MICROPROCESSORS

MICROCONTROLLERS
By. Johnalyn L. Figueras
 Brief History
• What is a computer?
• one that computes; specifically : programmable
electronic device that can store, retrieve, and process
data.
• a machine that manipulates data according to a list of
instructions.
• Classification of Computers (power and price)
• Personal computers
• Mainframes
• Supercomputers
• Dedicated controllers – Embedded controllers
 Mainframes
• Massive amounts of memory
• Use large data words…64 bits or greater
• Mostly used for military defense and large business data
processing
• Examples: IBM 4381, Honeywell DPS8
 Personal Computers
• Any general-purpose computer
• intended to be operated directly by an end user
• Range from small microcomputers that work with 4-bit
words to PCs working with 32-bit words or more
• They contain a Processor - called different names
• Microprocessor – built using Very-Large-Scale
Integration technology; the entire circuit is on a single
chip
• Central Processing Unit (CPU)
• Microprocessor Unit (MPU) – similar to CPU
 Supercomputers
• Fastest and most powerful mainframes
• Contain multiple central processors (CPU)
• Used for scientific applications, and number crunching
• Now have teraflops performance
• FLoating Point Operations Per Second (FLOPS)
• Used to measure the speed f the computer
• Examples of special-purpose supercomputers:
• Belle, Deep Blue, and Hydra, for playing chess
• Reconfigurable computing machines or parts of machines
• GRAPE, for astrophysics and molecular dynamics
• Deep Crack, for breaking the DES cipher
• MDGRAPE-3, for protein structure computation
 Embedded Systems
• An embedded system is a special-purpose computer
system designed to perform one or a few dedicated
functions often with real-time
• An integrated device which consists of multiple devices
• Microprocessor (MPU)
• Memory
• I/O (Input/Output) ports
• Often has its own dedicated software
 Evolution
• First came transistors
• Integrated circuits
• SSI (Small-Scale Integration) to ULSI
• Very Large Scale Integration circuits (VLSI)
• 1- Microprocessors (MPU)
• Microcomputers (with CPU being a microprocessor)
• Components: Memory, CPU, Peripherals (I/O)
• Example: Personal computers
• 2- Microcontroller (MCU)
• Microcomputers (with CPU being a microprocessor)
• Many special function peripheral are integrated on a single
circuit
• Types: General Purpose or Embedded System (with special
functionalities)
 Transistors
• Vacuum Tubes: A devise to control,
modify, and amplify electric signals
• Then can transistors
• Designed by John Bardeen, William
Shockley, and Walter Brattain,
scientists at the Bell Telephone
Laboratories in Murray Hill, New
Jersey - 1947
• In 1960 Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce
designed the first integrated circuit
(IC)
• Fairchild company manufactured logic
gates
 Integrated Circuits
• Advances in manufacturing
allowed packing more transistors
on a single chip
• Transistors and Integrated
Circuits from SSI (Small-Scale
Integration) to ULSI
• Birth of a microprocessor and its
revolutionary impact
 Microprocessors
• Noyce and Gordon Moore started
Intel
• Intel designed he first calculator
• Intel designed the first
programmable calculator
• Intel designed the first
microprocessor in 1971
• Model 4004
• 4-bit; 2300 transistors, 640
bytes of memory, 108 KHz
clock speed
 First Processors
• Intel released the 8086, a 16-bit microprocessor, in 1978
• Motorola followed with the MC68000 as their 16-bit processor
• The 16-bit processor works with 16 bit words, rather than 8
bit words
• Instructions are executed faster
• Provide single instructions for more complex instructions
such as multiply and divide
• 16 bit processors evolved into 32 bit processors
• Intel released the 80386
• Motorola released the MC68020
 Evolution of CPUs

In 1965, Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, indicated that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits
had doubled every year since the integrated circuit was invented. Moore predicted that this trend would continue for the
foreseeable future.
 Microprocessor
• The microprocessor (MPU) is a computing and logic
device that executes binary instructions in a sequence
stored in memory.
• Characteristics:
• General purpose central processor unit (CPU)
• Binary
• Register-based
• Clock-driven
• Programmable
 Microprocessor

