Lpc2000

Which 
> flavor of 2000 might be the most practical for the needs/wants in my 
> original post?
>  Thanks again...
> 

Wander over to Sparkfun and see what they have:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php?cPath=2_25

So much depends on what you want to do.  Personally, I have the
LPC2106 header board and the Prototyping Board for LPC2106.  My next
board will be the Prototyping Board for the LPC2148 because it has the
MMC/SD socket already mounted.

I have been doing a lot of stuff with compact flash on the 2106 but it
takes too many pins.  I don't have enough left to use JTAG.  The 2148
will solve that in two ways: first, the MMC/SD is serial versus
parallel for the CF and second, the device has more pins.

It's pretty hard to go wrong with the LPC2106 Prototyping Board and
James Lynch's Tutorial (search the archives here or download version 3
here http://tinyurl.com/camje  11MB).

No matter which board you start with, you will eventually settle in on
something different.

Richard