Custom Circuit Design

[lynca]

Originally Posted by 114Klutz

One of the biggest advantages, however, of the PIC8722 over an Atmel AVR is that they are completely compatible with the Robot Controllers, being able to run the exact same software.

whether you are using a PIC18F722, AVR or another microcontroller, your C code will be very similar, the PIN names might change but if your willing to learn another micocontroller's ".h" file , then don't worry about porting to a new microcontroller. More importantly, you should consider the processing speed performance and the available peripherals (CAN, I2C..etc) and the I/O options (ADC, DAC ...etc)

Read this thread for more info on non-PIC microcontrollers,
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=64816

Originally Posted by 114Klutz

The fact the FIRST board lacks a jack for an ICD2 annoys me - but being able to test code out on our custom circuit board then port it to the RC is one reason why we chose to use a PIC. (The other reason was the mentor designing these things is very familiar with pics)

IFI Robotics is protecting their design by not bussing out the ICD2, you could possibly build a complete replica of the RC if they bussed out an ICD2.

I agree not having an ICD2 port on the RC is annoying. The good news is, most of the other hobby micro-controller companies open their JTAG ports and source code.