Best sites on the Net to learn about Electronics/Robotics

[cyiwin]

Know a good site? Did one stand out for you more than the others?
Post it here and we can all take advantage of it!

[cyiwin]

For robotics, aside from the fundamentals of electronics, it is a huge
help to know how to program microcontrollers. Microcontrollers can do
anything you could do with logic gates, only cheaper, smaller and
faster(once you get the hang of it). Since the most common is the PIC
microchip, it makes more sense to learn how to use it. Also, in
comparison to the BASIC Stamp, they are cheaper, potentially faster,
and offer higher security(it should be your choice if you want to share
your code with the world). For a great introduction to the PIC, go
here..

http://www.piclist.com/techref/microchip/intro/pic.htm

Here is the site that I started at, great for learning the basics on
programming the PIC.

http://www.mstracey.btinternet.co.uk/pictutorial/picmain.htm

Here is another site that is great for programming the PIC on a more
intermediate level.

www.winpicprog.co.uk/pic_tutorial.htm

For the inexpensive part:

www.sparkfun.com is a great place to buy PIC chips and programmers.
For $12.95 you can buy the PIC-PG2C programmer. It connects to the
serial port of your computer and doesn't require an external power
supply. I recommend also buying at least three 16F628
microcontrollers. They are great chips to get you started, they have
16 inputs/outputs, 2K of programming space and have an internal 4 Mhz
clock. You can also use sparkfun.com to help you get your hardware
working after you get your programmer and chips. You can download the
free HEX programming software IC-PROG and WinPIC. If one doesn't work,
use the other. Also your assembler language is free, download it from
Microchips website:

http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1406&dDocName=en019469

Here is the list of basic components I recommend having before
embarking on programming PIC microchips:

> 2 breadboards (at least 2, one minor, one major)
> LED kit (at least 30 LEDs)
> Resistor kit (good to have a variety but get plenty of 270 Ohm
resistors for your projects)
> 2 Voltage Regulators (get a few 7805's to start you off, they're
preset at 5 Volts)
> Capacitor kit (small kit, have 1's, 10's, and 100 microFarads)
> Hook-up wire (don't be stingy here, some come with breadboard kits)
> 9V batteries (need at least 9V to power your 5V regulators)

This will get you started, later you can get your piezo speakers,
relays, motors etc...

[differential element]

THis one has some interesting reading:

http://www.seattlerobotics.org

[robohand]

i know about average level of coding in microprocessor.......and arduino is really good for beginners.....what i really want to know is about the connections....the circuit in autonomous robos......any help???????