6/22/2019 Microcontrollers Introduction, Microcontrollers Types and Applications

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Microcontrollers – Types & Applications

MICROCONTROL

What is a Microcontroller?
A microcontroller is a small, low-cost and self contained computer-on-a-chip that can be used as an em
microcontrollers may utilize four-bit expressions and work at clock rate frequencies, which usually include

An 8 or 16 bit microprocessor.
A little measure of RAM.
Programmable ROM and flash memory.
Parallel and serial I/O.
Timers and signal generators.
Analog to Digital and Digital to Analog conversion

Microcontrollers usually must have low-power requirements since many devices they control a
Microcontrollers are used in many consumer electronics, car engines, computer peripherals and t
equipment. And these are well suited for long lasting battery applications. The dominant part of microc
now a days are implanted in other apparatus.

How are Microcontrollers Classified?

X
The microcontrollers are characterized regarding bus-width, instruction set, and memory structure. For t
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The types of microcontroller is shown in figure, they are characterized by their bits, memory architecture,
instruction set. Let’s discuss briefly about it.

Types of Microcontrollers

Classification According to Number of Bits

The bits in microcontroller are 8-bits, 16-bits and 32-bits microcontroller.

In 8-bit microcontroller, the point when the internal bus is 8-bit then th

arithmetic and logic operations. The examples of 8-bit microcontroller
PIC1x and Motorola MC68HC11 families.

The 16-bit microcontroller performs greater precision and performance

For example 8 bit microcontrollers can only use 8 bits, resulting in a fina
(0-255) for every cycle. In contrast, 16 bit microcontrollers with its 16 bit data width has a range of 0×0000
every cycle. A longer timer most extreme worth can likely prove to be useful in certain application
automatically operate on two 16 bit numbers. Some examples of 16-bit microcontroller are 16-bit MCUs
PIC2x, Intel 8096 and Motorola MC68HC12 families.

The  32-bit  microcontroller uses the 32-bit instructions to perform the arithmetic and logic operation
automatically controlled devices including implantable medical devices, engine control systems, o ice
and other types of embedded systems. Some examples are Intel/Atmel 251 family, PIC3x.

Classification According to Memory Devices

The memory devices are divided into two types, they are

Embedded memory microcontroller X

External memory microcontroller

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Embedded memory microcontroller: When an embedded system has a microcontroller unit that has all
available on a chip is called an embedded microcontroller. For example, 8051 having program & data me
communication, counters and timers and interrupts on the chip is an embedded microcontroller.

External Memory Microcontroller: When an embedded system has a microcontroller unit that has not all
available on a chip is called an external memory microcontroller. For example, 8031 has no program mem
external memory microcontroller.

Classification According to Instruction Set

CISC: CISC is a Complex Instruction Set Computer. It allows the programmer to use one instruction in p
instructions.

RISC: The RISC is stands for Reduced Instruction set Computer, this type of instruction sets re
microprocessor for industry standards. It allows each instruction to operate on any register or use any
simultaneous access of program and data.

Example for CISC and RISC:

CISC: Mov AX, 4 RISC: Mov AX

Mov BX, 2 Mov BX
ADD BX, AX Mov CX
Begin ADD AX
Loop Begin

From above example, RISC systems shorten execution time by reducing the clock cycles per instructi
shorten execution time by reducing the number of instructions per program. The RISC gives a better execu

Classification According to Memory Architecture

Memory architecture of microcontroller are two types, they are namely:

Harvard memory architecture microcontroller

Princeton memory architecture microcontroller

Harvard Memory Architecture Microcontroller: The point when a microcontroller unit has a dissimilar m
for the program and data memory, the microcontroller has Harvard memory architecture in the processor.

