Integrated circuits, resistors, capacitors

Best Microcontroller

Hi all, I am just wondering what your Favorite programmable microcontroller is
and why? I am trying to find out as much information about different types of
microcontrollers to compare.

Thanks,
Jeremy

Comments (17)




17 Responses to “Best Microcontroller”

  1. admin says:

    My favourites are Atmel 89c51RD2, AC2, CC01, CC02 depending on application,
    I like
    them because they are ISP programmable.

    "DAFLY98" <dafl…@aol.com> wrote in message

    news:20031028004339.00607.00000181@mb-m12.aol.com…

    - Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

    > Hi all, I am just wondering what your Favorite programmable
    microcontroller is
    > and why? I am trying to find out as much information about different types
    of
    > microcontrollers to compare.

    > Thanks,
    > Jeremy

  2. admin says:

    "DAFLY98" <dafl…@aol.com> wrote in message

    news:20031028004339.00607.00000181@mb-m12.aol.com…

    > Hi all, I am just wondering what your Favorite programmable
    microcontroller is
    > and why? I am trying to find out as much information about different types
    of
    > microcontrollers to compare.

    The 8051 / 8052 familly.


    mvh/rg. Christian
    Påkører du klovbærende vildt, afmærk stedet
    og ring til en fra Schweisshunderegistret:
    http://www.schweiss.dk/ eller Falck: 70 10 20 30

  3. admin says:

    My favourites are the Microchip PIC line,
    I like
    them because they are ISP programmable.

    Jan-Erik.

    - Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

    MArk wrote:

    > My favourites are Atmel 89c51RD2, AC2, CC01, CC02 depending on application,
    > I like
    > them because they are ISP programmable.

    > "DAFLY98" <dafl…@aol.com> wrote in message
    > news:20031028004339.00607.00000181@mb-m12.aol.com…
    > > Hi all, I am just wondering what your Favorite programmable
    > microcontroller is
    > > and why? I am trying to find out as much information about different types
    > of
    > > microcontrollers to compare.

    > > Thanks,
    > > Jeremy

  4. admin says:

    "DAFLY98" <dafl…@aol.com> wrote in message

    news:20031028004339.00607.00000181@mb-m12.aol.com…
    > Hi all, I am just wondering what your Favorite programmable
    > microcontroller is and why? I am trying to find out as much
    > information about different types of microcontrollers to compare.

    > Thanks,
    > Jeremy

    I’m afraid I don’t think there is any such thing…
    The ‘favourite’, must change with the application. The PICs, are very
    popular for small applications, because there are a large number of variants
    with different hardware based round the same ‘core’, and a lot of ‘code
    examples’ exist, making them popular for hobbyists. However the higher speed
    versions can be fussy. Scenix, and the AVR’s (Atmel), are probably the
    preferred ones for slightly faster applications. Then you have units
    for special applications (8051 based USB interfaces for example, and
    devices designed for high noise enviroments, such as the automobile
    industry).
    This is why there are so many types in existence, from different
    manufacturers. To work out the ‘best’, requires generating a list of
    hardware features required. This will ‘rule out’, eighty percent of the
    types on the market, and a sensible choice can then be made from the
    remainder.

    Best Wishes

  5. admin says:

    > Hi all, I am just wondering what your Favorite programmable microcontroller is
    > and why?

    I love my love with an A because she is Available.
    I love my love with a B because she is Battery-voltage.
    I love my love with a C because she is Cheap.
    I love my love with a D because she is Dependable.
    I love my love with an E because she is Easily prototyped.
    I love my love with an F because she is Flash-based.
    I love my love with a G because she has enough Grunt to perform
    realtime tasks.
    I love my love with an H because she has High source/sink current
    outputs.
    I love my love with an I because she is In-system programmable.
    I love my love with a J because she has a JTAG port.
    I love my love with an L because she is Low-power.
    I love my love with an M because she is Multi-sourced.
    I love my love with an N because she is Not end-of-life.
    I love my love with an O because she has an Orthogonal instruction
    set.
    I love my love with a P because she has PWM controllers.
    I love my love with a Q because she is not subject to minimum Quantity
    orders.
    I love my love with an R because she has many Registers.
    I love my love with an S because she is fully Static.
    I love my love with a T because her Tools are free.
    I love my love with a U because she is Universally well-known.
    I love my love with a V because she is tolerant of a wide input
    Voltage range.
    I love my love with a W because she is available in Wide-bus or
    narrow-bus versions.
    I love my love with an X because she is resistant to X-rays.

    (This is the EVALUATION version of this text. To upgrade to the full
    version with entries for K, Y and Z, please send $19.95).

  6. admin says:

    On 28 Oct 2003 07:06:24 -0800, la…@larwe.com (Lewin A.R.W. Edwards)
    wrote:

    >> Hi all, I am just wondering what your Favorite programmable microcontroller is
    >> and why?

    >I love my love with an A because she is Available.

