Which Microcontroller you suggest me for my needs?

[RichTheDude]

Either way it is a good choice. I think AVR never had a chance because 95% at ETO use PIC microcontrollers. You really got biased information. Anyway.. My advice is that don't stick with one family of microcontrollers once you get started.

My thoughts from my experiences was straight down the line, in fact I am currently using ATMEGA's and ATtinys in large commercial projects. I am setting up a company, and I do not fancy giving uChip money for a compiler...

I have used the Zilog z8 Encore, Cypress PSOC in my travels as well, so I am not blindly following one manufacturer.

If you do wish to go the microchip route, I would get a PICKIT 3 (which will allow debug and programming of lots of parts) and a suitable dev board. I design my own so unfortunately I am not aware of any nice off the shelf ones.

 

[3v0]

I have had 2 clones die. If you can manage it get a real pickit2 or pickit3 rather then a clone. Microchip has been very good about replacing busted ones without regard to how long you have owned them or even proof of purchase.

 

[DirtyLude]

I would suggest getting an MSP430 Launchpad just for the heck of it as well. For $4.30 you get the programmer, a breakout board, and two of the basic valueline chips in PDIP packages.
https://www.ti.com/tool/msp-exp430g2

There's a book that's a little old now, but not bad. You can find it in PDF form online. It's called MSP430 Microcontroller Basics. Also this tutorial is good. https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2012/11/Tutorialv0_4.pdf There's lots of stuff out there out now and it helps that Code Composer Studio and GCC are the main compilers/assemblers so most sample code uses them. I found one pain in PIC is all the compilers there are and the non-standard libraries used in code that's available on the net.

For the price there's no reason not to do it, even if you decide to use PICs as well.

 

[elissaios13]

ti msp430 looks good but i dont know if the arey as popular as avr and pics(in greece they arnt).Are they(Except greece)?(i want good support and tons of tutorials-guides projects)

the project that i choose to do its to make a simple calculator.So i have to connect and lcd and a keypad to the μC which i will chooseAlso i have to understand to a degree its assembly and what happens in hardware.For example how timers the μC have,how we program them,how we handle the interupt from keyboard.
i know i have asked many

 

[DirtyLude]

The mcu specific forum for MSP430 is **broken link removed**
TI also has a really sweet example code database for all the MSP430 line. It has example code for each peripheral in C and assembler.
You have to go under Example Code in the middle of the page and it will list all the MSP430 variants.
http://www.ti.com/lsds/ti/microcontroller/16-bit_msp430/msp430_software_landing.page

There is more than enough examples and help online for you to learn how to make a simple calculator.

EDIT: Anyway, I'm saying if you are actually studying here to use microcontrollers you should be getting it, even if you ultimately decide to use a PIC or AVR. There's no reason not to get it unless you already know about it and know you will never use it.

 

[Mr RB]

TI really seem to be putting some effort in that's for sure. But there's nothing that would make me switch from PIC to TI MSP430, there's just not that much to gain.

What I would really like to see is a "new breed" of really high speed CHEAP micros, just give me 100 or 200 Mhz (MIPS) and a decent amount of RAM and ROM onboard. And for under a buck. That would get my attention, I don;t even care if it's 8, 16 or 32 bit, just MIPS RAM and ROM.

The thing Microchip PIC does wrong is to supply too much in the way of hardware peripherals, all that forces you into corners as you have exactly 2 of this and 3 of that etc, it all becomes pointless once you have enough MIPs as you can just make whatever you need in software, and as many as you want.

I had high hopes for PIC32 but it was just an ARM clone with low speed and too many expensive peripherals. Likewise XMOS could really have rocked with that awesome speed but they completely blew the bundle by forcing you to use external ROM and support chips, like it was a Z80 from 1982!

Hopefully someone (TI?) will finally get the picture and just make a really fast cheap chip with lots of internal RAM and ROM, they would totally dominate the future of embedded micro...

 

[DirtyLude]

TI really seem to be putting some effort in that's for sure. But there's nothing that would make me switch from PIC to TI MSP430, there's just not that much to gain.

