DPRG mailing list archives: DPRG: Basic Questions

Fri Feb 28 11:15:53 CST 1997

> From dprglist-owner at horta.ncc.com Fri Feb 28 11:06 CST 1997
> Date: Fri, 28 Feb 1997 10:52:11 -0600
> From: Joe Fair <jfair at comp.uark.edu>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> To: dprglist at dprg.org
> Subject: DPRG: Basic Questions
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> 
> Hi!  I've been interested in robotics for a long time, and I'd like to
> get a microcontroller board to do some experiments.  Most of the boards
> I've found are $100 - $300 dollars, but I'd like to get my feet wet
> without incuring my wife's wrath.  What do you guys use?  How can I get
> one?  I'll be in Dallas in a couple of weeks, and I'm hoping to make the
> March meeting.
> Thanks,
> Joe

The Basic stamp will run you about $30 plus $99 for a development kit.

The way I'd rather do it, though is to use the new-micro board.
( http://www.newmicros.com ) They have an 8051 or hc11 SBC for $39!!!  
They give you some development stuff, plus there's plenty of development
tools on the internet for either.  Ya just gotta be able to burn and
erase an EPROM and you're in business.  You can find cheap eprom 
programmers for about $120 and cheap erasers for about $40.  So you're
looking at around $200 minimum going that route.

There's some other boards out there like Marvin Green's board and
others on the internet.  Just search for "single board computer" on
the internet, and you'll find dozens!

Don't know of anything cheaper right now.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Brown                jbrown at spdmail.spd.dsccc.com or jbrown at why.net
                         http://users.why.net/jbrown  
                         http://www.dprg.org (Next meeting Mar 22nd)

Work:  972-519-2868      My employer won't claim these opinions.    
Home:  972-495-3821      So I'm giving them away for free.   