USBThumb is a miniature PIC USB development platform with an integrated USB bootloader. Its main purpose is development of thumb-sized USB gadgets , for example: SD/Flash thumb-drives, serial converters, mouse, gamepad , keyboard emulators, usb dongles for software protection, etc.

USBThumb was build as a small-size version of Mircochip's Low Pin Count USB Develpment Kit. All samples that Microchip provides for this board should also work with USBThumb.

Here are just few applications that you can customize or use "as is" once you download the Microchip's USB Framework, now part of Microchip Application Libraries:

USB Device - Audio - Microphone
USB Device - Audio - MIDI
USB Device - Bootloaders
USB Device - CDC - Basic Demo
USB Device - CDC - Serial Emulator
USB Device - HID - Custom Demos
USB Device - HID - Digitizers
USB Device - HID - Joystick
USB Device - HID - Keyboard
USB Device - HID - Mouse
USB Device - HID - Uninterruptible Power Supply
USB Device - LibUSB - Generic Driver Demo
USB Device - MCHPUSB - Generic Driver Demo
USB Device - WinUSB - Generic Driver Demo
USB Device - WinUSB - High Bandwidth Demo
USB OTG - MCHPUSB - Generic Driver Demo
USB PC - WM_DEVICECHANGE Demo
USB Precompiled Demos
USB Precompiled Library Projects

Plus, UsbThumb comes with some firmware applications that we have created/customized. UsbThumb mates and is pin compatible with Acc_Gyro and Acc_Gyro_6DOF shields (see UsbThumb Pinout document) . Other prototyping shields can be used for developing more complex applications. Stay tuned since we'll be updating the shields/applications collection. Also feel free to submit your own designs to Gadget Gangster.

Free development tools are available courtesy of Microchip: MPLAB IDE, C18 compiler, Microchip USB Framework

A PIC programmer is not necessary, because USBThumb comes with a built-in USB booloader, so you can upload your firmware using the USB port and a software utility part of USB Framework Library (USB Hid Bootloader). For more advanced work we recommend PicKit2/PicKit3 in-circuit programmers/debuggers.

For sample firmware source code see:
http://code.google.com/p/usbthumb/
http://code.google.com/p/usbthumb/source/browse/#svn/trunk