Oh, and I almost forgot to mention... when you start building and need a microcontroller, go to whatever company you need one from and ask for a sample piece. T

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention... when you start building and need a microcontroller, go to whatever company you need one from and ask for a sample piece. Typically all microcontrollers companies will send you 1-5 controllers as "testing and development samples." There is usually a form that allows you to order these for free on their website.