    [snip...snip...]

    Uh, maybe you should take a short break from writing that next book.

    But…

    I love my love with a K because the designers understood K.I.S.S.
    I love my love with a Y because the Yield is high.
    I love my love with a Z because she got legs!


    Rich Webb   Norfolk, VA

  7. admin says:

    >Hi all, I am just wondering what your Favorite programmable microcontroller is
    >and why? I am trying to find out as much information about different types of
    >microcontrollers to compare.

    I assume you are talking about 8 bit micros where all the RAM/ROM
    is included on chip.

    High volume production or home hacking?

    Atmel AVR parts are popular.  I think their $79 starter kit
    (ATSTK500) covers all their AVR parts.  They are reasonably
    friendly for assembly programming.

    If cost is your major concern, PICs have a reputation for
    low cost.  (I’ve never purchased large quantities.)  They have
    a starter kit (PICKIT) for $36.  It’s a good way to get
    off the ground, but it only works for a few of their smaller
    (and cheaper) parts.  Some people think they are harder to
    program.

    I haven’t been tracking the 8051/6802 type chips.  Some people
    probably think of them as more like "normal" CPUs.

    If you need more horsepower, lots of companies are shipping
    ARM based chips.


    The suespammers.org mail server is located in California.  So are all my
    other mailboxes.  Please do not send unsolicited bulk e-mail or unsolicited
    commercial e-mail to my suespammers.org address or any of my other addresses.
    These are my opinions, not necessarily my employer’s.  I hate spam.

  8. admin says:

    "DAFLY98" <dafl…@aol.com> wrote in message

    news:20031028004339.00607.00000181@mb-m12.aol.com…

    > Hi all, I am just wondering what your Favorite programmable
    microcontroller is
    > and why? I am trying to find out as much information about different types
    of
    > microcontrollers to compare.

    > Thanks,
    > Jeremy

    You should have posted this to alt.religion…

    My favorite so far is the Zilog Z8 Encore. You can program it and DEBUG it
    in circuit! It has a jtag pin… I’ve had trouble with it in high noise
    situations, however. probably the jtag pin picking up rf and crashing the
    thing.

    Another favorite are those tiny PIC 8 pin flash reprogrammable things. They
    are just so totally cute, assuming you can get the darned software working
    with no real feedback except perhaps a flashing LED or two. (You can run
    their simulator, which helps quite a bit, but only in assembler). Like
    programming with the ‘printf’ debugger, where printf can only print ‘x’ and
    ‘ ‘.

    Unfortunately, there probably isn’t a ‘best’ one, since one’s preference
    usually depends on what you’ve used in the past, and whats worked for you.
    I’d want a posting from somebody who had recent experience with all of the
    major competitors (which I don’t have, unfortunately.)

    Regards,
     Bob Monsen

  9. admin says:

    >Hi all, I am just wondering what your Favorite programmable microcontroller is
    >and why? I am trying to find out as much information about different types of
    >microcontrollers to compare.

    I have some comments on this in ‘start with pics’ at
    http://www.voti.nl/swp

    Wouter van Ooijen

    – ————————————
    http://www.voti.nl
    PICmicro chips, programmers, consulting

  10. admin says:

    > My favorite so far is the Zilog Z8 Encore. You can program it and DEBUG it
    > in circuit! It has a jtag pin… I’ve had trouble with it in high noise
    > situations, however. probably the jtag pin picking up rf and crashing the
    > thing.

    The Z8 internal architecture is very nice.
    Did they fix the clock thing?  On the last Z8s I used, the cpu instruction
    clock was Xtal/12.

  11. admin says:

    "Dave VanHorn" <dvanh…@cedar.net> wrote in message

    news:TrGdnUJ8BbomWgKiRVn-jA@comcast.com…

    > > My favorite so far is the Zilog Z8 Encore. You can program it and DEBUG
    it
    > > in circuit! It has a jtag pin… I’ve had trouble with it in high noise
    > > situations, however. probably the jtag pin picking up rf and crashing
    the
    > > thing.

    > The Z8 internal architecture is very nice.
    > Did they fix the clock thing?  On the last Z8s I used, the cpu instruction
    > clock was Xtal/12.

    The manual says 2 to 9 clocks per instruction. They also say "Up to 10 MIPS"
    on the same page… So I’m guessing the clocks are the Xtal pulses, which
    can run up to 20MHz. It needs an external crystal.

    The PIC chip I’m currently using has a standard Xtal/4 instruction speed.
    Its a RISC architecture, so one cycle per instruction, except jumps. So, I’d
    say the Z8 Encore is about comparable. However, the instruction set on the
    Z8 is also much richer.

    The thing that sold me on PIC is the 8 pin package, however. I know there
    are other 8 pin uCs around, but I noticed this one. Its really nice not to
    have to ground 30 unused pins… The Z8 Encore also needs 3.3V, which means
    you need to step down the traditional 5V (unless you go for all 3.3V.)