• the “brains” of the computer Arithmetic

• its job is to fetch Logic
Register
Arrays
instructions, decode Unit
them, and then execute
them
• 8/16/32/etc –bit (how it
Control Unit

moves the data

• contains:
ALU performs computing tasks – manipulates the data/ performs numerical and logical
computations
Registers are used for temp. storage
Control unit is used for timing and other controlling functions – contains a program
counter (next instruction’s address and status register)
System software: A group of programs that monitors the functions of the entire system
 Microprocessor-Based Systems
• Central Processing Unit
(CPU)
• Memory
• Input/Output (I/O)
circuitry
• Buses
– Address bus
– Data bus
– Control bus
Microprocessor-based System
MPU

GP-
CLK Reg
CPU

CPU
Arithmetic
Register
Logic
Arrays
Unit

Control Unit
Microprocessor-based Systems : Memory

• Memory is a group of registers

• 16 register – address: 0-15 – in binary: 0-1111; Address
lines: A0-A3
• Serves two major purposes
• storing the binary codes for the sequence of
instructions specified by programs (program)
• storing binary data that the computer needs to execute
instructions (data)
Microprocessor-based Systems : Memory Types
• R/W: Read/Write Memory; also called RAM
• It is volatile (losses information as power is removed)
• Write means the processor can store information
• Read means the processor can receive information from the
memory
• Acts like a Blackboard!
• ROM: Read-Only memory;
• It is typically non-volatile (permanent) – can be erasable
• It is similar to a Page from your textbook
Microprocessor-based Systems : Memory
Classification
Basic Technologies:
Semiconductor
Magnetic
Optical
(or combination)

Expensive Cheap
Onetime programmable
Fast/ Slow
Electronically Erasable
PROM
Microprocessor-based Systems : Memory
Classification
-one transistor and one
capacitor to store a bit
-Leakage problem, thus
requires refreshing
-Used for dynamic
data/program storage
-4/6 transistor to -Cheap and slow!
save a single bit
- Volatile
- Fast but
expensive

Expensive Cheap
Onetime programmable
Fast/ Slow
Electronically Erasable
PROM
 Erasable ROMs
• Marked Programmed ROM
• Programmed by the manufacturer
• Programmable ROM (PROM)
• Can be programmed in the field via the programmer
• Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM)
• Uses ultraviolet light to erase (through a quartz window)
• OTP refers to one-time programmable
• Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM)
• Each program location can be individually erased
• Expensive
• Requires programmer
• FLASH
• Can be programmed in-circuit (in-system)
• Easy to erase (no programmer)
• Only one section can be erased/written at a time (typically 64 bytes at a time)
Microprocessor-based Systems : I/O Ports

• The way the computer communicates with the outside world

devices
• I/O ports are connected to Peripherals
• Peripherals are I/O devices
• Input devices
• Output devices
• Examples
• Printers and modems,
• keyboard and mouse
• scanner
• Universal Serial Bus (USB)
Microprocessor-based Systems : Buses

Address, Data, and Control Bus

Microprocessor-based Systems : Buses
• The three components – MPU, memory, and I/O – are connected by a
group of wires called the BUS
• Address bus
 consists of 16, 20, 24, or 32 parallel signal lines (wires) - unidirectional
 these lines contain the address of the memory location to read or
written
• Control bus
• consists of 4 to 10 (or more) parallel signal lines
• CPU sends signals along these lines to memory and to I/O ports
• examples: Memory Read, Memory Write, I/O Read, I/O Write
• Data bus
• consists of 8,16, or 32 parallel signal lines
• bi-directional
• only one device at a time can have its outputs enabled,
• this requires the devices to have three-state output
Expanded Microprocessor-Based System
1. Note the directions
of busses

2. What is the width of

the address bus?

3. What is the value of

the Address but to
access the first
register of the
R/WM?

