Readiness: Introduction to Microcontrollers (Lake Washington Tech OER)
Verdict: Ready with caveats · 2026-07-19 · est. parts cost $95–$110
The hardware for this lab is almost entirely sourceable, though the target microcontroller requires sourcing from secondary distributors or shifting to the Industrial-grade variant due to stock shortages at primary distributors. A critical software caveat exists: the lab instructions rely on the deprecated MPASM assembler, which is absent from modern MPLAB X versions (v6.00+). Instructors must use legacy toolchains (v5.35 or earlier) to maintain compatibility with the provided source code. This is a baseline check.
Action required
| Part |
Problem |
Recommended action |
| PIC16F18875-E/P |
Out of stock at DigiKey (20-week lead). |
Purchase from Mouser or use Industrial-grade substitute PIC16F18875-I/P. |
| Glass Break Detector |
Identity unverified; commercial units are proprietary and expensive ($30+). |
Use suggested Sound Microphone Sensor Module substitute ($5.72). |
Parts
Primary Development Hardware
| Part |
Spec/Package |
Status |
Stock |
Price |
Source |
| DM164136 |
Curiosity HPC Board |
Active |
201 |
$33.99 |
DigiKey |
Core Integrated Circuits
| Part |
Spec/Package |
Status |
Stock |
Price |
Source |
| PIC16F18875-E/P |
8-bit MCU / PDIP-40 |
Active |
549 |
$2.46 |
Mouser |
| MCP9701-E/TO |
Temp Sensor / TO-92 |
Active |
3,526 |
$0.53 |
DigiKey |
Security System Peripherals (Lab #9)
| Part |
Spec/Package |
Status |
Stock |
Price |
Source |
| Magnetic Reed Switches |
Contact Switch Module |
Active |
>10 |
$4.75 |
DigiKey |
| PIR Motion Sensors |
HC-SR501 Module |
Active |
>10 |
$3.95 |
PiShop USA |
| Glass Break Detectors |
Acoustic Sensor |
Plausible |
— |
— |
— |
| Numerical Keypad |
3x4 Matrix Membrane |
Active |
>10 |
$2.95 |
PiShop USA |
| Character LCD Display |
16x2 I2C Module |
Active |
>10 |
$11.90 |
DigiKey |
| Piezo Buzzer / Siren |
5V Active |
Active |
>10 |
$0.99 |
PiShop USA |
| External Siren Relay |
5V Relay Module |
Active |
>10 |
$6.37 |
DigiKey |
General Prototyping Components
| Part |
Spec/Package |
Status |
Stock |
Price |
Source |
| Indicator LEDs |
5mm Assortment |
Active |
>100 |
$8.49 |
Walmart |
| Resistors (Axial) |
1/4W Kit |
Active |
>10 |
$9.95 |
Mouser |
| Tactile Pushbuttons |
6mm TH (20-pack) |
Active |
>10 |
$2.50 |
DigiKey |
| Breadboard and Jumpers |
830-pt Kit |
Active |
>10 |
$9.99 |
DigiKey |
Substitutes
| For part |
Substitute |
Differences |
Verified |
Judgment |
| PIC16F18875-E/P |
PIC16F18875-I/P |
Lower temp range (-40°C to 85°C vs -40°C to 125°C). Same PDIP-40 footprint and voltage. |
package + lead spacing |
Acceptable drop-in for lab use. |
| Glass Break Detector |
Sound Microphone Module |
Detects sound volume/envelope instead of specific glass frequency; provides logic level output. |
not stated |
Plausible; requires code validation for sound trigger levels. |
Instructors must verify any substitute against its datasheet before ordering.
Other dependencies
- MPLAB X IDE: v5.35 or earlier is required to use the native MPASM assembler for provided
.asm files.
- Assembler Syntax: Standard
.asm files (MPASM) are incompatible with the modern pic-as assembler without significant rewriting.
- OER Hosting: Verified; the OpenWA Pressbooks URL is active as of 2026-07-19.
- Firmware/Libraries: Not checked.
Watch list
- PIC16F18875-E/P: Stock is currently zero at DigiKey with long lead times; Mouser stock is healthy but should be monitored.
- MPASM Status: Future operating system updates may eventually break the functionality of legacy MPLAB X v5.35, creating a hard stop for the lab's current code base.