New an what to know what board is best to start

[asdhillon86]

Ok so I'm new to PICs (although i program blackfin dualcore ADSP BF561 for a job =P) and I really want to learn more PIC stuff for my own little projects. I am a C programmer. Which platform do you think is better:
EasyPIC5 or
QL200?
I have a windows 7 and a ubuntu machine. EasyPIC5 seems better but with fewer devices included onboard but it seems to support a wider range too =S
Any help would do as I am new to PICs. I hope to be a regular poster as I have quite a range of projects I want to work on.
Thanks

[kevlar129bp]

Hello, and welcome.

I am by far and a way not a PIC pro like some of these fine ladies and gentleman here, but I can say that this "hobby" is highly rewarding, especially with the assistance of the folks here.
Certainly not to be taken as a smart-**s answer to your question, I started, and continue to use a simple breadboard. It has served me pretty well in my projects, and they're cheap too . I am sure they're not quite as "cool" as a pre-built board, but heck, they work.

Good luck, and happy coding,
C

[malc-c]

I started with a PicKIT1, then a JDM (several in various designs) then an ICSP USB programmer, and a cheap breadboard. But then purchased an EasyPIC5 board and haven't looked back.

I still breadbaord some parts of a project, but tend to use the additional plug in boards where possible, makes life simple - For rapid re-programming whilst developing the code the EP5 (or 6) is ideal.

[rsocor01]

Hi,

Like kevlar129bp, I always use a breadboard for my projects. In fact, I have never used a development board before . They are usually very expensive. You can accomplish most of your projects just by using a breadboard and some 22AWG solid wire to make the connections.

Robert

[asdhillon86]

Thanks a lot guys. I have been using breadboard thus far but my problem is with the scale of projects I am looking to do it would very quickly become a tangled mess of fury and I wouldnt be able to keep track of what went where in the event of a wire coming away. Having a development board with just a few simple ports would make things a lot easier and I can just build the unique sections on bread/proto-board. After it tests out ok then transition the sections onto proto and then develop the next bit. My first project looks to be multi-PIC (around a half dozen) due to distance constraints as well as functional division so something a little mire hardcore id definitely needed.

[mackrackit]

Sounds like the dev board you need would be best if it was custom built. Build it your self.
Then you have what you need/want.