Week #15: (5/1-5/5) Microcontrollers - Beyond the BS2

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rjagodowski
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Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 6:59 pm

Week #15: (5/1-5/5) Microcontrollers - Beyond the BS2

Post by rjagodowski »

NOTE: This week is the last meeting class of this course. Next week is the last week of classes, but the Academic Calendar states that Wednesday, May 10, will follow a Thursday schedule. Therefore, we do not meet for class next week. However, I will create a Forum Post for a reading assignment for next week.

There are numerous microcontrollers available. Our lowly BS2 is, by most measures, is at the low end of the performance and capability spectrum. That doesn't mean it isn't useful, but there are numerous alternatives available for embedded control devices.

One shortcoming we've mentioned about the BS2 is the lack of an interrupt system. Here are two links, one from Wikibooks.org and the other from Wikipedia on interrupts. As most of you learned in the StopLight design problem, interrupts can be a very convenient feature as without them, you have to use polling (which can waste processor time) or other methods such as latching circuits (which requires polling and extra hardware). While the myriad of applications you've experienced with the Basic Stamp (BoEBot, EET-250 & EET-260 experiments) shows a processor can still be quite useful without an interrupt system, a controller with hardware interrupts extends versatility even further.

Here's a link to: Choosing a MCU for your next design; 8 bit or 32 bit? from Atmel, a lead designer of PICs (Peripheral Interface Controller). An interesting point of fact, however, is that Microchip (the company that built the brain for the Basic Stamp) recently purchased Atmel. The conclusion of this article basically summarizes with a statement that if your design is a simple, stand alone application, the traditional 8-bit processor is still probably the way to go. However, if your need is for an IoT (Internet of Things) application than the newer 32 bit (and higher) processors with builtin in networking/wireless capabilities should be your chosen path.

Here are some links explaining IoT (Internet of Things) and the Industrial IoT:

The Internet of Things (IoT) from Wikipedia.

The Internet of Things from networking giant Cisco.

The Industrial Internet of Things from Schneider Electric.

Another term commonly used in microcontroller descriptions is ARM - Advanced RISC Machine. RISC is defined here.





The Arduino from Sparkfun.

Parallax Propeller (Multi-core) from Wikipedia. Parallax Activity Bot and Parallax ELEV-8 Quadcopter.

RaspberryPi.org and RaspberryPi Hardware Guide.

25 Fun Thngs to do with a Raspberry Pi from CNET.com .

Raspberry Pi options from Adafruit.com. Due to the low pricing of these devices, they are often on what seems like perpetual backorder. For instance, the Pi Zero is $10 and the "full featured" Pi 3 is under $40. The Pi 3 Starter Pack is $90. Compare these to the price of the BS2 Stamp Module for $49 or even the Parallax Propeller Chip for $7.99 or even an Arduino Chip for $4.49.
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