A microcontroller is an integrated circuit develop to do specific operation in an embedded system. A microcontroller includes a processor, memory and input/output (I/O) peripherals on a single chip. it is also called embedded controller or microcontroller unit (MCU), microcontrollers are used in designing robotic system embedded systems, Internet of Things(IoT).These are the top 5 best microcontrollers used in embedded systems.
1) Raspberry pi 4 model board
Raspberry pi 4 model has been considered has the fastest microcontroller available in market today. The Raspberry Pi 4 is the most powerful and it has rich features. This board has been ranked has the best ever. it was released 2019,this microcontroller board is equivalent to the entry level of x86 computer.it is used in building powerful,very advanced and complex electronics projects,it is available in many RAM sizes depending on your specification.
Raspberry pi 4 board comes with SoC Broadcom BCM2711, quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit at 1.5GHzS,DRAM 4 GB LPDDR4-2400,Wireless LAN 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0,Gigabit Ethernet,2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports,Fully backward compatible 40-pin GPIO connector,2 HDMI micro ports supporting video resolution up to 4K 60Hz,2-way MIPI DSI DSI/CSI ports for camera and display,Stereo audio output and composite video port, 4-pole Slot for Micro SD card, for operating system and data storage, it requires 5.1V, 3A power supply via USB-C or GPIO,PoE (Power over Ethernet) enabled (requires PoE HAT). When it comes to design and construction of complex IoT projects consider using Raspberry pi 4.
2) Raspberry pi pico
Raspberry pi pico is a new microcontroller released Jan 2021,the Raspberry pi pico is very affordable compared to other raspberry pi board.This is because it is mainly designed for embedded systems projects and robotic design. After many research raspberry pi foundation came up with their first custom chips called the RP2040 chips. This is a new brand of microcontroller chip design by raspberry pi foundation in the united kingdom.
The Raspberry pi pico board comes with 26 GPIO pins, it can be use for input and output. this board has been considered the first microcontroller powered by RP2040.
It is very easy to supply DC power to the Raspberry pi pico board,this way you can power the module with lithium-Ion cell. the module comes with different communication protocols including 2x I2C, 2x SPI, and 2x UART which are used to integrate connection with external sensors and modules. RP2040 chip features a dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processor with 264KB internal RAM and support for up to 16MB of off-chip Flash.
The exciting part of this microcontroller is that, MicroPython is an official language supported by this module, this means you can also write codes in C or C++. It also comes with 16 controllable PWM channels, three 12-bit ADC incorporated on the board.
3) ESP 32
ESP 32 is one of the best version of esp boards, ESP 32 is a combo board. It has been considered has one of the best RF board with great performance.it comprises of a Bluetooth and wifi in one single-chip board.
The ESP 32 is a microcontroller chips produced by Espressif Systems in Shanghai. The ESP32 improved board of ESP 8266.the microcontroller come with both Bluetooth and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), whereas the ESP8266 only has WiFi properties. It is very fast in processing a task and is available in a dual-core design.
It also operates in an ultra-low-power mode. Esp 32 comes with 18 to 12-bit Analog to Digital converters,Two 8-bit Digital to Analog converters,10 capacitive touch switch sensors,Four SPI channels,Two I2C interfaces,Two I2S interfaces (for digital audio),Three UARTs for communications, 8 channels of IR remote control, 16 channels of LED PWM (pulse width modulation),An integrated Hall-effect sensor,An ultra-low-power analog preamp,An internal low-dropout regulator. If you want to get started with IoT projects consider ESP 32 board,it is not expensive and it is very versatile.
4) Arduino uno
Arduino uno is the cheapest development board used in IoT (Internet of Things). You do not require an prior knowledge to get started with it, it is very easy to use and very flexible.
Arduino uno is an open source programmable microcontroller that can be use in any kinds of electronics designs and projects. The Arduino company released Arduino uno in 2011, and ever since it has become the most widely used board. it comes with an on-board chip called ATmega 328pu,it is an 8bits microcontroller,this ic is the brain box of Arduino uno board.
The board comes with various Input and output pins (I/O). The onboard AVR microcontroller has 28 pins, 14 digital pins, where 6 of them are PWM output,6 analogue input pins.
The Arduino board has various port interconnected together such has the USB port, an ICSP header,a reset button, in-built led,dc jack barrel port for power supply. Arduino board can be interfaced without other microcontroller board and shield.
5) Arduino pro mini
Arduino pro mini is one of the most smallest ATmega 328pu in-built board.it is thin and very powerful. It is powdered with 5 v dc supply,it has a 16MHZ bootloader. The Arduino pro mini board does not have an on board usb port on the board,you have to get Ch340 USB serial port connector for it, before you can connect it to a PC. the board doesn't come with any header connector,you have to solder any wire or connector you want to work on. the SMD technology has really helped in minimizing the size of the the board,and cost of purchasing the microcontroller,all the components used on the Arduino pro mini board are all SMD components,the board comes in two layers. the board comes with a voltage regulator that is capable of accepting 7 to 12 VDC. The Arduino pro mini board comes with auto-reset properties,an output current of 150mA at max, over current protection,on board power LED,8 analogue pins,14 digital pins and very light weight of 2 gram, when it comes to design and construction of embedded systems consider using Arduino pro mini board.
Related Topics
Top 10 sensors (modules)widely use in arduino projects and other microcontrollers.
(9) Nine common mistakes you must avoid while working on Arduino board.
Top 4 reasons why you must learn how to use Arduino.
(Level-1) Crazy About Arduino: Your End-To- End Workshop – Level 1 (Free!!! Course)
(Level-2) Crazy About Arduino: Your End-To- End Workshop – Level 2 (Free!!! Course).
(Level-3) Crazy About Arduino: Your End-To- End Workshop – Level 3 (Free!!! Course)
0 Comments