Getting started with 8 bit microcontrollers

mithishan — Fri, 22 May 2026 09:45:44 GMT

Hey all, I'm just becoming interested with 8 bit microcontrollers. I would like to build a few things with the absolute cheapest parts possible, like some Chinese LoRa modules, some PIC16LF1503-I/P mcu's, at only $1.50 each, I figure I can afford to play around a bit!

I would like to build some wireless devices that can activate a relay, to do things like open a solenoid to water the garden, turn lights etc...

I have zero idea where to start. How do you program these things? Do I need some kind of interface and development environment, like a USB device I can plug these chips into? And write the code too? What kind of code do most of them read, C? How many kb of memory and ram do I need to execute simple tasks like communicating through a LoRa module and turning on some kind of gpio pin to activate a relay?

Ideally I'm looking for the cheapest possible microcontrollers that can communicate over SPI, have atleast a pin or two that can be activated to control relays or camera's or other devices.

Thanks!

Re: Getting started with 8 bit microcontrollers

luis_maravilla — Tue, 26 May 2026 18:23:29 GMT

Hello,

S08PT or S08PA, could be a good fit, both are 8-bit microcontrollers, low price option, SPI and different GPIOs, along other features.

In the Buy/Parametric Section you can compare Packages, #Terminals, Budget, Flash, RAM, etc

For more characteristics description please refer to MC9S08PT Data Sheet Table 1 and MC9S08PA16 Series Data Table 1

For programming and creating code for S08 devices the recommend path is using CodeWarrior for MCUs (Eclipse IDE) v11.1; The language code used is C. This tool support Connection for P&E USB Multilink Universal FX / USB Multilink, P&E Cyclone and Open Source BDM. To take in consideration for when you adapt your board connections according to the chip of your selection.

Hope this information help you

Best Regards, Luis

8-bit MicrocontrollersのトピックGetting started with 8 bit microcontrollers

Getting started with 8 bit microcontrollers

Re: Getting started with 8 bit microcontrollers