Ok, It comes to a point you have to take a decision....
What I'll suggest is the best for learning and understanding electronics....
Get a development kit!!!! It will solve your hands!!!
I've been through BS2 for 1 year.... What I did understand in the end.... It's a little bit useless....
Just a toy!!! Ardruino and robordruino differ, cause they are of a different concept...
This is cause behind the compiler there is machine, whereas behind the BS2 compiler is software again....
Now.... which is the most easy to use.... Both are equal... You see guys here real had in mind
only C when it comes to Atmel but I still program in BASIC...
For me, the first language one should learn first is basic because:
It offers a lot easily (you don't really need precision here, you are learning) and
it get you to learn how to flowchart programs quite quickly.
C does the same... but introduces you to hardware too soon, and you don't really like this...
Then, if you learn basic well (constructing big nice fat programs) then, it comes to learning the machine...
Best way to do this, although it may seem like a mountain in the beginning is Assembly.... period....
But in order to write big fat programs in Assembly you must really really be an idiot (yes, cause 400 Basic lines are 10000 Assembly)
You use C....
So the logic order is Basic, Assembly, C...... for me!!! I do note that, for me...
Now what you should buy....
Basic Stamp offers you only the first option so I consider it useless.... (And by the way I have 3 BS2)
Ardruino ,or Eric's version, offers the whole package but you get involved with only one microcontroller (and it's family, which is ATMEGA XX8)
They are the best solution for a hobbyist...
But what, I really really recommend is a Atmel development kit...
STK500 is very very good, and you will get a lot....
Best if you buy a STK600, but it's far more expensive both to buy and get it working with DIP package controllers
( though with the big nice hole though pins!!!)
An STK500 will cost you about 100Euro or ~110$ - 120$
An STK600 will cost you about 170Euro or ~200$ but you will also need some routine cards (the add on we were talking)
Each routine card is about 80Euro or ~100$
You will need only one don't worry.... but it comes that you need 300$ which is a real sum for a beginner....
Now in real life... what I did....
I started with a BS2!!! Then I got my second one to start playing with communications!!!
Then I built a JDM programmer for AT90S2313 (ha, most here haven't even heard
) nothing special
and not much of a micro compared to Eric's (airman00) ATMEGA168...
Then I got my ATTINY2313... But with a JDM programmer setting fuses is rather hard... so I did broke micros back then....
But I have revived them
How??? I got my STK500, which has HVPP (or High Voltage Parallel Programming) which is the only way "reviving" a microcontroller.....
Now... Reviving means fixing the fuses, (for you changing clothes) it can't repair burned cloths
With STK500, I learned programming in BASIC well enough...
What an STK500 offers over Ardruino is, helping you with the set up of the device... (these fuses)
Fuses, are very important and for a beginner who can do errors it's very important to have a program which prevents you from destroying
literally.....
It also offers full range on Vref and not fixed values, which well, it's important but not very....... it's needed later on....
To continue, I bough a STK600 some months ago... Which is a hell of a development kit... It really has everything on it...
USB powered, RS232 communication, CAN bus, two Vref voltages, an extra USB port for your projects and so on....
But guess want.... you are a beginner, you won't need all these goodies... no way....
So you either buy a roborduino which offer much help on wiring, or you buy an STK500, which is lite and for me it can help you a little more...
BUT!!! If you buy a development kit (STK500, STK600) it is sure that you WILL NOT use it on a robot... Just for plain programming and
development....
So what is the BEST solution, you buy a roborduino which works right out of the box, and then you buy a STK500
Which STK500 can program a roboduino, but it's no necessary cause roboduino has a program in it and you can just plug in and play...
Hehehehe, what was an answer... I'll use it for other too
It got me 1 hour to think and write
Well,
Best of regards,
Lefteris, Greece