Simple Setup?

Development Boards MicroMod
1

I’m confused about what to buy in respect to a simple microcontroller thats easy to program.

Are Arduino just “name brand” boards that use Atmel microcontrollers?

I have an [Orangutan USB Programmer from Pololu already that I use with the 3Pi robot which uses the ATMega328. Are there any simple boards available from Sparkfun that will use that programmer?

The board that looks best to me is the [Arduino Pro Mini 328 - 5V/16MHz. If my programmer can’t program this, does sparkfun offer something that will? Since it has no standard header I’m assuming that I could just jumper it to a breadboard and connect it to a [Pocket AVR Programmer? Although on the Arduino site about the Pro Mini they show it connected to a [FTDI Basic Breakout so can that program it?

// end confusion, hopefully lol](http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9115)](http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9231)](http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9218)](Pololu - Orangutan USB Programmer)

2

I thought that the Arduino boards had a boot-loader, and don’t need a programmer.

Leon

3

Are Arduino just “name brand” boards that use Atmel microcontrollers?

Yes + a dev envirnoment…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduino

I have an Orangutan USB Programmer from Pololu

Which does 6 pin ISP programming. So it’ll work with any atmel part that exposes that interface in some way.

Are there any simple boards available …

Many.

Arduino Pro Mini 328 - 5V/16MHz

Probably ok- need to connect some ISP pins.

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc … cts_id=666

Easier choice- the 6 pin connector is already there.

I thought that the Arduino boards had a boot-loader, and don’t need a programmer.

Yes. And that’ll work fine so long as you don’t accidentally trash it and you don’t mind being hand held by the Arduino dev environment.

Jason H.

4

For bread boarding I really like the BBB board setup.

http://moderndevice.com/index.shtml

When bread boarding it’s really nice to have all the pins along 1 side of the

board, plus there are many ways to power the board

including from the serial port or a built in voltage regulator using a wall wart.

If you don’t want to use the boot loader it comes with, simply use the ISP

connector and burn in any code you want.

Makes bread boarding super quick and easy.

— bill