28 pin Starter Board
The Microchip 28 pin starter board provides a convenient, inexpensive way to explore Microchip's 16 bit microcontrollers and digital signal processors. The board supports those PIC24 and dsPIC products available in a 28 pin skinny DIP package.
In keeping with it's low end positioning, the board includes very few peripherals. There are 4 LEDs, one pushbutton and a potentiometer available onboard for experimentation. However, a header is provided which allows easy access to all of the microcontroller's pins, and a small prototype area is also provided.
The 16-bit parts all include a PLL which can be used to multiply the crystal frequency, allowing high clock speeds with reasonably priced crystals. The starter board includes a 7.37 MHz crystal, allowing dsPIC30 operation up to 29.5 MIPS, very close to the maximum 30 MIPS available on that part. The 24F parts may be operated at 14.75 MIPS, again close to the maximum 16 MIPS capability of those parts. The board comes with an installed PIC24FJ64GA002.
The board includes jumpers which allow for selection of 5 or 3.3 volt power, PIC24/dsPIC33 or dsPIC30 parts (these have slightly different pinouts), connecting or disconnecting the onboard LEDs, connecting or disconnecting the onboard pot, and selection of power from a power jack or the USB connector.
The board also includes an onboard PIC18F2450 which provides a USB interface to the microcontroller's serial port. This makes the board far more interesting, since the PIC under test can easily communicate with a PC over the USB port. The provided PIC is preprogrammed with an application that uses this capability. Unfortunately, the serial port uses the same pins required for debugging, so the ICD cannot be used for debugging applications requiring the USB interface. A switch selects between the serial/USB interface and the ICD 2 interface. There are pads, but no connector, for the 18F's programming pins, thus, with a little work, the 18F could be programmed with the user's application. As shipped, the 18F serves only as a serial to USB converter.
The 28 pin starter board is a good way for someone to get their "toe in the water" on the 16 bit parts. However, the capability is fairly limited unless the experimenter intends to add some of his own circuitry. For about 50% more money, the Explorer 16 board provides much more capability, although arguably a little more involved hardware experimentation. The hobbyist considering the starter board should also investigate the Explorer 16, and see whether the Explorer's increased capability is worth it's increased price.
Microchip Direct model DM30027