PIC16F884

Personally I like this CY8C5247LTI-089 - CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR - 32 Bit Microcontroller, PSoC 5 Series, ARM Cortex-M3, 40 MHz, 128 KB, 32 KB, 6…

because it has more capabilities and you can program from Windows PC with creator software -> free from Cypress.

Clem

@ Clem, Yes - but the OP wants a 40 pin DIP compatible with the PICKIT3 he's already bought.

@Lupe - Microchip have 7926 in stock and no warning about long term availability.

http://www.microchipdirect.com/ProductDetails.aspx?Category=PIC16F884

Mind you, Clem is right in suggesting that you might want to put your time into a more modern chip - I would suggest you think about an ST ARM micro on a Nucleo board, and use the free version of the Keil toolset - much more mainstream than the Cypress and if you are  a Linux person there are options for you too. The Cypress chips have too many features that can ONLY be programmed using their software on Windows.

MK

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PIC16F1939 looks fairly similar. It's got a lot more flash and RAM, but the peripheral mix looks to be similar (it has a D/A too, which would be interesting to experiment with) and the price quoted by Microchip is about the same as the PIC16F884 [not that that necessarily translates to prices that you or I pay for small quantities]. Product page says it can be programmed with the PICkit 3. Check with the datasheet that it actually does what you want - I only looked very, very quickly at the data and might have missed things.

http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/Devices.aspx?product=PIC16F1939

http://www.newark.com/microchip/pic16f1939-i-p/microcontroller-mcu-8-bit-pic16/dp/08R1958

@Michael Kellett

So do you feel the PIC chips are the wrong way to go?

The reason I was thinking PIC is because they can have very little other parts to make it go. (crystals, caps, etc)

That is one main goal of mine, I really have no idea on how to set up those parts. NO IDEA.

If there is a better option of a chip, (not entire board) that fits, then I guess I better start buying/learning that route.

If you really want to work at chip level and keep away from surface mount packages then your options narrow down to PIC or AVR. I think there are a lot more PIC parts available than AVRs. The downside is that the PIC architecture is nothing like as nice to work with as the ARM Cortex M but if your main goal is learning that doesn't really matter too much (in some ways it's even a benefit - coding the 8 bit PICs in assembler really makes you learn properly how all this stuff works !).

So - by all means stick with the PICs - buy a few 16F884s (or similar, might be better starting off with fewer pins) and see what you can do.

Do you have a plan for the first project ?

MK

Ok I am going to order the some16F884s and the aforementioned PIC16F1939's to play and learn with.

I'm still looking for some smaller pic's to learn on also.

As for a project, I have a couple in mind.

A small project is an automated laundry soap dispenser. I if the bottle says it works for 80 loads, and i aim to get 80 loads out of it.

A medum/larger microcontroller controller and project is.

My father is a one man band, and I would be happy to make a set of base pedals for the him that will work with ANY keyboard    with just a few minor adjustments.

Right now, i he is limited to midi keyboards, and and because his base peddle is broken, what he has done is find the smallest midi capable of keyboard and bolt it to the base peddles. Then run coat hanger wire from each peddle to each key on the small keyboard. I so when he steps on the peddles it presses the keys. I than midi the small keyboard to the larger, more better keyboard so he can control it.

My goal is to use one of the pics noted above to control 6 servo's and to read a 12 switch network through 2 wires.

So he can slide the servos the over the keys on any size keyboard and plug a curly phone cord into the base peddles. I than control the keyboard like that. Idk If there is enuff II I would like to have some start /stop, and intro, and ect also.

Hello Lupe,

The keyboard player can probably be done - here's a pretty crude example:

Robotic Piano Player

MK