Where to start? PicBasic or Basic Stamp

I would like to learn how to program electronics, but I'm not sure where to
start. I have seen many Basic Stamp kits, but I've read PicBasic can be
much more powerful and inexpensive. Problem is I haven't seen kits for
PicBasic. Where should I start?

 

IF your are staing with PICs, start with ASM and MPLAB.
Look at HLL tools later.
Jan-Erik.

 

I'd avoid the Basic Stamp, simply because it is not a true MCU, but a
collection of little modules in a small PCB that looks like an IC. I've
never used it, but have heard it's many times slower than PicBasic.

What I use is the EPIC programmer by http://www.melabs.com/. This is a
reasonably-priced programmer, which can accept many different PICs, from
small to large. You can attach Zif socket adaptors to it which will enable
you to program PICs of different sizes and packages. I have the 28-pin and
the 40-pin Zifs. It plugs in the PC's parallel port and comes with a Windows
s/w for code up/download, etc. There are also some product bundles which
include PicBasic and the programmer. Check it out.

There are many different PIC programmers out there, I'm sure others may be
even better. Or you can build one yourself. Search in Google, you should be
able to find circuits for it.

The total cost will probably be higher than the Basic Stamp, but it's a
better long-term investment IMHO.

cheers,
Costas
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