Princeton Memory Architecture Microcontroller: The point when a microcontroller has a common me
program memory and data memory, the microcontroller has Princeton memory architecture in the proces
X

5 Applications of Microcontrollers
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Microcontroller has many applications electronic equipment’s

Mobile Phones
Auto Mobiles
Washing Machines
Cameras
Security Alarms

4 Types of Microcontrollers
Microcontroller 8051

It is a 40pin microcontroller with Vcc of 5V connected to pin 40 and Vss at pin 20 which is kept 0V. And there
ports from P1.0 – P1.7 and which having open drain feature. Port3 has got extra features. Pin36 has ope
pin17 has internally pulled up transistor inside the microcontroller. When we apply logic 1 at port1 then w
and vice versa. The programming of microcontroller is dead complicate. Basically we write a program i
next converted to machine language understand by the microcontroller. A RESET pin is connected to p
capacitor. When the switch is ON, the capacitor starts charging and RST is high. Applying a high to th
microcontroller. If we apply logic zero to this pin, the program starts execution from the beginning.

Memory Architecture of 8051

The memory of 8051 is divided to two parts.They are Program Memory and Data Memory. Program Memo
being executed whereas Data Memory temporarily stores the data and the results. The 8051 has been in us
devices, mainly because it is easy to integrate into a device. Microcontrollers are mainly used in energy
screen, automobiles, and medical devices.

Program Memory of 8051

And

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Data Memory of 8051

Pin Description of 8051 Microcontroller

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Pin-40: Vcc is the main power source of +5V DC.

Pin 20: Vss – it represents ground (0 V) connection.
Pins 32-39: Known as Port 0 (P0.0 to P0.7) to serving as I/O ports.
Pin-31: Address Latch Enable (ALE) is used to demultiplex the address-data signal of port 0.
Pin-30: (EA) External Access input is used to enable or disable external memory interfacing. If there is no ex
requirement, this pin is always held high.
Pin- 29: Program Store Enable (PSEN) is used to read signal from external program memory.
Pins- 21-28: Known as Port 2 (P 2.0 to P 2.7) – in addition to serving as I/O port, higher order address bus s
with this quasi bi directional port.
Pins 18 and 19: Used to interfacing an external crystal to provide system clock.
Pins 10 – 17: This port also serves some other functions like interrupts, timer input, control signals for exte
interfacing Read and Write. This is a quasi bidirectional port with internal pull up.
Pin 9: It is a RESET pin, used to set the 8051 microcontroller to its initial values, while the microcontroller i
initial start of application. The RESET pin must be set high for 2 machine cycles.
Pins 1 – 8: This port does not serve any other functions. Port 1 is a quasi bi directional I/O port.

Renesas Microcontroller
X
Renesas is latest automotive microcontroller family that o ers high performance feature with exce
consumption over a wide and versatile extend of items. This microcontroller o ers rich functional security

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characteristics required for new and advanced automotive applications. The core structure of microcontro
reliability and high performance requirements.

The Renesas microcontroller o ering low power, high performance, modest packages and the largest ra
combined together with characteristics rich peripherals.

Renesas

Renesas o ers the most versatile microcontroller families in the world for example our RX family o ers
with memory variants from 32K flash/4K RAM to an incredible 8M flash/512K RAM.

The RX Family of 32-bit microcontrollers is a feature rich, general purpose MCU covering a wide range
applications with high speed connectivity, digital signal processing and inverter control.

The RX microcontroller family uses a 32-bit enhanced Harvard CISC architecture to achieve very high perfo

Pin Description:
Pin arrangement of Renesas microcontroller is shown in figure:

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It is a 20 pin microcontroller. The pin 9 is Vss, ground pin and Vdd, power supply pin. It has three di ere
which are normal interrupt, fast interrupt, high speed interrupt.

Normal interrupts store the significant registers on stack by using push and pop instructions. Th
automatically store program counter and processor status word in special backup registers, so response t
speed interrupts allocate up to four of the general registers for dedicated use by the interrupt to expand sp
internal bus structure gives 5 internal busses to ensure data handling is not slowed down. Instruction fet
64-bit bus, so that due to the variable length instructions used in CISC architectures.

