[time-nuts] Good (cheap) PIC chip choice for project?

[Robert LaJeunesse]

For the original Arduino Uno the $30 cost may be true, but there are lots of 
other options in the Arduino family. The Pro Mini 
(https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11113) is only $10, being that it uses an 
external serial to USB adapter (such as 
the https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9718). The $18 cost of the adapter cable 
is spread across all one's projects, reducing the average. Obviously this would 
not be the case for any project requiring a dedicated Arduino to PC connection.

The Pro Mini would also work with a MAX232 chip and an RS-232 serial port, if 
that's what you have.

Bare DIP chips with the Arduino bootloader can be had for $5 or less for those 
who want to build from scratch.

Even cheaper are the raw Atmel ATMEGA328 chips, usable with the Arduino 
environment once flashed with the proper bootloader. Not hard to do if you have 
the low-cost AVR programmer from Pololu 
(http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1300).
 
Bob LaJeunesse

________________________________
From: Chris Albertson <albertson.chris at gmail.com>
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement <time-nuts at febo.com>
Sent: Sat, May 25, 2013 4:15:33 PM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Good (cheap) PIC chip choice for project?

I...  And as you say, you need to spend $30 per project. ...