Re: pic -> avr?

David McNab wrote:

> What are the practical pros and cons of AVR versus PIC?

Pros of AVR:

Nicer instruction set -- 18F closes the gap somewhat, but AVR is still 
better

Good free C compiler (GCC with AVR target)

AVR Butterfly evaluation board -- not just an evaluation tool, but a 
handy little thing to build into many small-volume projects

Lower clock rate for a given rate of instruction execution (1 clock per 
instruction rather than 4) may mean less EMI, and allows faster devices 
without needing FCC approval (exemption for battery powered devices with 
clock rate < 1.8MHz)

Company is generous with development kits (frequent seminars where they 
give them away)

Cons of AVR:

Tends to be a bit more expensive than PIC for the same functionality

Most MegaAVR parts only come in SMD packages (disadvantage for 
prototyping and for small quantity home builders)

Fewer good commercial development tools

Availability of parts in medium quantities (thousands) can be a problem 
(evaluation quantities and huge production volumes are not)