Hi everyone.

I've been mailing back and forth a little with Windell about the Meggy Jr. , because i want to order one (today! can't wait any longer )
He mentioned the possible use of the ATmega328P, that doubles the Flash space and RAM compared to the one that comes with the original kit.
Sounds tempting, right?
Now i just msged KenCorey from the forum about it, and i hope he doesn't mind, here's what he said.

"My only concern would be that if you got the 328, would you end up taking advantage of it, and if so how useful would your programs be to the wider community that didn't take advantage? The general run of programs that are out there will most definitely not take advantage of it, so are you going to program things that take advantage of it? If not, then the money would basically go down the drain."

He has a point there, right? If the community sticks to the original set, what benefit would it get me (except of course making my own stuff, but not being able to really share it)

So i just would like to know how the rest out there feels about it.

Thanks

Okay, a little background first. The current Arduino platform standards-- the "Diecimila" and "Duemilanove" are based on the ATmega168 run at 16 MHz. This chip has 16 kB of flash memory for storing your program (of which 2 kB is used for the bootloader, leaving 14 kB in practice), 1 kB of RAM, and 512 bytes of EEPROM (non-volatile memory). The CPU is run at 16 MHz from a crystal oscillator. The Meggy Jr RGB aims for direct and exact compatibility with the Diecimila and Duemilanove-- such that you can just select Diecimila from the menu in the Arduino environment and just use it. (This does require the FTDI USB-TTL cable, of course.) The Meggy Jr RGB-- in the current version-- comes with a pre-programmed ATmega168 and runs at 16 MHz, which works quite well. The Meggy Jr libraries (plus refresh routines, video memory and so forth) take roughly 1/3 of the resources -- in terms of CPU time, RAM, and program space-- of the ATmega168. What remains is available to the user for applications that run on the Meggy Jr. Recently Atmel came out with a new chip, the ATmega328P, which is like an upgraded version of the '168. It has 32 kB of flash memory, 2 kB of RAM, and 1 kB of EEPROM. It's very nice in some ways-- the extra flash memory and particularly the extra RAM can be helpful for programs that store or manipulate large arrays of data. On an Arduino Diecimila and Duemilanove, the chip is socketed and you can easily swap out the '168 for a shiny new '328. On the Meggy Jr (and most Arduino models besides the Diecimila/Duemilanove), it is possible but not trivial to swap out the chip because it's soldered in place. However, you can easily build up a new Meggy Jr with the '328 instead of the '168. So why don't we include a '328 with every Meggy Jr RGB kit? Well, here's the rub: The Arduino software environment does not yet support development with the '328. Let me repeat this: if you build a Meggy Jr with the '328, you *will not* be able to program it through the current version of the Arduino development environment (Arduino 12). It is, however, possible to download a "patched" version of the Arduino development environment that supports what is usually called "Diecimila with ATmega328." (Mac example -- see download at end, Windows example.) We anticipate that one of the next few Arduino releases will support the '328, so it is basically a matter of time before this becomes convenient. The code for the two systems is nearly interchangeable. If you develop software that uses the ATmega168, the code can easily be made to run on the '328 by opening the and running it from a version of the Arduino software that supports the '328. If you develop software for the '328, it can likewise run on the '168 if the program does not exceed the memory available on the '168. As far as "money down the drain," we aren't talking about much, and you might someday be happy to have the extra space available. Here is something to consider: some other folks out there *are* already developing on Meggy Jr RGBs that have '328s in them, and when *they* publish their code, you'll be able to use it without thinking twice. Our store has pre-programmed ATmega328P's ready to go into Meggy Jr kits for $5 each. This isn't something that we're recommend for most users until the main software supports it, so it isn't going on the main page, but you can find it here, temporarily. So... If the community has anything to say about the way this is heading, I'm all ears.