Basically, a microcontroller can be thought of as nothing but a low grade computer. As we know, the basic building blocks of a computer or a microcontroller are
1) Processor Core which consists of the ALU, Control Unit etc. This is the most important part of a computer as it is the core and all the data from different parts of the system are processed here.
2) Memory which stores the code that we feed into the system. This code will be basically a series of sets of instructions that the robot is supposed to execute. This may also include the intelligence modules for neural networks. The memory may be also used to store the variables which are initialized in your program and may be also to store the real world values, for example, like the ambient temperature, CPU core temperature, humidity, gravity etc.
3) Programmable input output peripherals which enables us to take out output from the system or to give in our inputs.For example, if we consider our computer, monitor is an output device whereas, keyboard is an input device. We give in our input(characters) using a keyboard while we have our interface to the computer through the monitor.
So a microcontroller is nothing but an integrated chip which consists of a processor core, memory, and programmable input output peripherals all of which are embedded onto a single piece of silicon.Now lets look into some examples of microcontrollers. The famous ones are ATmega series of microcontrollers made by Atmel, PIC series of microcontrollers made by Microchip, and 8051 microcontrollers which are made by the Intel. But how do they vary in nature? How to select a microcontroller for my use?
If we check the prices, we will find that 8051 are the cheapest but it doesn't mean that ATmega or PIC uCs are costly. According to me, the best microcontroller to start with is ATmega series. Within this series itself there are so many different microcontrollers available, based on the speed of operation, number of input output ports, number of serial ports, USB connectivity etc. For a novice, the best one is ATmega16. It costs around Rs 220 (approx $ 4)._
1) Processor Core which consists of the ALU, Control Unit etc. This is the most important part of a computer as it is the core and all the data from different parts of the system are processed here.
2) Memory which stores the code that we feed into the system. This code will be basically a series of sets of instructions that the robot is supposed to execute. This may also include the intelligence modules for neural networks. The memory may be also used to store the variables which are initialized in your program and may be also to store the real world values, for example, like the ambient temperature, CPU core temperature, humidity, gravity etc.
3) Programmable input output peripherals which enables us to take out output from the system or to give in our inputs.For example, if we consider our computer, monitor is an output device whereas, keyboard is an input device. We give in our input(characters) using a keyboard while we have our interface to the computer through the monitor.
So a microcontroller is nothing but an integrated chip which consists of a processor core, memory, and programmable input output peripherals all of which are embedded onto a single piece of silicon.Now lets look into some examples of microcontrollers. The famous ones are ATmega series of microcontrollers made by Atmel, PIC series of microcontrollers made by Microchip, and 8051 microcontrollers which are made by the Intel. But how do they vary in nature? How to select a microcontroller for my use?
If we check the prices, we will find that 8051 are the cheapest but it doesn't mean that ATmega or PIC uCs are costly. According to me, the best microcontroller to start with is ATmega series. Within this series itself there are so many different microcontrollers available, based on the speed of operation, number of input output ports, number of serial ports, USB connectivity etc. For a novice, the best one is ATmega16. It costs around Rs 220 (approx $ 4)._