Superheroes of the IC Industry: MCU’s Ubiquitous Role in Electronic Devices

MCU, or microcontroller, is actually the abbreviation of Microcontroller Unit, which means single-chip microcomputer in Chinese. Although the names are different, they actually refer to the same concept, just like the same person may be called differently on different occasions. Next, we will delve into the differences between microcontrollers and chips, and their applications in different fields. We will also explore how the programming capabilities of microcontrollers can achieve various functions.

The microcontroller is an integrated circuit chip that uses very large-scale integrated circuit technology to integrate central processing unit CPU\random access memory RAM\read-only memory ROM\multiple I/O ports\interrupt system\timer/counter and other functions into one On the silicon chip, a small but fully functional microcomputer system is formed. This technology is widely used in the field of industrial control. In fact, every day we have 90% opportunities to interact with products developed based on microcontrollers.

From the 4-bit and 8-bit microcontrollers in the 1980s to today's microcontrollers with high speeds up to 300M, their application fields have also become very wide. Microcontrollers are widely used in smart instruments, real-time industrial control, communication equipment, navigation systems, household appliances, etc. Field. The introduction of microcontroller technology often refreshes products and brings about upgrades and improvements, such as smart washing machines in smart home appliances.

In our daily lives, household appliances such as rice cookers, induction cookers, microwave ovens, air conditioners, and washing machines are likely to use microcontrollers to cooperate with other circuits. In addition, with the development of Internet of Things technology, the functions of microcontrollers have become more advanced. The scope of application extends to smart home\smart parking\smart agriculture and other fields.

Although the microcontroller is just a chip, the reason why it is so powerful is its programmability. We can download custom logic into the microcontroller by writing C language or assembly program to achieve control of the circuit. This gives the microcontroller The extremely high flexibility allows us to produce a variety of interesting products based on creativity. Of course, this also requires corresponding hardware circuit support, because the microcontroller is mainly responsible for control, while the circuit is responsible for realizing specific functions.

When making the choice of which microcontroller to use, hardware and software engineers usually first need to design the high-level structure, block diagram and flow chart of the system so that they have enough information when selecting the appropriate microcontroller model.

Different electronic products have different performance requirements for microcontrollers, so we divide MCU chips into 8-bit\16-bit\32-bit\64-bit microcontrollers. The main difference between them is the word length of the internal CPU, that is, the number of bits to process data. .

The original microcontroller was 4-bit. The first MCS was designed by Intel in 1971 with an integration level of 2000 transistors/chip. However, with the development of technology, 8-bit microcontrollers gradually replaced the 4-bit microcontrollers with limited functions. Becoming mainstream. At the same time, 32-bit microcontrollers are widely used in Internet applications because they need to handle complex connection, security and protection issues.

In short, MCU or single-chip microcomputer plays a huge role in various fields. They are not only the core of electronic products, but also provide unlimited possibilities for innovation. Whether it is smart home or industrial control, single-chip microcomputer has its flexibility and programmability. Different industries bring new opportunities.