Chapter 1
Types, Selection, and
Applications of
Microcontrollers
Lesson 4
Microcontroller
Selection
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CPU Micro- Ports
Memory computer Serial Devices
Interrupt Handler unit Watchdog Timer
Timing Devices
Application specific Devices PWM
ADC
Microcontroller Chip or VLSI Core
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Check-list for selecting an MCU
• Performance- 8-bit,16-bit or 32-bit
• Clock rate
• Power dissipation
• Intensive computations
• DSP calculations
• Cache
• Memory Management Unit
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Memory Check-list for selecting an
MCU
• CISC/RISC, Memory architecture-
Princeton/Harvard
• DMAC
• Embedded MCU or External 64 kB
or External Extended MCU System
• Internal ROM/EPROM/ EEPROM/
Flash
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Timing Devices Check-list for
selecting an MCU
• Timer-Counters- 1, 2, 3;
• Free running
• Timer-Counter,
• Out-compares,
• In-captures
• Real-time clock periodic interrupts
• Software timers
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Timing Devices Check-list for
selecting an MCU
• Pulse-width Modulators 0, 1, 2, 3, .. 8
• Watchdog timer
• Timer processing unit
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Serial and Analog Devices Check-list
for selecting an MCU
• Serial Synchronous Communication
(SPI) and Serial Asynchronous
Communication (SCI)
• I2C/CAN/Serial Buses
• PCI/USB/HPI Devices
• Other application specific device
•Analog Input Channels-1/4/8
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Software Development Tools Support
and cost Factors
• MCU specific tools availability - for
examples, Device support, Compiler, Real
time operating system, simulator,
debugger, test tool
• Cost of the above
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Hardware Development Tools Support
and cost Factors
• Emulators, demonstration board,
evaluation board
• Cost of the above
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Cost and Availability Factors
• Cost for on-chip application specific
feature
• Major hardware building blocks cost and
availability
• Major software building blocks cost and
availability
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Summary
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We learnt
• Selection of Processing unit
• Selection of Memory unit
• Selection of Internal Devices
• Software development tools
• Hardware development tools
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