"Peter Michelson" wrote in message
news:WxVQd.10007$Ps.3033@okepread06...
Thank you for your reply.

"John" wrote in message
...

Is there a more specific term for "driver"? I am not familiar with a
component by that name.

A flip-flop basically stores a 1 or a 0, ON or OFF, respectively. It
can't
switch between the two by itself. It needs additional circuitry to drive
it,
or basically tell it when to switch the flip-flop from 0 to 1, and 1 to
0.

what are the characteristics of the signal required to cause the bit to
change?

A flip-flop STORES a signal. So basically it stores whatever signal you feed
it. For your project, you don't need a flip-flop if you use a PIC.

A PIC would suit perfectly for this type of application but it requires
some
funds for a PIC programmer (hardware) and coding the PIC (software).
You'd
have to know how to program to use a PIC.

Does PIC stand for Programmable IC? Is this similar to an EPROM or PROM?
How much does PIC programmer hardware cost?

Yes. EPROM. You can get one for around $150US
(http://xtronics.com/memory/EPROM.htm)

What skills are necessary for programming to use a PIC? For example, if
one
is versed in machine language, is that sufficient?

Some are assembler, some are C/C+, some you can use BASIC.

Thanks for the information. It sounds intriguing.
Regards,
Peter

Microcontrollers are the easiest ways to create your own electronics devices
given you know how to program.