How to start off in microcontrollers?

[Jheckman1986]

Posted links but wating for a mod ,, thats new

Well i found an oscilloscope for under 40 bucks used and in workign order but the lady wants 25 for shipping, i asked if she would take 30 for it since i am a college student....

PHILLIPS PM 3200 OSCILLOSCOPE 0-10MHZ

 

[CocaCola]

Ok so do you know where i could find instructions on how i can make one without a programmer

You need a programmer to load the bootloader... You can use the Arduino as a basic AVR ISP programmer to load the Arduino bootloader onto other chips... Or you can get a basic AVR programmer for a few bucks, even build your own for certain AVR chips without much hassle... I generally work with PIC chips but I remember programming the older 2313 AVR chips with a simple parallel port programmer way back when, nothing but three resistors and a parallel port plug...

There are plenty of schematics all over the place on making your own Arduino, it's hardly top secret as it's a public design that you can download directly from them, but probably not cost efficient in in the end vs when you consider what you can get a knockoff for...

 

[Jheckman1986]

I actually have another question, are oscilloscope probes universal or do you have to use a specific one for a specific machine, because the Phillips unit was made in 1969 and they don't make them anymore

 

[(*steve*)]

In general, no they are not universal, but...

Most use BNC connectors, and if you match the bandwidth of your scope (10MHz) to the bandwidth of the probes *AND* the probes have an adjustment on them for calibration, you'll be OK.

Most scopes have a similar input resistance and typically you will have a x10 probe. These have a resistor and a capacitor in them where the capacitor is adjustable to allow you to effectively null out the effect the RC of the probe has on the rise time of the displayed signal. (You'll find the scope has a calibration output to allow you to adjust the probe.

So, in practice, if it matches, and it's adjustable, it will probably work. I have some expensive probes (cost more than my scope) and some cheap ones (cost less than a beer) and for most low frequency purposes they're almost indistinguishable (which is NOT to say they are indistinguishable)

I've just checked one of those "PHILLIPS PM 3200 OSCILLOSCOPE 0-10MHZ" scopes and they are 1M in parallel with 30pF, which is pretty standard and you should have no problems with any probe that's pretty normal.

This may also help. And this too.

 

[Jheckman1986]

Aesome, Thank you so much... Now i gotta go place the orders for the parts and electronic components i need to start making stuff.....

 

[ohfour]

Exactly how I feel, the viral nature of the darn things is just mind boggling stupid in many cases! I have come across so many blog entries that amount to a guy ramming a Arduino Uno ($25-$30) into whatever (usually complaining about how it barely fits) so he can have a few blinking LEDs... And 10-50 people are lining up asking him to share the sketch (script) so they can do the same exact thing... All the while the circuit could be replicated with discrete parts and a few logic chips for a few bucks and no programming, or a $1 micro and a little work...

This is a good thing. The Arduino boards weren't designed for electronics experts, they were designed to help artists and makers with next to no electrical knowledge create interactive projects. And for this purpose they work well.

There are a lot of people out there doing cool things with Arduino that they wouldn't have done if they'd had to learn electronic theory first. For these people, the electronics aren't important, and neither is engineering the best possible circuit. It just has to make their art installation work.

Having said that, they're still useful for technically inclined people who are primarily interested in getting results from their projects, rather than spending extra time designing them. I would recommend them to budding electronics experts too if they had the money to spend

From the front page:

It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.

Incidentally, this probably explains the 'sketch' terminology

 

[BobK]

I am late to this thread, and you seem to have changed your mind about doing it from scratch, but I would like to encourage you to rethink that. You might not get something working in an hour like you would with a Arduino, but after you do get it working you will have opened up and entire new world. You will never think about using a '555 or gate-level logic again -- a $1 PIC can replace a whole handful of these chips in most applications.

If you do decide to go this way, I would recommend a PICKit 2 (the 3 still has major problems). Then all you need is a PIC (buy 3 at least ), a breadboard and a power supply, and a few standard components to get started.

These tutorials: http://gooligum.com.au/tutorials.html

are excellent and can teach you PIC programming in either assembly language or C, both of which are free from Microchip.

Whatever you decide, you are headed toward a very rewarding (though sometimes frustrating) experience. Good luck!

Bob

 

[Fidelhi]

Hi Everyone,
May i also add that Picbasic pro offers the simplest way to program these wonderful Pics.
Its Simplicity makes it a great tool for both the Newbie and the Expert.

Enjoy.

 

[foTONICS]

These tutorials: http://gooligum.com.au/tutorials.html


Bob

I stumbled upon this thread b/c I will be taking an uController class next semseter and wanted to get my feet wet. I have had poor results googling 'uController tutorial' but this seems to be EXACTLY what I was looking for, thank you!