Microprocessors and

Embedded Systems

Asif Zaman Rizve

Lecturer
Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology
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 Introduction of Microprocessor

• A microprocessor is the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer

on a single integrated circuit (IC).
• Performs arithmetic and logic operations.
• Controls the flow of data and instructions.
• Invented in 1971 by Intel (Intel 4004).

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 Basic Architecture of a Microprocessor

Memory
RAM/ROM
• ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
Register • Control Unit
• Registers
ALU Control • Bus Interface
(Data, Address, Control Buses)
Unit
I/O
Devices

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 Application of Microprocessor

• ATM Booth
• AC Remote
• Traffic Light Controller

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 What is Microprocessor ?

▪ It is an electronic clock driven register-based device that read binary

digits instruction from memory and perform certain task based on
decisions, do certain works and according to the result provides
output.

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 Task of Microprocessor

▪ Data transfer from memory to i/o device or i/o device to memory.

▪ Arithmetic and logical operations
▪ Program flow via simple decisions

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 Functions of Microprocessor

▪ Read instruction from memory.

▪ Communicating with peripherals.
▪ Control timing.
▪ Performing specific tasks and make decisions.

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Functional Block Diagram of Microprocessor

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 What is a Micro-computer?

• A microcomputer uses a microprocessor as its CPU.

• Includes memory, I/O ports, and sometimes secondary storage.
• Example: Early personal computers (e.g., Apple II, IBM PC).
• Used in embedded systems and desktop computers.

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Architecture of Micro-computer

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 Difference Between Microprocessor and Micro-computer
Microprocessor Microcomputer
A semi conductor device, a clock driven, A computer having CPU, memory, i/o
multipurpose register based electronic devices, but is a small scale is called micro-
device computer.
Microprocessor is a stand-alone device. It is Microcomputer is a combination of
connected with peripherals microprocessor, i/o device, clock, timer,
serial port and memory
Designer can choose size of RAM, ROM and Designer can’t choose
others
General Purpose Use Fixed Purpose use
Expensive, Versatile Less expensive, less versatile
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Major Parts of Computer Systems

• CPU
• Memory
• Input
• Output

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 Block Diagram of CPU
Address
Instruction Pointer

Instruction Register
Flag ALU Instruction Decoder CONTROL BUS
Control Unit
Register DATA BUS
ALU Control Reg A
Unit
Reg B
Reg C
Reg D

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 Classification of Microprocessor Based Systems

▪ General Purpose Microprocessor

▪ Microcontroller (Embedded Systems)

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 General Purpose Microprocessor

▪ Microprocessor Unit (MPU) is stand-alone

▪ No memory, No peripheral, Reprogrammable chip

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 Microcontroller

▪ It consist of MPU, RAM, ROM, I/O Port, Serial Port.

▪ Non-reprogrammable chip

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 Computer Architecture

▪ Von Neumann Architecture

▪ Harvard Architecture

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 Von Neumann Architecture

▪ In this architecture, the program data and the instructions are stored
in the same memory. The CPU is connected with the memory through
Address Bus, Data Bus, and Control Bus.
▪ In Von Neumann, in one cycle, only one action is performed, such as
read or write. The program can be read, but data can be read and
written.

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Von Neumann Architecture

Read

Program

Read
MPU MEMORY
Data

Write

Program

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 Von Neumann Architecture

IN CPU OUT

Address BUS
Data BUS
Control BUS

MEMORY
Data + Program

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 Harvard Architecture
▪ It has separate memory for instructions (program code) and data
(variables, inputs, etc.).
▪ It uses different buses for data and instructions.
▪ That means one bus is only for data, and another bus is only for
instructions.
▪ Because of the separate paths, the system can read an instruction and
access data at the same time.
▪ Each bus can work in one clock cycle, allowing faster performance.

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 Harvard Architecture

MEMORY
For Data

IN MPU OUT

MEMORY
for Instructions

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Difference Between Von Neumann and Harvard Architecture

Von Neumann Harvard

Common Shared Memory Dedicated Separated Memory
No Pipelining Pipelining Enabled
One action at one cycle Multiple action in one clock cycle
(Two cycle for complete action) (One cycle for complete action)
Design is simple Complex design

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Evolution of Microprocessor

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 Second Generation (1973 onwards) Third Generation (1978 onwards)
• Technology: NMOS • Technology: HMOS (High-density MOS)
• Features: • Features:
• Faster and denser than PMOS • Faster and better density
• Compatible with TTL • 16-bit processors (e.g., Intel 8086)
• 4 / 8 / 16-bit processors (e.g., Intel 8085) • 40 / 48 / 64 pins
• 40 pins • Arithmetic hardware for multiplication/division
• Addressed larger memory and I/O • Easier programming, flexible I/O
• Improved interrupt handling and subroutine levels • Stronger interrupt support
• Examples: Intel 8085 • Examples: Intel 8086

First Generation (1971 – 1973) Fourth Generation (1980s onwards)

• Technology: PMOS • Technology: HCMOS (High-speed CMOS)
• Features: • Features:
• Not compatible with TTL • Low power, higher speed
• 4-bit processors (e.g., Intel 4004) • 32-bit processors (e.g., Intel 80386)
• Limited to 16 pins • Physical memory: up to 16 MB
• Signals were multiplexed due to pin limitations • Virtual memory: up to 1 TB
• Examples: Intel 4004 • Floating point unit (FPU) built-in
• More addressing modes
• Examples: Intel 80386

