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Starting with Arduino Uno or Chipkit Uno32?

Former Member

Hi there,

 

I was about to buy my first arduino device, a arduino uno. But seeing the chipkit uno32 at roughly the same price, is it worth starting with the classic one? My first apps will not need high speed but who knows for future.

 

Thanks

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  • The Digilent ChipKit Uno32ChipKit Uno32 along with the ChipKit Max32 are very interesting as they are the only non-AVR boards that I know which are software compatible with the Arduino platform.  Their PIC32 processor packs a lot more power than the Arduino's 8-bit AVR.  However, while the core functionality has been implemented for the Arduino platform, I believe that you may find certain libraries you try to use will require modification to run on the ChipKit.

     

    If you are relatively new to embedded development and don't need the extra power right now (like you commented), then I'd recommend going with the Arduino UnoArduino Uno.  I suspect you would have an easier time getting past stumbling blocks on the Uno given the inherent compatibility and larger user base.

     

    Cheers,

    Drew

  • in reply to fustini

    I agree with Drew - when starting out, more compatible gives you a lot more satisfaction. It's no fun to have to deal with issues of incompatibilities when the learning curve is already steep enough!

     

    On that note, Drew - do you know what the deal is with Amicus?  element14 was kind enough to send me one as a gift last year, but I haven't done anything more than run the demo on it so far. Their website (http://www.myamicus.co.uk/) says it is built to be hardware compatible with Arduino, but do you know if the software is compatible in any way?

     

    Thanks,

    -Nico

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  • in reply to fustini

    I agree with Drew - when starting out, more compatible gives you a lot more satisfaction. It's no fun to have to deal with issues of incompatibilities when the learning curve is already steep enough!

     

    On that note, Drew - do you know what the deal is with Amicus?  element14 was kind enough to send me one as a gift last year, but I haven't done anything more than run the demo on it so far. Their website (http://www.myamicus.co.uk/) says it is built to be hardware compatible with Arduino, but do you know if the software is compatible in any way?

     

    Thanks,

    -Nico

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  • in reply to ntewinkel

    Hi - I've not used the Amicus but from what I know it is just hardware compatible and offers it's own BASIC environment.  The ARM-based Maple from LeafLabs is another example of a board that is hardware compatible.  As far as I know, the Digilent/Microchip are the only ones who have taken the time to modify the Arduino software environment (toolchain & libraries) to support another architecture.

     

    Speaking of which, I wonder how the ARM-based Arduino DUE is progressing.  It's been awhile since they announced back in September.  To me, Arduino is really just an easy-to-use abstraction for microcontroller programming that is powerful because it has reached critical mass, so I look forward to its continued adoption beyond the AVR architecture.

     

    Cheers,

    Drew