Electronic – Programming Atmega with serial port

I agree with PIC18s but for someone just starting they may be a bit intense. I currently teach senior level electrical engineers PIC development and even within the same classes their range of backgrounds can be astounding.

I currently teach people with the CCS PIC-C compiler but it costs money. It is unbelievable simple and was chosen as most of our students have only worked in a lab setting with basic assembly or x86 programming.

I have a feeling a very simple PIC16 may be a better fit, but it will depend on your background. The PIC16F688 is a very simple PIC that we use for our first project to warm people up.

This page has the circuit diagrams, C code, and compiled windows executable for using ISP to program a PIC. The (windows) software is different form the AVR software, so maybe it is just a cheap way to program PICs. Certainly cheaper than $1200.

http://elm-chan.org/works/avrx/report_e.html (near the bottom)