    Regards,
     Bob Monsen

  12. admin says:

    > The thing that sold me on PIC is the 8 pin package, however. I know there
    > are other 8 pin uCs around, but I noticed this one. Its really nice not to
    > have to ground 30 unused pins… The Z8 Encore also needs 3.3V, which
    means
    > you need to step down the traditional 5V (unless you go for all 3.3V.)

    We have a couple AVR variants in 8 dip, like the 2343.
    It’s got on-board R/C osc, and can go up to 10 MHz, which is say 9 mips with
    typical code.
    I did a couple intro projects on this, available in the avr-chat group at
    yahoogroups.com
    One is an emulation of a Whelen Slimlighter, and the other blinks three
    lasers in morse, with different messages simultaneously.

  13. admin says:

    I am looking to convert a Basic Stamp application to a cheaper
    microcontroller and was wondering if there is anything to aid in
    porting it over?

    I haven’t found anything in Google so far – unless I’m using the wrong
    search terms…

    John :-#)#
        (Please post followups or tech enquires to the newsgroup)
     John’s Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9    
     Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)  
                      http://www.flippers.com      
            "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."    

  14. admin says:

    "John Robertson" <j…@flippers.com> wrote in message

    news:7te6qv0vrd53s0l08l9tdenhj4eu58daq0@4ax.com…
    > I am looking to convert a Basic Stamp application to a cheaper
    > microcontroller and was wondering if there is anything to aid in
    > porting it over?

    > I haven’t found anything in Google so far – unless I’m using the wrong
    > search terms…

    Why not use exactly the same ‘microcontroller’?.
    The Basic Stamp, is a relatively simple PIC controller (available for
    perhaps 1/10th the cost of the ‘stamp’ module), running an interpreter,
    which gives the ‘language’. It is the combination of controller, EEPROM, and
    interpreter, that you are paying for. There are several PIC Basic’s
    available, that provide similar functionality, and with these, the code can
    be written directly to the chip. Use one of the ‘flash’ chips, and no
    seperate EEPROM is necessary.
    Alternatively, several people have also attempted to produce their own
    ‘budget’ clones of the stamp.
    Try:
    http://www.hippy.freeserve.co.uk/diystamp.htm
    which has links to several cheaper clones running similar languages. The
    ‘PICAXE’, is probably the nearest to what you want.

    Best Wishes

  15. admin says:

    "John Robertson" <j…@flippers.com> schreef in bericht
    news:7te6qv0vrd53s0l08l9tdenhj4eu58daq0@4ax.com…

    > I am looking to convert a Basic Stamp application to a cheaper
    > microcontroller and was wondering if there is anything to aid in
    > porting it over?

    > I haven’t found anything in Google so far – unless I’m using the wrong
    > search terms…

    > John :-#)#
    >     (Please post followups or tech enquires to the newsgroup)
    >  John’s Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
    >  Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
    >                   http://www.flippers.com
    >         "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

    John,

    Basic stamps are an overkill both in hard- and in software. But it is a
    deleberate overkill. The stamp developers set a kind of a standard that is
    easier to learn and easier to use then the whole range of PICs not to speak
    about the other tastes of micros. The most obvious benefit is a short
    application development time and that’s expensive time. So both producers
    and users of the stamps are happy and have no use for porting. I’m only
    aware of to exceptions: The amateurs with more time then money and the profs
    that want to make high volume. Both have to fall back on the skills and
    knowledge of general pic developers. The first step in porting is to choose
    an appropriate pic.  Even this first step brings in so many variables and
    requires so much knowledge of the PIC range that it hardly can be automated.
    So if you want to port an existing Basic stamp application you’ll have
    either to look for a skilled PIC user or you’ll have to dive in it yourself.

    petrus


    Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
    Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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  16. admin says:

    In article <7te6qv0vrd53s0l08l9tdenhj4eu58d…@4ax.com>,
    John Robertson  <s…@flippers.com> wrote:

    >I am looking to convert a Basic Stamp application to a cheaper
    >microcontroller and was wondering if there is anything to aid in
    >porting it over?

    >I haven’t found anything in Google so far – unless I’m using the wrong
    >search terms…

    There are compilers that produce a binary PROM image from
    Stamp Basic source (or something close to it).

    PicBasic and PicBasic Pro from microEngineering Labs, Inc.
    http://www.melabs.com    

    Heck, even Jameco sells it.  

    I think there are open source projects for equivalents.

    Mark Zenier  mzen…@eskimo.com  Washington State resident

  17. admin says:

    You can chalk up 5 stars for the entire PICAXE range- & BS code very
    compatible! Dirt cheap ( orders of magnitude LESS than BS2 ), ultra
    user friendly, versatile & powerful. UK sourced ( http://www.picaxe.com ),
    but they’ve been a sensation down under in NZ & Australia. Check the
    likes of => http://www.picaxe.orcon.net.nz for enthusiasm. Manuka