What kind of deadline are you facing?
A SAP
What operating system are you working on?
Windows 7
Do you have that Arduino product from Adafruit still or would you like to ignore that and jump straight to the PIC?
I have all the arduino stuff. That is a separate project. I'd like to go with the microcontroller for accuracy.
What you are going to need is a microcontroller and programmer.
OK. Understood.
For the sake of getting things running smoothly, buying a PicKit 2 or 3 from Microchip will allow you to get up and running with a windows system very quickly. (I have not attempted programming a PIC from Linux or MAC). Arduino
can work as well, but unless you have some kicking around your house, don't bother buying one for this project. (The cost for an arduino product is not worth it for this project)
Agreed.
A form of prototyping board will help you develop and experiment with the circuit, but the PicKit has some LEDs, a button, and potentiometer included on a miniature prototype area on the provided board that will let you test your 'timer' program without needing to buy additional parts.
Great!
All of the software is straightforward and easy to install, and once you have tried the 'hello world' or 'blink' test program, you are ready to plunk your custom code on the PIC. This will get you to a working proof-of-concept.
When you are happy with your program, some strip board will get you up and running with a built solution, or you can provide a more polished product by designing and ordering an etched or milled circuit board. Drop in your components, and your custom programmed PIC and your good to go.
All that is missing is a case for a finished project.
I'll create the project on a small PC board which will be installed together with other electronics in the device. 2" x 2" or longer is great.
There are plenty of souls on the Forums here that can help with any part of this process.
Before you go shopping for parts. Tell us exactly what you have in mind for your device.
Do you want a separate button for each mode, do you want to select a mode with a dial, would you like it battery powered, would you like any additional features?
The device runs like a traffic light. A single manual start by pushing an engage button begins the timing sequence. At the beginning of the sequence, LED-1 is illuminated. After 2 minutes, LED-1 turns off and LED-2 turns on. At 3 minutes, LED-2 turns off and LED-3 turns on. LED-3 stays on until the operator manually turns the system off. While on, the changes through the sequence are automatic.
After this project, I must build an identical unit except that the timing sequence. The alternate timing sequence is LED-1 on at start, change to LED-2 at 85 seconds, change to LED-3 at 90 seconds.
At the moment, I can visualise a little box with 3 LEDs on it, and a couple buttons... and can suggest a BOM for the project, but if every detail is brought out ahead of time, you can save yourself from making last minute orders