Suggest microcontroller and compiler

[Martin Wells]

I'm doing an embedded systems college project this year. I'm making a
portable device that will take input in the form of simple switches,
and give output in the form of LED's. Can you please suggest a decent
microcontroller and C compiler combination?

Martin

 

[Chris Hills]

I'm doing an embedded systems college project this year. I'm making a
portable device that will take input in the form of simple switches,
and give output in the form of LED's. Can you please suggest a decent
microcontroller and C compiler combination?

Hi,

TI MSP430 is a good place to start for battery powered/portable stuff.
At least that is for industrial use. Try them though.

PIC, AVR and 8051 are all common with good tools, boards and support
for students. Also it is usually easy for students to get samples and
tools for them.

My *personal* preference wound be 8051, AVR and PIC in that order but
that is the order of my experience and the tools I have. Others will put
them in a different order.

So really it is what ever you can get local support for. I.e if. you
have some one who can lend you ARM11 or 68K kit, tools and help out
use that

 

[Martien verbruggen]

I'm doing an embedded systems college project this year. I'm making a
portable device that will take input in the form of simple switches,
and give output in the form of LED's. Can you please suggest a decent
microcontroller and C compiler combination?

Start here:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/microcontroller-faq/primer/

I suggest comp.arch.embedded as probably a better place to discuss the
pros and cons of microcontrollers and their compilers, if the FAQ
doesn't give you enough information.

Martien

 

[Clever Monkey]

I'm doing an embedded systems college project this year. I'm making a
portable device that will take input in the form of simple switches,
and give output in the form of LED's. Can you please suggest a decent
microcontroller and C compiler combination?

http://www.arduino.cc/

Open source hardware, large toolset, active community for assistance,
and cheap, cheap, cheap.

 

[Chris Hills]

http://www.arduino.cc/

Open source hardware, large toolset, active community for assistance,
and cheap, cheap, cheap.

" cheap, cheap, cheap." is hardly a technical recommendation.

There are plenty of similar systems out there

 

[Al Balmer]

I'm doing an embedded systems college project this year. I'm making a
portable device that will take input in the form of simple switches,
and give output in the form of LED's. Can you please suggest a decent
microcontroller and C compiler combination?

No, but I can tell you where to ask: comp.arch.embedded. It's off
topic here, even if you intend to program the device in C.

 

[Clever Monkey]

" cheap, cheap, cheap." is hardly a technical recommendation.

The request was not exclusively about "technical" recommendations. The
criteria I see above are things like "simple" and "decent", with an
interest in a robust toolset.

There are plenty of similar systems out there

Yes, and therefore, since the query as written implied that the OP was
interested in opinions and suggestions based on some general criteria, I
made a suggestion. Whether or not there are similar choices is hardly
the point.

My suggestions fit nicely with the stated requirements of being a
college project. Since we have no idea how much lab fees are going to
be, it may be that this is an out-of-pocket expense. Therefore, that
the device family is designed to be as accessible as possible, in terms
of price and toolchain, makes it a reasonable suggestion to me.

The only clear criteria we have is that this is for a school project. I
stand by my suggestion that my link points to an apropos choice for a
school project.

I have no idea why we are having this discussion.

 

[Thad Smith]

So really it is what ever you can get local support for. I.e if. you
have some one who can lend you ARM11 or 68K kit, tools and help out
use that

I agree: use what you can get easy in-person support for, normally what
lots of other folks locally use.

 

[CBFalconer]

I agree: use what you can get easy in-person support for,
normally what lots of other folks locally use.

What's the problem? For each switch, connect to +5V through a
resistor and LED, and the other contact goes to ground. Now you
can prepare any pattern. No microcontroller or C compiler is
remotely needed.

 

[Martin Wells]

Al:

It's off topic here, even if you intend to program the device in C.

I disagree, and I'd guess that a lot of other people disagree too.

I'd go to the bother of drawing an analogy or explaining my reasoning,
but I think this one is a no-brainer. I mean who better to ask about
what tools to use for programming in C, than C programmers.

Martin

 

[Chris Hills]

No, but I can tell you where to ask: comp.arch.embedded. It's off
topic here, even if you intend to program the device in C.

It is on topic here.. He is looking for tools to program in C.

What is OT here is the constant OT whining from a small group.

 

[Al Balmer]

Al:



I disagree, and I'd guess that a lot of other people disagree too.

I'd go to the bother of drawing an analogy or explaining my reasoning,
but I think this one is a no-brainer. I mean who better to ask about
what tools to use for programming in C, than C programmers.

Proper construction of replies is marginally on-topic. I have no idea
what you're responding to.

 

[Al Balmer]

It is on topic here.. He is looking for tools to program in C.

A microcontroller? Not part of my tool chain.

I should think that even you would recognize that c.a.e is not only a
more appropriate venue, but likely to provide better information. Are
you afraid that someone there might contradict your advice?

What is OT here is the constant OT whining from a small group.

The whining I find objectionable is the small group of people who are
constantly trying to put this NG off track by insisting that if
something is spelled with a "c", it's topical here.

 

[Keith Thompson]

Al:



I disagree, and I'd guess that a lot of other people disagree too.

I'd go to the bother of drawing an analogy or explaining my reasoning,
but I think this one is a no-brainer. I mean who better to ask about
what tools to use for programming in C, than C programmers.

Perhaps people who program for embedded systems.

 

[CBFalconer]

It is on topic here.. He is looking for tools to program in C.

What is OT here is the constant OT whining from a small group.

No it isn't. It is better suited to comp.arch.embedded. What is
off-topic is your continuous attempts to derail c.l.c from its
subject.

 

[Old Wolf]

It is on topic here.. He is looking for tools to program in C.

This NG isn't "anything to do with C". There are several
C newsgroups. This particular one is "the C language as
defined by the C standard", or something like that.
The NG for "programming a microcontroller" is comp.arch.embedded.

 

[user923005]

It is on topic here.. He is looking for tools to program in C.

I agree that if there were not a better place to discuss it, then
would be the place to discuss it.

Don't you think that the embedded programming group will give the best
advice about embedded programming?

What is OT here is the constant OT whining from a small group.

This group does go "over the top" from time to time when it comes to
topicality. But I think that is better than letting topicality
include the universe.

I think that the heavy handed response to things perceived as not
topical is a function of a few different things:
1. Long standing general consensus by regular netizens of c.l.c
2. A reaction to a rising tide of net pests
3. Nostalgia for 'the good old days' (But -- of course -- they were
just like today)

Personally, as long as a friendly redirection is included I think that
a response aiming the OP to a superior forum (more focused on his/her
topic) is the best possible response.

Any given newsgroup should keep the subject matter as focused as
possible on the main content of the newsgroup (but not so focused that
it becomes 'unreasonable'). I consider 'unreasonable' when you turn
someone away but there is no place that is better to go.

Since is not a moderated newsgroup, any subject
matter is *possible* as far as postings go. The maintenance of
topicality is (therefore) up to the discretion of the participants.
Generally speaking, some sort of consensus is reached by 'the
regulars' of a group who try to keep the conversations focused on
topical matters. In those groups which do not have that sort of
effort, in a short time they become completely unreadable.

IMO-YMMV.

 

[Mark McIntyre]

I agree that if there were not a better place to discuss it, then
news:comp.lang.c would be the place to discuss it.

This doesn't necessarily follow - AFAIK there's no better place to
discuss my neighbour's problems with ingrown toenails, but that
doesn't make clc the place to discuss it.
--
Mark McIntyre

"Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place.
Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are,
by definition, not smart enough to debug it."
--Brian Kernighan