Features and Benefits of the RX Microcontrollers

Low power consumption is realized using multi-core technology
Support for 5V operation for industrial and appliance designs
Scalability from 48 to 145 pins and from 32KB to 1MB flash memory, with 8KB of data flash mem
Integrated safety feature
An integrated rich function set of 7 UART, I2C, 8 SPI, comparators, 12-bit ADC, 10-bit DAC and 2
which will reduce system cost by integrating most functions

Application of Renesas Microcontroller:

Industrial automation
Communication applications
Motor control applications
Test and measurement
Medical applications

AVR Microcontrollers
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AVR microcontroller is developed by Alf-Egil Bogen and Vegard Wollan from Atmel Corporation. The AVR
modified harvard RISC architecture with separate memories for data and program and speed of AVR is h
8051 and PIC. The AVR is stands for Alf-Egil Bogen and Vegard Wollan’s RISC processor.

Difference between 8051 and AVR Controllers:

8051s are 8-bit controllers based on CISC architecture, AVRs are 8-bit controllers based on RISC
8051 consumes more power than AVR microcontroller
In 8051, we can program easily than the AVR microcontroller
The speed of AVR is more than the 8051 microcontroller

Classification of AVR Controllers:

AVR Microcontrollers are classified into three types:

TinyAVR – Less memory, small size, suitable only for simpler applications
MegaAVR – These are the most popular ones having good amount of memory (up to 256 KB
inbuilt peripherals and suitable for moderate to complex applications
XmegaAVR – Used commercially for complex applications, which require large program memory

Features of AVR Microcontroller:

16KB of In-System Programmable Flash
512B of In-System Programmable EEPROM
16-bit Timer with extra features
Multiple internal oscillators
Internal, self-programmable instruction flash memory up to 256K
In-system programmable using ISP, JTAG or high voltage methods
Optional boot code section with independent lock bits for protection
Synchronous/asynchronous serial peripherals (UART/USART)
Serial peripheral interface bus (SPI)
Universal serial interface (USI) for two/three-wire synchronous data transfer
Watchdog timer (WDT)
Multiple power-saving sleep modes
10-bit A/D Converters, with multiplex of up to 16 channels
CAN and USB controller support
Low-voltage devices operating down to 1.8v

There are many AVR family microcontrollers, such as ATmega8, ATmega16 and so on. In this article we
ATmega328 microcontroller. The ATmega328 and ATmega8 are pin compatible ICs but functionally th
ATmega328 has flash memory of 32kB, where the ATmega8 has 8kB. Other di erences are extra SRAM and
pin change interrupts and timers. Some of the features of ATmega328 are:
X

Features of ATmega328:
28-pin AVR microcontroller
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Flash program memory of 32kbytes

EEPROM data memory of 1kbytes
SRAM data memory of 2kbytes
I/O pins are 23
Two 8-bit timers
A/D converter
Six channel PWM
In built USART
External Oscillator: up to 20MHz

Pin Description of ATmega328:

It comes in 28 pin DIP, shown in figure below:

AVR

Vcc: Digital supply voltage.

GND: Ground.

Port B: Port B is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port. The Port B pins are tri-stated when a reset condition becom
even if the clock is not running.

Port C: Port C is a 7-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors.
X

PC6/RESET

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Port D: It is an 8-bit bi-directional I/O port with internal pull-up resistors. The output bu ers of the Port D c
drive characteristics.

AVcc: AVcc is the supply voltage pin for the ADC.

AREF: AREF is the analog reference pin for the ADC.

Typical Circuit of AVR Microcontroller:

Applications of AVR Microcontroller:

There are many applications of AVR microcontroller; they are used in home automation, touch screen, auto
devices and defense.

PIC Microcontroller
PIC is a peripheral interface controller, developed by general instrument’s microelectronics, in the year o
by the so ware. They could be programmed to complete many task and control a generation line
microcontrollers are finding their way into new applications like smart phones, audio accessories, video ga
advanced medical devices.

There are many PICs, started with PIC16F84 and PIC16C84. But these were the only a ordable flash PICs. M
X
introduced flash chips with types that are much more attractive, such as 16F628, 16F877 and 18F452.

