Looking for a more flexibility out of your Sumovore? Well, welcome to the
next in our series of brainboards - the ATMega8L. The ATMega8L offers
an impressive list of features, including (but not limited to):
!8kB flash memory
!Three Pulse-width modulation (PWM) channels
!Six Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs)
!In-circuit programmable
!Internal RC oscillator (optional resonator needed to surpass 8MHz)
!23 programmable Input/Output (I/O) lines
2
!I C protocol for sensor networking
!Single clock execution up to 1MIPs/MHz (this means “it’s QUICK”, like
250 times faster than a standard Basic Stamp 2!)
We’ve made good use of the capabilities of the ATMega8L, but there’s lots
more you can do with it, including program it with the free open-source
GCC C-compiler (our weapon of choice) or other compilers for BASIC,
JAL, Java, Assembler, Pascal, Forth,... it goes on and on!
This is not a kit for a microcontroller beginner. Anybody using this
brainboard should have the appropriate skills, or be ready to learn the
techniques that make a microcontroller... microcontrol!
This kit lets you swap out the default discrete brainboard for a
programmable version. If you run into any problems, it’s a simple process
to swap a different brain back in. We’ve had days when it’d be nice to swap
in a new brain, haven’t you?
This brainboard features:
!Atmel ATMega8L microcontroller
!5 indicator LEDs & 1 programming LED indicator
!STK500 and SP-12 programming headers
!Microprocessor Reset Switch
!Standard 0.1” expansion interface holes for breadboard add-ons
!Expansion interface featuring:
!5 digital / interrupt I/O (Port D 2-6, shared with LED indicators)
!5 analog inputs / digital I/O (Ports C 0-4, shared with line sensors)
2
!I C Bus
!Regulated 5V and Raw 6V
!Access to the microcontroller serial interface (level shifting req’d)
Introduction
The ATMega8L Brainboard
