Re: [avr-chat] ATmega644 : dual USART... or not dual usart.. that, is the question !

[Joerg Wunsch]

Robert L Cochran <address@hidden> wrote:

> Well, why not just give surface mount parts a try?

I second this.  Generally, all those parts down to about 0.8 mm pitch
are pretty easy to handle.  Making your own PCBs for them is not
problematic, and if you buy one of those cheap hot-air soldering tools
(around EUR 70 approximately), unsoldering a TQFP-44 device will be
fun, much unlike the horror of unsoldering a DIP-40 package.

The fun starts with 0.5 mm pitched devices (like 100-pin AVRs), but
you even can get used to that within the hobbyist range.  Industrial
made PCBs are certainly a favor then, in particular a solder resist
mask is a good thing to have.  But then, next time you'll see a 1.27
mm pitched SOIC case, it will appear huge to you. :-)

-- 
cheers, J"org               .-.-.   --... ...--   -.. .  DL8DTL

http://www.sax.de/~joerg/                        NIC: JW11-RIPE
Never trust an operating system you don't have sources for. ;-)