A vast array of PIC microconlrollers is manufactured by the Microchip Technology
Corporation of Tucson, Arizona. Getting to know one device will expose me to most of the features provided in this entire family of devices and make me comfortable with selecting and using the device that most closely meets my needs.

The device I have selected is the P1C16F877A microcontroller. This is a 40-pin device that contains most of the features you are likely to find in the family of microcontrollers that Microchip Technology manufactures. In general, the salient features we need to get comfortable with can be described as dealing with the following:

• Input capability
• Output capability
• Mathematical manipulations within 8116-bir math
• Using timers
• Using counters
• Communications with digital and analog devices
• Dealing with displays
• Interacting with personal compmers

The PIC16F877A will let us get familiar with all the preceding items and more, and is an excellent choice for the first-time serious user. This particular MCU (microcontroller unit) is also very popular with robotic enthusiasts. A number of boards that incorporate this device are available in the general marketplace and on the Internet.

As novices, if we want to get familiar with the concept of building instruments and controllers based on PIC microprocessors, we need an easy-to-use yet sophisticated and versatile board to play with and test our nascent ideas on. Though, of course, it would be possible to design and build a board that would do that, we do not have the expertise or time and money at this juncture to do so. Therefore, I have selected the a conventional way to program and test the microcontroller using Cytron Technology UIC00A USB ICSP PIC Programmer together with a breadbord.