This is all a nice rant an everything and I've heard your MIPS over peripherals argument before, but it has nothing to do with the OP. If the OP is studying microcontrollers and will be using them as a profession, not just as a hobby, he doesn't generally get the choice of what microcontroller he is going to use and experience with MSP430 is arguably a more marketable skill than either PIC or AVR.

 

[3v0]

I have been saying it does not matter which uC you learn first as the chances are that your first job will be using a different uC anyway. What matters is how good you are at coming up to speed. That is more about being flexible (not religiously married to on uC) and the ability to read and understand datasheets. The goal is to have a thinking person rather then a robot who can crank out code for only one uC family.

There is a class of job where the employer is looking for a person with a match to the uC he uses. In this cost cutting environment this sort of position may be on the rise. The down side is that you are viewed as a specific type of cog and may be dumped if needs change.

Given the choice working in the first type of shop is both more rewarding and stable.

 

[elissaios13]

Again thanks for the answers.

i dont start uC because i want to be professional and i dont search about the uC which i could make more money.

I just start because it will help me to undestand how a pc works.How the cpu co-opperates with the peripherals,what each one of the peripherals do,how the communicate,what is an interupt and how we handle and program it.So i want it for education reasons.
And then to make same simple projects and if i want more i will have the experience to choose a new uC if i want.

So,I have concluded to find a very nice tutorial or kit with tutorial with step by step how you start with details for beginners and i will buy the uC that the tutorial use because there are so many tutorials on the internet and many of them are not good(go on very quicly or are very abstract,or not detailed,or not go step by step and jump)

If you could recommend be a nice kit with a nice tutorial or book(either avr or pic) or suggest me an otherway i would be veryy grateful

 

[DirtyLude]

Well that changes things, if microcontrollers aren't actually your final detination.

I'm not a fan of the MikroE style board that have everything on them already, but maybe one of those starter boards will work. You'll still need the programmer.
https://www.mikroe.com/pic/development-boards/

https://www.mikroe.com/avr/development-boards/

I'm sure there are plenty of development kits out there, someone can point you too.

 

[Mr RB]

This is all a nice rant an everything and I've heard your MIPS over peripherals argument before, but it has nothing to do with the OP. ...

I apologise to the OP and everyone for heading off topic. However that was far from a "rant", if I start ranting you will know about it.

...
If the OP is studying microcontrollers and will be using them as a profession, ...
MSP430 is arguably a more marketable skill than either PIC or AVR.

Are you serious? Why would you think that? TI have a tiny market share and questionable availablity and legacy support. Those three things would put them far from an ideal pro career choice.

 

[misterT]

I don;t even care if it's 8, 16 or 32 bit, just MIPS RAM and ROM.

Hearing that I'm surprised that you are a PIC fan. PICs waste 4 clock cycles to execute one instruction. Fastest AVR run at 32 Mhz and executes one instruction per clock cycle. That is 32 MIPS.

I would like to see a microcontroller that can do everything I want at the lowest possible clock rate. And that is what most designers are going for. More peripherals, lower clock speed. Every manufacturer advertises that their chip is the most energy efficient chip in the market and that is the big thing today.. energy efficiency. They market their microcontrollers like cars.

 

[misterT]

I just start because it will help me to undestand how a pc works.How the cpu co-opperates with the peripherals,what each one of the peripherals do,how the communicate,what is an interupt and how we handle and program it.So i want it for education reasons.

If you could recommend be a nice kit with a nice tutorial or book(either avr or pic) or suggest me an otherway i would be veryy grateful

This should be interesting reading for you: https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2012/11/Multitasking20on20an20AVR.pdf
Very educational It is quite readable even for beginners.. if you are really interested.

 

[RichTheDude]

Hearing that I'm surprised that you are a PIC fan. PICs waste 4 clock cycles to execute one instruction. Fastest AVR run at 32 Mhz and executes one instruction per clock cycle. That is 32 MIPS.

