Getting started with a new processor family is a minefield. Our new quick start guides for the PIC, LPC ARM, and STM32 ARM, are a collection of notes on these processor families. If you’re already familiar with one processor, these condensed guides can help you get started on a whole new platform without scouring the datasheet for potential pitfalls:
- minimum circuit
- special pins
- compilers
- programmers
- bootloaders
- gotchas and common limitations, like pin current considerations
These guides are a work in progress, please contribute if you can. We’re also working on guides for the AVR and MSP430.
For the MSP430, I have some useful bits and pieces here (Launchpad biased):
http://blog.hodgepig.org/tag/launchpad/
Great initiative! This could be very useful as a quick reminder on how to get started. I’ve worked with PICs ad AVRs (the latter being the most) but am no expert in either, otherwise I would have contributed.
Maybe if there’s some info on the AVR I could see if I can supplement it a little.
The AVR and MSP430 are currently blank pages :) They just have the basic format right now. I’ll try to get them up ASAP, but feel free to contribute the basics.