Date: 22/07/2010

Microchip' Microstick: a low cost development board for dsPIC33F and PIC24H microcontrollers

Microchip has unveiled the Microstick for dsPIC33F and PIC24H development board, which provides a complete, low-cost solution for designing with Microchip's 16-bit PIC24H microcontrollers and dsPIC33F Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs), in a compact 20x76 mm footprint. The Microstick offers an integrated USB programmer/debugger, which shortens learning curves. The Microstick can be used stand-alone or plugged into a prototyping board.

The Microstick is integrated with a socketed microcontroller that can be swapped out. It works with PIC24HJ64GP502, which is a 16-bit MCUand the dsPIC33FJ64MC802 DSC, which blends DSP and MCU resources into a single architecture. This device provides software support using the free MPLAB Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and software libraries that work with all of Microchip's 8/16/32-bit PIC microcontrollers and DSCs. The dsPIC33F DSCs are supported by the free demo version of Microchip's Device Blocksets for the MATLAB language and Simulink environment, which work within the MPLAB IDE. This combination provides a platform for development of smart-sensor and a host of other embedded-control applications.

"Microstick is great for anyone who needs a complete, low-cost development solution for working with the highest performing 16-bit microcontrollers available," said Derek Carlson, vice president of Microchip's Development Tools Group. "Our team worked with university professors to ensure that this board fits nicely into their curricula, but the benefits of this platform extend to a broad range of designers who want get started with embedded development."

Price: US$24.99

Availability: Now

For more information visit: http://www.microchip.com/get/E0KR.