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Some microcontrollers may use four-bit words and operate at frequencies as low as 4
kHz, for low power consumption (single-digit milliwatts or microwatts). They
generally have the ability to retain functionality while waiting for an event such
as a button press or other interrupt; power consumption while sleeping (CPU clock
and most peripherals off) may be just nanowatts, making many of them well suited
for long lasting battery applications. Other microcontrollers may serve
performance-critical roles, where they may need to act more like a digital signal
processor (DSP), with higher clock speeds and power consumption.
Contents
1 History
1.1 World's smallest computer
1.2 Volumes and cost
2 Embedded design
2.1 Interrupts
2.2 Programs
2.3 Other microcontroller features
3 Higher integration
4 Programming environments
5 Types
6 Interrupt latency
7 Memory technology
7.1 Data
7.2 Firmware
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
History
The first microprocessor is usually claimed to be[1] the 4-bit Intel 4004 released
in 1972. It was followed by the 4-bit 4040, the 8-bit Intel 8008, and the 8-bit
Intel 8080. All of these processors required several external chips to implement a
working system, including memory and peripheral interface chips. As a result, the
total system cost was several hundred (1970s US) dollars, making it impossible to
economically computerize small appliances. MOS Technology introduced sub-$100
microprocessors, the 6501 and 6502, with the chief aim of addressing this economic
obstacle, but these microprocessors still required external support, memory, and
peripheral chips which kept the total system cost in the $100s of dollars.
One book credits TI engineers Gary Boone and Michael Cochran with the successful
creation of the first microcontroller in 1971. The result of their work was the TMS
1000, which became commercially available in 1974. It combined read-only memory,
read/write memory, processor and clock on one chip and was targeted at embedded
systems.[2]
Partly in response to the existence of the single-chip TMS 1000,[4] Intel developed
a computer system on a chip optimized for control applications, the Intel 8048,
with commercial parts first shipping in 1977.[4] It combined RAM and ROM on the
same chip with a microprocessor. Among numerous applications, this chip would
eventually find its way into over one billion PC keyboards. At that time Intel's
President, Luke J. Valenter, stated that the microcontroller was one of the most
successful products in the company's history, and he expanded the microcontroller
division's budget by over 25%.
Most microcontrollers at this time had concurrent variants. One had EPROM program
memory, with a transparent quartz window in the lid of the package to allow it to
be erased by exposure to ultraviolet light. These erasable chips were often used
for prototyping. The other variant was either a mask programmed ROM or a PROM
variant which was only programmable once. For the latter, sometimes the designation
OTP was used, standing for "one-time programmable". In an OTP microcontroller, the
PROM was usually of identical type as the EPROM, but the chip package had no quartz
window; because there was no way to expose the EPROM to ultraviolet light, it could
not be erased. Because the erasable versions required ceramic packages with quartz
windows, they were significantly more expensive than the OTP versions, which could
be made in lower-cost opaque plastic packages. For the erasable variants, quartz
was required, instead of less expensive glass, for its transparency to ultraviolet
light�to which glass is largely opaque�but the main cost differentiator was the
ceramic package itself.
Nowadays microcontrollers are cheap and readily available for hobbyists, with large
online communities around certain processors.
Over two billion 8-bit microcontrollers were sold in 1997,[13] and according to
Semico, over four billion 8-bit microcontrollers were sold in 2006.[14] More
recently, Semico has claimed the MCU market grew 36.5% in 2010 and 12% in 2011.[15]
Historically, the 8-bit segment has dominated the MCU market [..] 16-bit
microcontrollers became the largest volume MCU category in 2011, overtaking 8-bit
devices for the first time that year [..] IC Insights believes the makeup of the
MCU market will undergo substantial changes in the next five years with 32-bit
devices steadily grabbing a greater share of sales and unit volumes. By 2017, 32-
bit MCUs are expected to account for 55% of microcontroller sales [..] In terms of
unit volumes, 32-bit MCUs are expected account for 38% of microcontroller shipments
in 2017, while 16-bit devices will represent 34% of the total, and 4-/8-bit designs
are forecast to be 28% of units sold that year. The 32-bit MCU market is expected
to grow rapidly due to increasing demand for higher levels of precision in
embedded-processing systems and the growth in connectivity using the Internet. [..]
In the next few years, complex 32-bit MCUs are expected to account for over 25% of
the processing power in vehicles.
�?IC Insights, MCU Market on Migration Path to 32-bit and ARM-based Devices[16]
Cost to manufacture can be under $0.10 per unit.
