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Unread 07-03-2008, 08:51
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Los Frijoles Los Frijoles is offline
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AKA: Kevin Cuzner
FRC #2062 (C.O.R.E.)
Team Role: Programmer
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Rookie Year: 2007
Location: Waukesha, WI
Posts: 27
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Re: A mounting problem

Your costs for PICs are set waaaay to high.

1. Students & hobbyists can get any microcontroller or other component made by microchip for free from microchip's website using samples as long as you do not sell anything made with those microcontrollers.
2. The overly simple JDM programmer can be made for less than $20 and can program most PICs (google winpic and look at the documentation for a very good schematic)
3. A good USB programmer (K128 programmer) can be purchased for $70 or less on kits-r-us
4. Development tools range from free (MPASM, Sourceboost, C-Bot (which can be used to program other 18f's btw), etc) to reasonably expensive (C18 Full Commerical Edition, Sourceboost Pro, etc).
5. Don't buy new parts for experimentation...surf the surplus sites.
6. Use samples as much as possible...for radio control stuff I have some Cypress WUSB CYWM6935 LR chips which I got for free off of Cypress samples.

I got in to PICs with virtually no budget and the largest investment I have made was the USB programmer, which I bought using money my parents gave me since it was to be used for a Tech Ed independent study project.
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Last edited by Los Frijoles : 07-03-2008 at 08:53.