Cost-Efficient Microcontroller Technology | Campus Component

How to select an embedded controller for your product? Modern electronic products increasingly rely on intelligent compact, low cost control devices that can handle everything from sensors, communication, displays, motors to other circuit functions. Development teams seeking low cost, practical control and processing do not want to add unnecessary hardware cost have many reasons to consider a low cost microcontroller for embedded control.

As you can imagine, microcontrollers are common throughout almost every kind of embedded system because they include processing along with memory, input and output functions, timers and communications interface as a single package.

For students, startups, product designers, technicians and manufacturers, when choosing a controller, cost considerations should include performance, memory, interface requirements, power requirements, package size, software and software tools, availability and long-term supply. Campus Component helps customers discover electronic parts for prototyping, development work, automation and production needs.

What is a Microcontroller? Microcontrollers are the brains of numerous products. They take inputs from sensors, handle that input and generate output signals, communicate with other devices, and follow programmed instructions.

A low-end controller may just be capable of running a basic automation circuit, while a more advanced device might need to provide communication, data processing, monitoring, and more complex control functions.

The decision should be based on what the finished device needs to do and how the controller will be interfaced with the other hardware.

Cost is obviously a factor in designing electronics, and for high-volume products it is a critical element in the overall decision. Cost is never the sole determining factor, because the cheapest device may not be the most cost-effective to implement. A no-memory or no-interface controller, for example, might save on the device but add the burden of integration, development, and implementation work. Consider the total value of the device-cost to implement.

If you are using 8051 based systems you may need to know 8051 microcontroller price for choosing between models, but don’t just consider the price. Specification and features should go with each other. 8051 microcontroller is still used in control applications and embedded projects due to its well known architecture and long development years for educational or yet, in some older designs. Check the part number, memory, package, voltage, clock requirements, peripherals, manufacturer data.

Another aspect is the development environment. The entire value of a microcontroller only really emerges once developers have a software development environment, compiler, documentation, development board and debug environments. Often students will prefer to go with controllers that are easy to learn to program and understand. On the other hand, professional developers will think about the range of on-chip peripherals available, support from the manufacturer, quantity production, and compatibility with existing firmware.
Estimate Memory Before selecting a microcontroller, you should also consider how much memory you need. Program memory must allow for the firmware, libraries, communication stacks, and future modifications.

Data memory is for variables, buffers, calculations, runtime data If you pick a device with the right amount of memory, then you will not be limited by it while developing. Sometimes it is best to leave some headroom for a firmware upgrade than to pick the minimum.
Communication interface To find a device for a specific application, the engineer will need to map the connection that each component requires and ensure that it has the necessary interfaces - like UART, SPI, CAN, I2C, USB, or some other type of interface. For example, an IoT device may need a wireless module, while an industrial controller might need to communicate with sensors, a motor driver, or even a display. Built-in interface lines may reduce complexity and the size of the PC board.

Power Consumption Power is a key concern for portable and battery-powered electronics. A device with the appropriate low-power states allows the system to draw less power while it is idle and waiting for an event. When designing for low-power operation, a developer should take into account the active state, standby behavior, peripheral activity, clock frequency and the power requirements of external devices. The controller should be evaluated as part of the overall power solution, not in isolation.

If a business is looking to buy several different components for an electronics project, then working with reliable electronics components suppliers can help ease the pain of buying and eliminate some of the risk involved. A project can involve microcontrollers along with displays, sensors, connectors, power supplies, wireless devices, memory and a lot of other components. Finding a supplier with a wide range of electronics component types can make sourcing less challenging.
Prototyping One of the biggest benefits of using a microcontroller-based system is quickly prototyping hardware, code and features. Engineers can develop proof-of-concept prototypes, test sensors and actuators, analyze communication protocols and more. Educators and students can use development boards to quickly teach and test programming skills, and professional development teams can fine-tune their software using a hardware prototype. Prototyping and testing early on determines if the controller has enough performance and peripherals to support a product.