10 steps to choose the best microcontroller

Choosing the right microprocessor for a product is a daunting task. Not only do you have to consider many technical factors, but also consider business issues such as the cost and delivery time that may affect the success or failure of the project.

At the beginning of the project, people often couldn't suppress the desire to do it right away, and the microcontroller was ready to be selected before the system details were released. This is certainly not a good idea.

When making any decisions on the microcontroller, the hardware and software engineers should first design the high-level structure, block diagrams, and flowcharts of the system. Only then will there be enough information to make a reasonable decision on the microcontroller selection. At this point, follow these 10 simple steps to make sure you make the right choice.

Step 1: Make a list of required hardware interfaces

Use a rough hardware block diagram to create a list of all external interfaces that the microcontroller needs to support. There are two common types of interfaces that need to be listed. The first is the communication interface.

Peripherals such as USB, I2C, SPI, and UART are generally used in the system. If your application requires USB or some form of Ethernet, you will need to make a special note. These interfaces have a large impact on how much program space the microcontroller needs to support.

The second interface is digital input and output, analog to digital input, PWM, and so on. These two types of interfaces will determine the number of pins the microcontroller needs to provide. Figure 1 shows a common block diagram example and lists the I/O requirements.

10 steps to choose the best microcontroller

Step 2: Check the software architecture

Software architecture and requirements will significantly affect the choice of microcontroller. The processing burden is light or heavy, and it will be decided whether to use an 80MHz DSP or an 8MHz 8051. Just like hardware, it's important to document all the requirements.

For example, is there an algorithm that requires floating point arithmetic? Is there a high frequency control loop or sensor? And estimate the time and frequency each task needs to run. Then figure out how many levels of processing power is needed. The size of the computing power is one of the most critical requirements for determining the microcontroller architecture and frequency.

Step 3: Select the architecture

Using the information obtained in steps 1 and 2, an engineer should be able to begin to determine the required architectural ideas. Can an 8-bit architecture support this application? Need a 16-bit architecture? Or ask for a 32-bit ARM core? Frequently scrutinizing these issues between the application and the required software algorithms will ultimately lead to a solution.

Don't forget that there are future possibilities and functional extensions. Just because the current 8-bit microcontrollers are capable of current applications does not mean that you should not consider 16-bit microcontrollers for future functional extensions or ease of use.

Remember, microcontroller selection is an iterative process. You may have chosen a 16-bit device in this step, but it is better to find a 32-bit ARM device in a later step. This step just gives the engineer a correct direction of consideration.

Step 4: Determine memory requirements

Flash and RAM are two very critical components of any microcontroller. Ensuring that the program space or variable space is sufficient will undoubtedly have the highest priority. Choosing a flash memory and RAM that is much more than enough capacity is usually easy to do.

Don't wait until the end of the design to find that you need 110% of the space or some features need to be cut, this is not a joke. In fact, you can choose a device with a larger space at the beginning, and then switch to a smaller device in the same chip system.

With the software architecture and the communication peripherals included in the application, engineers can estimate how much flash and RAM space the application requires. Don't forget to reserve enough space for extensions and new versions! This will solve many of the headaches that may be encountered in the future.

Step 5: Start looking for a microcontroller

Now that you have a better idea of ​​what the microcontroller needs, you can start looking for the right microcontroller now! Microcontroller vendors like Arrow, Avnet, and Future Electronics are a good starting point for finding microcontrollers.

Discuss your applications and requirements with the field application engineers at these vendors, and they will usually recommend a new device that is technologically advanced and meets the requirements. But keep in mind that they may have the urge to market a range of microcontrollers!

The second best place is the chip supplier you are already familiar with. For example, if you have used Microchip devices in the past and have extensive experience, open their website.

Most chip vendors have a search engine that allows you to enter your peripheral mix, I/O, and power requirements. The search engine will gradually shrink the device range and eventually find a list of devices that match the requirements. The engineer can then carefully select the most suitable microcontroller in this list.

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