programmer with bootloader

[mdmedlin]

I am asking for advice as to which programmer I should get for my $50 dollar robot.  I would like to get one with a bootloader already in it.  I am making the line-folowing/object-detection/adoidance robot that will use the left hand rule to get to the exit and use the algorithms to then truncate the shortest path out of the maze.  I believe I am going to use the sharp IR for my object detection and avoidance and I think I am going to use a 5 array board I had seen aon another site for the line following.

[Admin]

Well, you need a programmer to upload a bootloader to a microcontroller. If you have a friend with a programmer already, you can borrow it to install a bootloader on your mcu. Then you won't need a programmer again, and saved yourself a few bucks.

Otherwise, if you don't mind the ~$36 cost, you can get a nice programmer from mouser.com/digikey.com. Its the more expensive one linked on the first page of the $50 Robot tutorial.