Cost has plummeted over time, with the cheapest 8-bit microcontrollers being
available for under 0.03 USD in 2018,[17] and some 32-bit microcontrollers around
US$1 for similar quantities.
In 2012, following a global crisis�a worst ever annual sales decline and recovery
and average sales price year-over-year plunging 17%�the biggest reduction since the
1980s�the average price for a microcontroller was US$0.88 ($0.69 for 4-/8-bit,
$0.59 for 16-bit, $1.76 for 32-bit).[16]
In 2015, 8-bit microcontrollers could be bought for $0.311 (1,000 units),[19] 16-
bit for $0.385 (1,000 units),[20] and 32-bit for $0.378 (1,000 units, but at $0.35
for 5,000).[21]
In 2018, 8-bit microcontrollers can be bought for $0.03,[17] 16-bit for $0.393
(1,000 units, but at $0.563 for 100 or $0.349 for full reel of 2,000),[22] and 32-
bit for $0.503 (1,000 units, but at $0.466 for 5,000).[23] A lower-priced 32-bit
microcontroller, in units of one, can be had for $0.891.[24]
In 2018, the low-priced microcontrollers above from 2015 are all more expensive
(with inflation calculated between 2018 and 2015 prices for those specific units)
at: the 8-bit microcontroller can be bought for $0.319 (1,000 units) or 2.6%
higher,[19] the 16-bit one for $0.464 (1,000 units) or 21% higher,[20] and the 32-
bit one for $0.503 (1,000 units, but at $0.466 for 5,000) or 33% higher.[21]
While some embedded systems are very sophisticated, many have minimal requirements
for memory and program length, with no operating system, and low software
complexity. Typical input and output devices include switches, relays, solenoids,
LED's, small or custom liquid-crystal displays, radio frequency devices, and
sensors for data such as temperature, humidity, light level etc. Embedded systems
usually have no keyboard, screen, disks, printers, or other recognizable I/O
devices of a personal computer, and may lack human interaction devices of any kind.
Interrupts
Microcontrollers must provide real-time (predictable, though not necessarily fast)
response to events in the embedded system they are controlling. When certain events
occur, an interrupt system can signal the processor to suspend processing the
current instruction sequence and to begin an interrupt service routine (ISR, or
"interrupt handler") which will perform any processing required based on the source
of the interrupt, before returning to the original instruction sequence. Possible
interrupt sources are device dependent, and often include events such as an
internal timer overflow, completing an analog to digital conversion, a logic level
change on an input such as from a button being pressed, and data received on a
communication link. Where power consumption is important as in battery devices,
interrupts may also wake a microcontroller from a low-power sleep state where the
processor is halted until required to do something by a peripheral event.
Programs
Typically micro-controller programs must fit in the available on-chip memory, since
it would be costly to provide a system with external, expandable memory. Compilers
and assemblers are used to convert both high-level and assembly language codes into
a compact machine code for storage in the micro-controller's memory. Depending on
the device, the program memory may be permanent, read-only memory that can only be
programmed at the factory, or it may be field-alterable flash or erasable read-only
memory.
Other versions may be available where the ROM is accessed as an external device
rather than as internal memory, however these are becoming rare due to the
widespread availability of cheap microcontroller programmers.
The use of field-programmable devices on a micro controller may allow field update
of the firmware or permit late factory revisions to products that have been
assembled but not yet shipped. Programmable memory also reduces the lead time
required for deployment of a new product.
Where hundreds of thousands of identical devices are required, using parts
programmed at the time of manufacture can be economical. These "mask programmed"
parts have the program laid down in the same way as the logic of the chip, at the
same time.
Many embedded systems need to read sensors that produce analog signals. This is the
purpose of the analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Since processors are built to
interpret and process digital data, i.e. 1s and 0s, they are not able to do
anything with the analog signals that may be sent to it by a device. So the analog
to digital converter is used to convert the incoming data into a form that the
processor can recognize. A less common feature on some microcontrollers is a
digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that allows the processor to output analog
signals or voltage levels.
A dedicated pulse-width modulation (PWM) block makes it possible for the CPU to
control power converters, resistive loads, motors, etc., without using lots of CPU
resources in tight timer loops.
