programming in visual basic.

[hassanjaved]

hi! I need to know if it is possible to programme a microcontroller in Visual Basic and Visual Basic.net .where can i get the compiler?Moreover Which Atmel microcontroller is best for school projects and as a hobby,and can i programme it in VB and VB.net?

[cjwillms]

For the Atmel AVR series, I don't believe it's possible to program it in VB. There isn't a VB complier, from what I know, so you have to use either C or Assembly (recommended, since it's easier to switch to assembly from vb). The best thing to do, is to download AVR Studio (here). It'll let you write the code, and emulate it, so you'll know if it'll work or not. From there, you should be able to upload the code to your device, but how you plan to do this depends on if you bought a programmer or not.

Personally, I've just started with the Atmel AVR ATMega32, and I've found it to be more then enough for my needs. I'd recommend any of the Mega's, but if your going to be using a breadboard, buy a DIP version of the chip.

[Ben]

Visual Basic isn't exactly an embedded systems kind of language.  Its whole purpose was to make writing windows programs really easy and straight forward.  The problem with this, is that its so intertwined with windows components and "user friendly" features that is very impractical to use on a microcontroller.

If you like Visual Basic, then you'll probably do well finding a microcontroller that is programmable using BASIC.  If you go to www.parallax.com, they sell the BASIC Stamp, which is pretty much as easy as you can get in the robotics world. 

If you don't know C and/or Assembly, you might not want to jump straight into Atmel microcontrollers.  You might want to stick with BASIC Stamps and PIC microcontrollers until you get the hang of it. 

[creedcradle]

@Admin, i know this topic was posted long ago but i want to add something in benefit to those people who are looking for answers on the same question , i dont mind if you would edit this post - creedcradle

------------------------------------------------------

you can program AVR MCUs using VB format

here is the answer

http://www.mikroe.com/en/offer/

[Ro-Bot-X]

There is BASCOM-AVR, a basic compiler for AVR micros, made by MCS Electronics. It is similar to VB. Take a look at:
http://www.mcselec.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=41

[Steve Joblin]

PICAXE chips have been gaining popularity... they are programmed in PICBASIC and don't require an special programming hardware and the IDE is free to download... you can get started programming microcontrollers in BASIC for just $3!!!