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 Sixth Generation (Late 1990s – 2000s) Seventh Generation (2006 onwards)
• Technology: Deep pipelines, parallelism • Technology: Multicore technology
• Features: • Features:
• Advanced 64-bit processors (e.g., Intel Pentium Pro, • Dual-core, quad-core, and more (e.g., Intel Core 2 Duo, i3,
Pentium III, AMD Athlon) i5, i7)
• Better branch prediction • Improved energy efficiency
• Hyper-threading (Intel) • Virtualization support
• Support for multimedia, SIMD instructions • Integrated GPU (Graphics)
• Large on-chip cache • 64-bit architecture standard
• Examples: Intel Pentium III, AMD Athlon • Examples: Intel Core series (i3/i5/i7), AMD Phenom

Eighth Generation to Present (2017 – Present)

Fifth Generation (1990s onwards) • Technology: Advanced FinFET, AI-integrated chips
• Technology: Super-scalar, super-pipelined architecture • Features:
• Features: • 10 nm / 7 nm / 5 nm technologies
• 64-bit processors (e.g., Intel Pentium, AMD K6) • 6 to 24+ core processors (Intel i9, AMD Ryzen, Apple M1/M2/M3)
• Multiple instructions per clock cycle • AI accelerators and Machine Learning units
• On-chip cache (L1 and L2) • High-performance GPU integration
• Integrated FPU, MMX technology • Thunderbolt, PCIe 5.0, DDR5 memory support
• Power management features • Extremely low power for mobile devices (ARM-based chips)
• Examples: Intel Pentium series • Examples:
• Intel: 12th/13th Gen Core
• AMD: Ryzen 5000/7000 series
• Apple: M1, M2, M3 (ARM-based SoC)
• Qualcomm: Snapdragon processors 26
 INTEL 8086 and 8088 Microprocessor
The main difference between the two is:
▪ Data Bus- 8086 has 16-bit data bus whereas 8088 has 8-bit data bus
▪ Instruction Queue – 8088 has 4 byte of instruction queue

▪ *Both are internally 16-bit MPU as similar registers are used for both
MPU but due to the availability of 8-bit peripheral controllers IBM
decided to build PC using externally 8-bit MPU ( Intel 8088 and
Motorola 68008)

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 INTEL 80286 Microprocessor

The main features are:

• Data Bus- 80286 has 16-bit data bus
• Address Bus – it has 24-bit bus having addressing capacity of 16 MB
• Instruction set – higher instructions as compared to 8086, 8088

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 INTEL 80386 Microprocessor
INTEL 80386 was a first 32-bit processor, developed in 1986
The main features are:
• Data Bus- 80386 has 32-bit data bus
• Address Bus – it has 32-bit bus having addressing capacity of 4 GB
• Clock Signal – up to 33 MHz
• Instruction set – higher instructions as compared to 8086, 8088

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 INTEL 80486 Microprocessor
INTEL 80486 incorporated 80386 like processor and 80387 like
math/numeric processor in a single chip.
The main features are:
• Data Bus- 80486 has 32-bit data bus
• Address Bus – it has 32-bit bus having addressing capacity of 4 GB
• Clock Signal – up to 100 MHz
• Cache memory– it contains 8 KB Level 1 cache memory system

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 Difference between 8086, 80268, 80386, 80486

8086 80286 80386 80486

Data BUS 16-bit 16-bit 32-bit 32-bit
Address BUS 20-bit 24-bit 32-bit 32-bit
Multiplexed Multiplexed Multiplexed Not Multiplexed Not Multiplexed
Clock 5 MHz 5 MHz 33 MHz 100 MHz
Cache No No No 8 KB Level 1
Memory 1 MB 16 MB 4GB 4GB

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 Cache
A cache is a small, fast memory used to store data that is often needed,
so it can be accessed more quickly.
Instead of getting the data from the slower main memory every time,
the computer first checks the cache. If the data is there, it can be used
immediately, which saves time and makes the system faster.

Analogy:
Use a bookmark to remember the page. Next time, instead of flipping
through all the pages, just go straight to the bookmarked page.
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 INTEL Pentium Microprocessor
The main features are:
• Data Bus- it has 32-bit data bus
• Address Bus – it has 32-bit bus having addressing capacity of 4 GB
• Clock Signal – up to 100 MHz
• Cache memory– it contains 8 KB data cache and 8 KB instruction
cache.

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 INTEL Core i7 Microprocessor (10th gen)
The main features are:
• Data Bus- it has 64-bit data bus
• Cores– it has 8 cores
• Max Clock frequency – 5 GHz
• Cache memory– it contains 16 MB cache.

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 Multi-Core Processors
A multi-core processor is a single chip that has two or more processing
units, called cores. Each core can read and run instructions like adding
numbers or moving data. These cores can work at the same time, which
makes the computer run faster, especially for programs that are
designed to use multiple tasks at once (this is called multithreading or
parallel computing).

Analogy
A road with only one lane, all cars have to move one after another, so traffic moves
slowly. But if a highway with four lanes, cars can drive side by side, and traffic moves
much faster.
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Microprocessor with Multicore and Cache Memory

Control Unit

Core Core Core Core

ALU ALU ALU ALU

Memory
Level 1 Cache Level 1 Cache Level 1 Cache Level 1 Cache
Level 2 Cache Level 2 Cache Level 2 Cache Level 2 Cache

L3 Shared Cache

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 Threaded Processor
A thread is like a small task or part of a program that the computer
needs to work on. Every program creates one or more threads to do its
work. If your computer has only one core, it can handle only one thread
at a time. But when user open many apps (like a browser, music player,
or game), the computer has to quickly switch between threads to keep
everything running smoothly. This is called multitasking. So, a thread is
just a piece of work from a program that the processor needs to handle.

Analogy
A thread is like a task on to-do list. If only one person is doing all the tasks, they have
to switch between them one by one, just like a processor handling threads.
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Thank You

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