Episode 102 - Build an Email Alert System with Microcontrollers [Discussion]

[haku]

Learn the basics of microcontrollers but building yourself an email alert system. It's fun and functional!

Watch / download here.


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Extremely pleased to have a show with microcontrollers, this is exactly the kind of show I want to see much more (MOAR!) of.

PICs, no mention of PICAXE's? a programmable PIC which doesn't need a $100 device to write code to, and has lots of extremely useful native functions such as PWM (pulse-width-modulation) outputs, servo controlling, i2c communcations, analogue input, program it (very easily) in a version of BASIC. The only drawback is the higher price per chip compared to standard PIC chips but that's fine if you're not going to be programming tens of chips.

[reffle]

Good show, I'm just getting back into playing with microcontrollers and this show kick started me on my projects hope we'll see more like this in the future!

Just noticed at the end that the credits were wrong btw

[namochan]

I was really suprised about the 'you need either a 200$ controller, or these expensive arduino boards' message of the show.

Arduino uses AVR contollers that are just as good as those PICs, but their programmer is _really_ easy and cheap to build. Some of AVR controllers don't even need the crystals, just plug GND and VCC in and off you go.

Those heavy chip programmers really brought back memories from the 80's, thanks for that

Simple AVR Programmer
Very simple AT2313 board

[haku]

Hardware wise to program most of the PICAXEs all you need is a serial cable, two resistors and 5v power.

The argument for not moving over to USB as standard for a lot of microprocessors is that it would needlessly increase the price of the chips, much cheaper to have a USB-serial cable.

[fishtoprecords]

Great to see a show on microcontrollers.

But it could have been better. I think the "pick a microcontroller" section was done at an uneven level. I think its pretty self explanitory that folks watching the show don't need 1000 units, so the bias should be towards the Arduino or Basic Stamp for quantities of one to five.

Would have been nice to have at least a sentence or two on how the client code on the PC/Mac detects that You Have Mail. Give a bit of insight into the issues and approaches. Even if you are going to use a magic library, its still worth a sentence on how it works.

[guytheninja]

Excellent episode! Bravo! I may actually buy a parallax propeller and try it out (when I get some money of course).

[adderx99]

great episode! it definitely inspires me to get out and make some micro-controller projects, which is what i like to see from systm!

i think that the code aspect of the project was glossed over at the expense of the comparison of boards, and i felt like the comparison of the various types of boards, while good for general background, was overkill. this episode could have easily been split up, one episode covering the comparison, and another covering the actual project. i felt like the actual project was boiled down to 'find it online' and a 30 sec example of it running.
i guess an analogy is a cooking show. instead of watching them baking a cake and showing why the ingredients are added, i felt like the episode was just about saying theres 3 different types of cake, and then after beating that point to death, we watch them eat a cake.
i understand that the whole point isnt so much to create something useful as just to inspire people to start playing with micro controllers in general. though i would have liked to see some of the actual micro-controller voodoo though.

again, great episode! dont take my criticism too much to heart. i did learn a lot and i love to these garage-style hardware/software, weekend make something projects, even if i get to live vicariously thru watching. :P

[jimlovell777]

namochan like you I was a little disappointed to hear David say to program Microchip PIC microcontrollers you needed an expensive "PIC Burner", this is simply not case. I program $1 PIC chips using a $14 programmer all the time and everything works great. Microchip has their own programmer they sell for $35 http://www.microchipdirect.com/produ...words=PG164120 At that price even a project you only plan to make twice represents a savings over the other options mentioned on the show. A glimpse at the code would have been nice and since the show was geared towards beginers showing how to get on the code onto the chip probably should have been included. Great show and neat idea I'd just like to see more accuracy in their technical statements.

Oh and if you have the ability you can make a PIC programmer using "junkbox" parts http://www.jdm.homepage.dk/newpic.htm