Microcontroller Training Made Simple

February 24, 2012 (PRLEAP.COM) Education News
Kanda have added another kit to their microcontroller trainer range. For over 15 years, Kanda have supplied thousands of training kits for the AVR microcontroller and they have now launched PIC microcontroller trainers.

Microcontrollers are a vital component in today's electronic revolution and learning how to use them is essential for any electronics training. The two most widely used 8-bit microcontrollers are AVR and PIC and Kanda now support both.

Learning about microcontrollers is not just about electronics, it also teaches all types of programming concepts, which are important in a computer-orientated world. Everything from number systems like binary and hexadecimal, logic gates, program design and how to use software development tools is covered in these Kanda kits.

The kits are complete packages that include all the software and hardware required to learn about microcontrollers from scratch and how to program them. Based on the Kanda Get Going with… books to give a structure to the training, they start from basic concepts and develop programming skills to cover all the elements needed in an electronics project, such as LCD's, Analog to Digital conversion, motor drive outputs and communications. These are all the elements needed for projects such as robotics and instrumentation.

As part of the training, the kits also teach microcontroller structure and design, how to plan programs using structure diagrams, and implement programs in assembly language and later in C code, using the comprehensive development software included. How to debug programs using the In Circuit Emulator, and program chips in circuit are also covered.

Kanda kits come with

  • a comprehensive development board
  • 40-pin PIC16F and PIC18F microcontrollers
  • PICKit2 In Circuit Emulator and programmer
  • full schematics
  • loads of code examples (in assembler and C)
  • a range of guides and datasheets to complement the book
  • Get Going with… PIC Microcontrollers book
  • Keypad and LCD accessories
  • Microchip MPLAB development software with integrated C Compilers and Debugging

  • Kanda AVR trainer kits are used in colleges and universities throughout the world and are increasingly being used in schools as they recognize the importance of giving their pupils an understanding of programming skills and modern electronics. Apart from education establishments, many individual hobbyists and company engineers have benefited from using Kanda AVR kits and now they are available for PIC microcontrollers as well.