I would like to see a microcontroller that can do everything I want at the lowest possible clock rate. And that is what most designers are going for. More peripherals, lower clock speed. Every manufacturer advertises that their chip is the most energy efficient chip in the market and that is the big thing today.. energy efficiency. They market their microcontrollers like cars.

Again comparing Reliant Robins with Fiat 500's on 0-60 MPH. Pointless!

PIC32, PIC30F, PIC33F etc? Ever heard of XLP technology in PIC's ? They can approach very good power vs mips efficiency (MSP430 was king in this area). Again, more misrepresentation of uChips offerings via selective comparisons.

 

[edeca]

Fastest AVR run at 32 Mhz and executes one instruction per clock cycle. That is 32 MIPS.

This is factually inaccurate and therefore void. Different AVR cores take a variable amount of cycles depending upon the instruction. Many do take 1 cycle, but many others (including all branches) do not.

Perhaps this thread should be locked - the original poster seems to have got what they need and it is now descending into a quagmire of confusing hyperbole.

 

[elissaios13]

Finally,I found a guy at university and he will help me.He has an arduino but he dont use the language "wiring".He programs it in c.So its the same like he use atmega 328p.He is using bootloader to program it.

but I want to buy a avr programmer/debugger because i will buy more that one μC's.Αlso i want to buy an lcd 16x2.
Could you suggest me any good,cheap and popular programmer/debugger and a lcd 16x2?

Also i need breadboard,resistors,capasitors,leds,transistors,wires i dont know what values,how many so if you know any good kit with the basic of all values tell me

THanks again

 

[be80be]

Where you live The Ardniuo can be used as a programmer to program atmega chips

 

[misterT]

This is factually inaccurate and therefore void. Different AVR cores take a variable amount of cycles depending upon the instruction. Many do take 1 cycle, but many others (including all branches) do not.

Perhaps this thread should be locked - the original poster seems to have got what they need and it is now descending into a quagmire of confusing hyperbole.

Every time someone mentions AVR you PIC fanboys get angry.. yes lock this thread so no one can ever mention AVR again. And yes, some instructions take 2 clock cycles in AVR, but that is still half what it takes in PIC.

Factually there are no different AVR cores.. they are all the same. I would hate it if I buy an AVR with a different core every time and it would take variable amount of cycles to execute one instruction. Variable amount of cycles to execute one instruction?? Different cores? You make me so angry. So pointless. Therefore you are a void pointer.

 

[misterT]

Again comparing Reliant Robins with Fiat 500's on 0-60 MPH. Pointless!

PIC32, PIC30F, PIC33F etc? Ever heard of XLP technology in PIC's ? They can approach very good power vs mips efficiency (MSP430 was king in this area). Again, more misrepresentation of uChips offerings via selective comparisons.

I did not compare anything to Fiat 500.. I just pointed out that energy efficiency is the big thing today in microcontrollers and cars. What is this selective comparison you are talking about. Is it selective because I did not mention PIC? And what did I misrepresent? I did not mention any line of microcontrollers when I talked about energy consumption. I just said that all the manufacturers claim that their chip is the most energy efficient in the market. Are you reading this thread with your PIC glasses on?

 

[Ian Rogers]

Finally,I found a guy at university and he will help me.He has an arduino but he dont use the language "wiring".He programs it in c.So its the same like he use atmega 328p.He is using bootloader to program it.

but I want to buy a avr programmer/debugger because i will buy more that one μC's.Αlso i want to buy an lcd 16x2.
Could you suggest me any good,cheap and popular programmer/debugger and a lcd 16x2?

Also i need breadboard,resistors,capasitors,leds,transistors,wires i dont know what values,how many so if you know any good kit with the basic of all values tell me

THanks again

The OP has changed the topic here... The bickering between "Which micro" will never be solved... As 3V0 has suggested in many posts... The OP has chosen the AVR and now requires development tool help...

@Elissaios13... Do you wish this thread closed? You can start another thread in the AVR section, where you can ask for the dev tools you need!!!