Going Beyond Arduino #1, Introduction

In this video I introduce a series I'm calling 'Going Beyond Arduino'. The series is to help viewers learn what is actually going on inside the microcontroller. I will take you out of the simplified but somewhat limiting world of Arduino into the more complex world of working directly with the microcontroller. I will stick with the ATMEG328, but once you have learned how it works, you can more easily learn about other microcontrollers (PIC, STM, ARM, etc.).

As the series progresses, I will introduce some more advanced programming techniques as well as some basic electronics. Each of the microcontroller peripherals (USART, SPI, Timers/Counters, PWM, etc.) will be introduced one at a time and I will show you how to develop C code to use them in projects. The code will be posted online so viewers can download it and experiment with it in their own projects.

Some links where you can find programmers and ATMEGA328 chips. Please note I have no affiliation with any of these distributors, these are only suggested sources. If you look around the Internet, you'll likely find more.

Programmers:

Atmel AVRISP MKII (seems to be unavailable):
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail...

Pocket AVR Programmer (from SparkFun):
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9825

Olimex AVR programmer:
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail...
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/O...
http://www.newark.com/olimex/avr-jtag...

Atmel ICE:
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/A...
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail...
http://www.newark.com/atmel/atatmel-i...

If you Google for 'AVR programmer' a lot more examples come up. I only have experience with the Atmel AVRISP and ICE, so I can't say much about any other programmer you may find.

Here's were you can find the ATMEGA328 microcontroller chips in the through hole package:
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail...
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/A...
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9061
http://www.newark.com/atmel/atmega328...