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twice the price of the old 16F84, but has eight times the code size, much more RAM, much more I/O pins,
and a lot more.

Features of PIC16F877
Core Features:

High-performance RISC CPU

Up to 8K x 14 words of FLASH program memory
35 Instructions (fixed length encoding-14-bit)
368×8 static RAM based data memory
Up to 256 x 8 bytes of EEPROM data memory
Interrupt capability (up to 14 sources)
Three addressing modes (direct, indirect, relative)
Power-on reset (POR)
Harvard architecture memory
Power saving SLEEP mode
Wide operating voltage range: 2.0V to 5.5V
High sink / source current: 25mA
Accumulator based machine

Peripheral Features:
3 Timer/counters (programmable pre-scalars)

–        Timer0, Timer2 are 8-bit timer/counter with 8-bit pre-scalar

–        Timer1 is 16-bit, can be incremented during sleep via external crystal/clock

Two capture, compare, PWM modules

X
–        Input capture function records the Timer1 count on a pin transition

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–        A PWM function output is a square wave with a programmable period and duty cycle.

10-bit 8 channel analog-to-digital converter

USART with 9-bit address detection
Synchronous serial port with master mode and I2C Master/Slave
8-bit parallel slave port

Analog Features:
10-bit, up to 8-channel Analog-to-Digital Converter (A/D)
Brown-out Reset (BOR)
Analog Comparator module (Programmable input multiplexing from device inputs and comparato
externally accessible)

Pin Description of PIC16F877A:

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Advantages of PIC:
It is a RISC design
Its code is extremely efficient, allowing the PIC to run with typically less program memory than its
It is low cost, high clock speed X

A Typical Application Circuit of PIC16F877A:

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The circuit below consists of a lamp whose switching is controlled using a PIC microcontroller. The Microc
with an external crystal which provides clock input. The PIC is also interfaced with a push button and
button, the Microcontroller accordingly sends a high signal to the base of the transistor, so as to switch
thus give proper connection to the relay to switch it on and allow passage of AC current to the lamp and
The status of the operation is displayed on the LCD interfaced to the PIC microcontroller.

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16 Comments

Vinod Says:
at
Nice full information about Microcontroller

SRIDHAR Says:
at
Really nice fully depth in MCUs Introduction.

Coco Says:
at
Thank you for your post, the introduction is very detailed

Tarun Agarwal Says:

at
Hi Coco
Thank you so much for your feedback

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Gopal Krishna Says:

at
Thanks for such a post, as a student it’s very useful information.

Tarun Agarwal Says:

at
Hi Gopal Krishna
Thank you so much for your feedback

Mohsin Altaf Bhutta Says:

at
Thank you Sir!
This document really help me a lot!
I appreciate your efforts!
I want to choose a micro controller fro my project. so that i want to discuss in a brief way to some one who ca
selection of micro controller.
can you refer me to the one who can guide me on whatsapp??

Tarun Agarwal Says:

at
Hi Mohsin
Thank you

Hamid Says:
at
hi thanks for the information you gathered here.
can you explain about different kinds of micro controllers?
for example with MATLAB;
what is its advantages?

Tarun Agarwal Says:

at
Hi Hamid
Thank you so much for your feedback
And once again please visit our domestic website https://www.elprocus.com

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Harry Sri Says:

at
hello sir,
this is the thing i want sir…..means i cant say actually i dont have words.
i was in search of this article from past 20 days.
thank you sir

Tarun Agarwal Says:

at
Hi Harry
I was delighted to receive your note and was especially pleased to read your kind words about our artic
And once again please visit our domestic website https://www.elprocus.com

M.Mounika Says:
at
very essential

Tarun Agarwal Says:

at
Hi M. Mounika
Thank you so much
FOr more information please visit our website https://www.elprocus.com

Papan Roy Says:

at
i am fresher

Tarun Agarwal Says:

at
Hi Papan Roy
Please visit our website once https://www.elprocus.com

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