also didn't take very much wiring, but enough to make it fun. Once I got that working I interfaced the LCD to the robot controller, and my next big project (if I ever get a chance to start) is to use a PIC to capture data from the dashboard port and display it on an LCD.