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These ultra-low cost micro controllers are 8-bit processors. Programming them is done at the machine language level and, from a modern perspective, is not unli
by ThrowawayR2 8y ago
These ultra-low cost micro controllers are 8-bit processors. Programming them is done at the machine language level and, from a modern perspective, is not unlike attempting to build a house, one atom at a time.
Something optional you can start off with that will let you figure out if this is something you want to invest your time in would be to get a copy of a semi-educational game: "Human Resource Machine" (https://www.gog.com/game/human_resource_machine https://www.gog.com/game/human_resource_machine) which teaches the concepts of machine language programming using a fun and quirky aesthetic.
If you decide you want to dig deeper, you'll need to decide which processor architecture you want to learn the machine language for initially. For a beginner, something like the 6502 or Z80 used to power early home computers of the '70s and '80s like the Apple II, TRS-80, Commodore 64 and so forth is IMO a better choice because of the plethora of people familiar with them and decades of documentation and tutorials available. (While modern industrial 8-bit microcontrollers, such as the one you linked to, are also an option, documentation about them tends to be scarcer and geared towards professional engineers.) Fortunately, modern computers are powerful enough to emulate these tiny microprocessors easily and you can explore programming them in an emulator.
An example of this is http://www.6502asm.com http://www.6502asm.com, which allows you to write 6502 assembly language and execute it right in your browser. A tutorial can be found at https://skilldrick.github.io/easy6502/ https://skilldrick.github.io/easy6502/
Once you get some experience with writing machine language for one microcontroller, you should know enough to pick up machine languages for other microcontrollers without difficulty. At this point, you can start looking into development boards for your processor of choice.