ARM, AVR, PIC, 8051 – Choosing the Right Microcontroller for Your Project
The Octopart blog has a good read on ‘how to choose a microcontroller‘ – it’ll get you thinking (or at least aware) of the pros and cons of several common microcontroller offerings out there.
The microcontroller is the brains behind any project, performing thousands of tasks every second. Choosing familiar microcontrollers or what has worked previously can help in the process, but doesn’t necessarily fit every project.
Starting off, let’s look at the difference between a microprocessor and a microcontroller. These are often confused with each other. Microprocessors generally consist of just the Central Processing Unit (CPU), which performs all the instructions in a computer program, including arithmetic, logic, control and input/output operations. Microcontrollers contain one or more CPUs with RAM, ROM and programmable input/output peripherals. Microprocessors tend to operate at much greater clock speeds on general application tasks, like gaming, photo editing and software development, whereas microcontrollers are designed for more specific tasks in smaller embedded systems like keyboards, mice, electronic toys and vending machines.
In short, it’s easier to turn on and off an LED with a microcontroller as it has direct access to the output pin, whereas microprocessors have to communicate with the external peripherals (ICs) to control the LED.
As an example, the Raspberry Pi uses the BCM2835/BCM2836 Broadcom microprocessors and the Arduino uses the ATMEGA328p/ATMEGA2560 microcontrollers.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
Python for Microcontrollers — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython 8.1.0 and 8.2.0-beta0 out and so much more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