Higher integration
Integrating the memory and other peripherals on a single chip and testing them as a
unit increases the cost of that chip, but often results in decreased net cost of
the embedded system as a whole. Even if the cost of a CPU that has integrated
peripherals is slightly more than the cost of a CPU and external peripherals,
having fewer chips typically allows a smaller and cheaper circuit board, and
reduces the labor required to assemble and test the circuit board, in addition to
tending to decrease the defect rate for the finished assembly.
central processing unit � ranging from small and simple 4-bit processors to complex
32-bit or 64-bit processors
volatile memory (RAM) for data storage
ROM, EPROM, EEPROM or Flash memory for program and operating parameter storage
discrete input and output bits, allowing control or detection of the logic state of
an individual package pin
serial input/output such as serial ports (UARTs)
other serial communications interfaces like I�C, Serial Peripheral Interface and
Controller Area Network for system interconnect
peripherals such as timers, event counters, PWM generators, and watchdog
clock generator � often an oscillator for a quartz timing crystal, resonator or RC
circuit
many include analog-to-digital converters, some include digital-to-analog
converters
in-circuit programming and in-circuit debugging support
This integration drastically reduces the number of chips and the amount of wiring
and circuit board space that would be needed to produce equivalent systems using
separate chips. Furthermore, on low pin count devices in particular, each pin may
interface to several internal peripherals, with the pin function selected by
software. This allows a part to be used in a wider variety of applications than if
pins had dedicated functions.
Recent microcontrollers are often integrated with on-chip debug circuitry that when
accessed by an in-circuit emulator (ICE) via JTAG, allow debugging of the firmware
with a debugger. A real-time ICE may allow viewing and/or manipulating of internal
states while running. A tracing ICE can record executed program and MCU states
before/after a trigger point.
Types
See also: List of common microcontrollers
As of 2008, there are several dozen microcontroller architectures and vendors
including:
Interrupt latency
In contrast to general-purpose computers, microcontrollers used in embedded systems
often seek to optimize interrupt latency over instruction throughput. Issues
include both reducing the latency, and making it be more predictable (to support
real-time control).
When an electronic device causes an interrupt, during the context switch the
intermediate results (registers) have to be saved before the software responsible
for handling the interrupt can run. They must also be restored after that interrupt
handler is finished. If there are more processor registers, this saving and
restoring process may take more time, increasing the latency. (If an ISR does not
require the use of some registers, it may simply leave them alone rather than
saving and restoring them, so in that case those registers are not involved with
the latency.) Ways to reduce such context/restore latency include having relatively
few registers in their central processing units (undesirable because it slows down
most non-interrupt processing substantially), or at least having the hardware not
save them all (this fails if the software then needs to compensate by saving the
rest "manually"). Another technique involves spending silicon gates on "shadow
registers": One or more duplicate registers used only by the interrupt software,
perhaps supporting a dedicated stack.
Memory technology
Two different kinds of memory are commonly used with microcontrollers, a non-
volatile memory for storing firmware and a read-write memory for temporary data.
Data
From the earliest microcontrollers to today, six-transistor SRAM is almost always
used as the read/write working memory, with a few more transistors per bit used in
the register file. FRAM or MRAM could potentially replace it as it is 4 to 10 times
denser which would make it more cost effective.
In addition to the SRAM, some microcontrollers also have internal EEPROM for data
storage; and even ones that do not have any (or not enough) are often connected to
external serial EEPROM chip (such as the BASIC Stamp) or external serial flash
memory chip.
Firmware
The earliest microcontrollers used mask ROM to store firmware. Later
microcontrollers (such as the early versions of the Freescale 68HC11 and early PIC
microcontrollers) had EPROM memory, which used a translucent window to allow
erasure via UV light, while production versions had no such window, being OTP (one-
time-programmable). Firmware updates were equivalent to replacing the
microcontroller itself, thus many products were not upgradeable.
Motorola MC68HC805 [6] was the first microcontroller to use EEPROM to store the
firmware. EEPROM microcontrollers became more popular in 1993 when Microchip
introduced PIC16C84[5] and Atmel introduced an 8051-core microcontroller that was
first one to use NOR Flash memory to store the firmware.[7] Today's
microcontrollers almost exclusively use flash memory, with a few models using FRAM,
and some ultra-low-cost parts still use OTP or Mask-ROM.
See also
icon Electronics portal
List of common microcontrollers
List of Wi-Fi microcontrollers
List of open-source hardware projects
Microbotics
Programmable logic controller
Single-board microcontroller
References
The identification the first microprocessor depends heavily on the precise
definition of the term "microprocessor", on which there is not consensus.
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