Servo - August 2008

FIGURE 12. PIC Starter Package.

If you take out the LCD and battery pack since those aren’t included with the BS1 project board either, you end up with a total cost of $32.90. Odds are if you do any electronic work though, you already have a breadboard so taking that out of the equation, the total cost is $19.95 to get started programming blank PICs in Basic. We sell the programmer assembled for $24.95 so even if you choose to bypass the kit path, then we still met the $25 target. Figure 12 shows the final package we recommended for those who want to move from the BS1 to the PIC. We’ve decided to offer this kit on our website at www.beginnerelectronics.com for anybody getting started. We also plan to include a discount coupon for the full version of the PICBASIC Pro compiler to make that transition less expensive. Check it out if you get a chance.

FIGURE 11. LCD/PIC Hardware Schematic.

their program, they could use the same language but get more command lines by taking turns working on the teacher’s computer.

The jury is still out if this will be their final choice, but if you are just getting started building a robot or electronic gadget of some kind that needs a microcontroller, I hope what we put together for the high school will also help you as you try to make the transition from Stamps to PICs in your home lab. SV

Conclusion

At the end of our discussion and review of the LCD demo, the high school was pleased to have such a simple option. The PICBASIC Pro compiler’s many sample programs were a bonus that only required some modifications for the students to use directly. We suggested they make a series of homework projects to convert those files to fit the PIC16F690. You could do the same to create a library of code. This package didn’t stop there, either. The PICBASIC Pro sample version also supports the eight pin PIC12F683 and the 14 pin PIC16F688, along with a few 18, 28, and 40 pin parts. This gave the students several choices if they needed a smaller or larger pin part.

The best part of all is the teacher could order one copy of the PICBASIC Pro compiler full version and put that on his computer. When the students needed more space for