MICROCONTROLLERS AND EMBEDDED PROCESSORS

2.1) What is a Microcontroller?

A controller is used to control (makes sense!) some process or aspect of the environment. A typical
microcontroller application is the monitoring of my house. As the temperature rises, the controller causes
the windows to open. If the temperature goes above a certain threshold, the air conditioner is activated. If
the system detects my mother-in-law approaching, the doors are locked and the windows barred. In
addition, upon detecting that my computer is turned on, the stereo turns on at a deafening volume (for
more on this, see the
section on development tools). At one time, controllers were built exclusively from logiccomponents, and
were usually large, heavy boxes (before this, they were even bigger, more complex analog monstrosities).
Later on,
microprocessors were used and the entire controller could fit on a small circuit board. This is still
common - you can find many [good] controllers powered by one of the many common microprocessors
(including Zilog Z80, Intel 8088, Motorola 6809, and others). As the process of miniaturization continued,
all of the components needed for a controller were built right onto one chip. A one chip computer, or
microcontroller was born. A microcontroller is a highlyintegrated chip which includes, on one chip, all or
most of the parts needed for a controller. The microcontroller could be called a
"one-chip solution". It typically includes:
CPU (central processing unit) RAM (Random Access Memory)EPROM/PROM/ROM (Erasable
Programmable Read Only Memory) I/O (input/output) - serial and parallel timers interrupt controller
By only including the features specific to the task (control), cost is relatively low. A typical
microcontroller has bit manipulation instructions, easy and direct access to I/O (input/output), and quick
and efficient interrupt processing. Microcontrollers are a "one-chip solution" which drastically reduces
parts count and design costs.
What is an Embedded Processors?
An Embedded Processor is a microprocessor that is used in an embedded system. These processors are
usually smaller, use a surface mount form factor and consume less power. Embedded processors can be
divided into two categories: ordinary microprocessors and microcontrollers. Microcontrollers have more
peripherals on the chip. In essence, an embedded processor is a CPU chip used in a system which is not a
general-purpose workstation, laptop or desktop computer.
Types of Embedded Processors
There are many different kinds of programmable embedded processors and at Future Electronics we
stock many of the most common types categorized by Clock Frequency, RAM size, Data Bus Width,
packaging type, MMAC/MIPS/FLOPS and I/O Voltage. The parametric filters found on our website can
help you refine your search results depending on the required specifications.
The most common sizes for RAM are 4 kB, 8 kB, 32 kB and 64 kB. We also carry embedded processors
with RAM sizes up to 128 kB. Cache memory size can range from 32 B to 320 kB, with the most common
sizes being 32 kB and 64 kB.
Embedded Processors from Future Electronics
Future Electronics has a full selection of embedded processors from several manufacturers, including
embedded microprocessor chips and embedded microcontroller chips and even an FPGA embedded
processor. Simply choose from the embedded processor technical attributes below and your search results
will quickly be narrowed in order to match your specific embedded processor application needs.
If you have a preferred brand, we deal with several manufacturers such as Digi International, Freescale
Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, XMOS Limited or Zilog. You can easily refine your embedded
processor product search results by clicking your preferred embedded processor brand below from our
list of manufacturers.

Applications for embedded processors:

Embedded processors can be found in portable devices like digital watches, PDAs, digital cameras, GPS
units and MP3 players. They can also be found in larger systems such as traffic lights, systems controlling
power plants and factory controllers. Telecommunications systems also use several embedded systems
from telephone switches to mobile phones. Embedded processors are also used in consumer electronics
including video game consoles, DVD players and printers. Several household appliances including
microwave ovens, washing machines and dishwashers use embedded processors as well.
Choosing the Right Embedded Processor:
When you are looking for the right embedded processors, with the FutureElectronics.com parametric
search, you can filter the results by various attributes: by Clock Frequency (16 Hz, 200 MHz, 266 MHz,
400 MHz,), RAM size (512 B, 4 kB, 32kB, 64 kB,), Data Bus Width (from 16 b to 32 b) and I/O
Voltage (up to 5 V) to name a few. You will be able to find the right embedded processor for your system
including embedded microprocessors, embedded microcontrollers and FPGA embedded processors using
these filters.
OVERVIEW OF THE 8051 FAMILY
A brief history of the 8051
In 1981, Intel Corporation introduced an 8-bit microcontroller called the 8051. This microcontroller had
128 bytes of RAM, 4K bytes of on-chip ROM, two timers, one serial port, and four ports (each 8-bits wide)
all on a single chip. At the time it was also referred to as a system on a chip. The 8051 is an 8-bit
processor, meaning that the CPU can work on only 8 bits of data at a time. Data larger than 8 bits has to
be broken into 8-bit pieces to be processed by the CPU. The 8051 has a total of four I/O ports, each 8 bits
wide. See Figure 1-2. Although the 8051 can have a maximum of 64K bytes of on-chip ROM, many
manufacturers have put only 4K bytes on the chip. This will be discussed in more detail later.
Table 1-3: Features of the 8051

The 8051 became widely popular after Intel allowed other manufacturers to make and market any flavors
of the 8051 they please with the condition that they remain code-compatible with the 8051. This has led to
many, versions of the 8051 with different speeds and amounts of on-chip ROM marketed by more than
half a dozen manufacturers. Next we review some of them. It is important to note that although there are
different flavors of the 8051 in terms of speed and amount of on-chip ROM, they are all compatible with
the original 8051 as far as the instructions are concerned. This means that if you write your program for
one, it will run on any of them regardless of the manufacturer.
INSIDE THE 8051

In the CPU, registers are used to store

information temporarily. That information could be a byte of data to be processed, or an address pointing
to the data to be fetched. The vast majority of 8051 registers are 8-bit registers. In the 8051 there is only

one data type: 8 bits. The 8 bits of a register are shown in the diagram from the MSB (most significant bit)
D7 to the LSB (least significant bit) DO. With an 8-bit data type, any data larger than 8 bits must be