[sdiy] how you got started with your current µC? (was: Re: Most common ICs)

[rsdio at audiobanshee.com]

To be honest, I always start with my own custom board (with one exception). Usually, that's to save on overall cost and to speed the hardware development process. Some development boards can be rather expensive unless you're working with very common processors.

I've never done a design that didn't require custom hardware, so rather than start with a typical dev-board that doesn't have my custom hardware or spend time designing a daughter board (a.k.a. "shield"), I just get a head start by designing the custom electronics and make sure to put the processor on the first custom board. So far, the first revision has worked about as well as any dev board, but there is always the potential for an error. I do always look at the schematics for the example dev-board from the manufacturer, just to make sure my design doesn't miss the obvious. You do need to get the JTAG or ICSP right, otherwise it's a no-go. By the time I'm writing firmware, the custom hardware is already available to test and refine.

So, for PIC, I've never even seen a typical dev-board. For the TMS320 DSP, I started with a custom board but eventually obtained a dev-board so that I could demonstrate some bugs to Texas Instruments - sure beats having to send them my custom hardware.

Here recently, though, I started a new design with the TM4C1294 by purchasing the $20 LaunchPad. I can't talk to my DAC until I design custom hardware, but at least I have ethernet and USB working.

A while back, I designed for the MSP430, but still started with a custom board. I did use the MSP430 LaunchPad as a JTAG adaptor, by disconnecting the jumpers and running wires to my custom board.

If I had a team where hardware design and firmware design were handled by different people, then it would make a whole lot more sense to use dev-boards so that the firmware folks aren't stuck waiting for the hardware folks to get a first version ready for programming. But, when working alone, I just jump straight in to the deep end of the pool.

Brian Willoughby
Sound Consulting


On Sep 19, 2015, at 2:46 PM, Michael Zacherl <sdiy-mz01 at blauwurf.info> wrote:
> I got curious:
> did you people start with a typical dev-board of PIC/AVR/STM32/... ?
> m.
> 
> On 19.Sep 2015, at 21:28 , Richie Burnett <rburnett at richieburnett.co.uk> wrote:
> 
>> No probs here either.
>> 
>> -Richie,
>> 
>> ---- Pete Hartman wrote ----
>> 
>>> On Sat, Sep 19, 2015 at 4:43 AM, Gordonjcp <gordonjcp at gjcp.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>> On Fri, Sep 18, 2015 at 10:40:37PM +0100, Tom Wiltshire wrote:
>>>> I'd probably have to agree. TL07x op-amps would be my most used IC. Not very glamorous, but they're the glue that holds a million audio circuits together.
>>>> 
>>>> Aside from that, PIC uPs for digital, and SSM2164/V2164 for analog.
>>> 
>>> I've never liked PICs.  They're slow, expensive and very hard to develop for, thanks to the sheer lack of support - and last time I looked you had to pay extra for surface-mount!
>>> 
>>> I used AVR for a bit but I'm moving over to STM32 - ridiculously cheap and ridiculously fast.
>>> 
>>> This must be a personal taste thing, as I have no problems at all programming with PICs.  The documentation is very good, and there are lots of examples to get over the most difficult part which is how to set the various switches (in AVR world the equivalent is the "fuses").  I've actually had more frustration figuring out how to set fuses, to be honest.  I haven't played with the STM32s, I'll certainly have to give that a try.