I'm considering getting into hobby electronics a little before I take classes in it. I've read a little on the subject of microcontrollers, does anyone know what kind of programmer I'd need to get to program an 18 pin PIC16F84A? (Would that even be suitable for a first microcontroller?)

I'm basically looking to see if there's a cheaper option than buying one of the 'starter kits.'

I'm just finding all of the literature I've seen confusing.

Yes, 16F84's are quite cheap and easy to use, but if you are just starting, i'd suggest you forget PIC's and start with AVR. It may be a bit harder to learn but it's much better, and doesn't need an oscillator. With programmer, do you mean the hardware or software?

You know, you can program pics with c++, assembly, basic and some other languages too.. i think maxim-dallas has some builder that supports all those... try searching google for "simple pic 16F84 programmer schematics", you should find schematics for the hardware, and zip for the software...

I have some 16F84 on me. God, I hate them. They never work for me. There are plenty of places on the internet which tell you how to make your own programmer, though.

for beginner micrcontrollers i'd suggest the OOPIC or BASIC Stamp

I vote for the BASIC Stamp too. It's a good tool to learn microcontroller programming. We used one in my electronics class. You can do some neat things with a BASIC Stamp.

I was looking into basic stamps, but I think I just started to look for ways to cheap out on it. $80 Basic stamp kit vs. $5 PIC + $20 or so in parts, and countless articals on the subject.

I'm sure the basic stamp kit is worth it (compared to the bare basic stamp or a pic), considering it comes with a book, servo, potentiometer, etc. I'd hate to ignore good advice, but out of curiosity, and that I know C++, I'm just dying to go with the PIC.

I found a good schematic for a programmer. Just to make sure, since it calls for a 'diode,' without giving a rating, it'd probably be safe to go with a 1A diode, right? And is a 7805 voltage regulator comparable to the 78L05 it calls for? I'm not sure if it was a typo, if the L was put there to signify Linear or something, or if it's a different piece. All the rest seems self-explainatory.

Thanks a lot.

[QUOTE=Bounty Hunter 4 hire]I was looking into basic stamps, but I think I just started to look for ways to cheap out on it. $80 Basic stamp kit vs. $5 PIC + $20 or so in parts, and countless articals on the subject.

I'm sure the basic stamp kit is worth it (compared to the bare basic stamp or a pic), considering it comes with a book, servo, potentiometer, etc. I'd hate to ignore good advice, but out of curiosity, and that I know C++, I'm just dying to go with the PIC.

I found a good schematic for a programmer. Just to make sure, since it calls for a 'diode,' without giving a rating, it'd probably be safe to go with a 1A diode, right? And is a 7805 voltage regulator comparable to the 78L05 it calls for? I'm not sure if it was a typo, if the L was put there to signify Linear or something, or if it's a different piece. All the rest seems self-explainatory.

Thanks a lot.[/QUOTE]

If you know c++, i'd suggest you to go with AVR, there's a c++ compiler for that too, plus the programmer is easier to build

usually a single letter doesn't make much difference, but in this case i'm not sure... ask the seller when buying the pieces, or then try 7805 directly

also, you might want to google for datasheets, that might help