Overview

For the projects in this section, you will be using a new microcontroller--the ATMega168. Previous Machine Science projects have used the Microchip PIC16F877 microcontroller. The ATMega168 has certain features, including more program memory, timers, and interrupts, that make it better suited than the PIC for advanced projects. Figure 1 shows the ATMega and PIC chips.


With the new chip, some changes are introduced in the guides as well. Instructions for adding components to the breadboard are illustrated primarily with schematic diagrams, rather than with photographs. Setting up the ATMega Board is somewhat simpler than setting up the PIC-based XBoard, since the ATMega168 does not require an external oscillator.

Much of the introductory material on using the ATMega Board is covered in more detail in the PIC XBoard projects. If you have questions about any of the ATMega instructions, you may want to refer to the XBoard documents, particularly the Getting Started and Building Blocks sections.