You must know how to

draw it!
 Microcontrollers
• A microcontroller is a complete microprocessor system,
consisting of microprocessor, limited amount of ROM or
EPROM, RAM & I/O ports all built on a single integrated
circuit.
• Microcontroller can be used to perform control functions
so it is comparable with a microcomputer.
• It must include full or nearly full implementation of a
standard microprocessor, ROM or EPROM, RAM, parallel
I/O ports, serial ports, timer, clock.
• More complex than a microprocessor.
 Microcontrollers

Memory
ROM RAM
CPU

I/O

Subsystems:
Timers, Counters, Analog
A single chip Interfaces, I/O interfaces
Microcontroller Unit (MCU): Block Diagram

• An integrated electronic computing and logic

device that includes three major components
on a single chip
• Microprocessor
• Memory
• I/O ports
• Includes support devices
• Timers
• A/D converter
• Serial I/O
• Parallel Slave Port
• All components connected by common
communication lines called the system bus.
Microcontroller Architectures
• RISC (Harvard)
• Reduced instruction set computer
• Simple operations
• Simple addressing modes
• Longer compiled program bust faster to execute
• Uses pipelining
• CISC (Von Neuman)
• Complex instruction set computer
• More complex instructions (closer to high-level
language support)

Bench marks: How to compare MCUs together

MIPS: Million Instructions / second (Useful when the compilers are the same)
 Microcontroller Architectures
Memory
0
Address Bus
Program
CPU Data Bus + Data Von Neumann
2n
Architecture
Memory
0
Address Bus
Program
CPU Fetch Bus Harvard
Address Bus 0
Architecture
Data Bus Data
Embedded controllers

• Used to control smart

machines
• Examples: printers,
auto braking systems
• Also called
microcontrollers or
microcontroller units
(MCU)
 Embedded System
General Block Diagram

Sensor conditioning

Output interfaces
sensor
actuator
Microcontroller
sensor
(uC) indicator
sensor
Embedded controllers: Software Characteristics
• No operating systems
• Execute a single program, tailored exactly to the controller
hardware
• Assembly language (vs. High-level language)
• Not transportable, machine specific
• Programmer need to know CPU architecture
• Speed
• Program size
• Uniqueness
 Common Microcontrollers
•Atmel •Motorola
•ARM •8-bit
•Intel •68HC05
•8-bit •68HC08
•8XC42 •68HC11
•MCS48 •16-bit
•MCS51 •68HC12
•8xC251 •68HC16
•16-bit •32-bit
•MCS96 •683xx
•MXS296 •Texas Instruments
•National Semiconductor •TMS370, 16/32 bit
•COP8 •MSP430 , 16 bit
•Microchip •Zilog
•12-bit instruction PIC •Z8
•14-bit instruction PIC •Z86E02
•PIC16F84
•16-bit instruction PIC
•NEC
 First Microcontrollers

• IBM started using Intel processors in its PC

• Intel started its 8042 and 8048 (8-bit microcontroller)
– using in printers
• Apple Macintosh used Motorola
• 1980 Intel abandoned microcontroller business
• By 1989 Microchip was a major player in designing
microcontrollers
• PIC: Peripheral Interface Controller
Applications of Microcontrollers
• Microcontroller is a single chip microcomputer.
• They are used as independent controllers in machines or as
slaves in distributed processing.
• They are used as machine tools, chemical processors, medical
instrumentation & sophisticated guidance control.
• Many low cost products such as toys, microwave oven etc., are
based on microcontroller.
• The personal computer keyboards are implemented with
microcontroller. It replaces scanning, debounce, matrix decoding
& serial transmission circuits.
MCU VS. MPU

• Cost of microcontroller is less than microprocessor based system

• Microcontroller has more I/O components than microprocessor
based system.
• Unlike microprocessors Microcontrollers can be used in wide
variety of intelligent products like personal computers keyboards
or can be used in devices with artificial intelligence.
• Many low cost products like toys, washing machines, microwave
ovens, electric drills etc., are based on microcontrollers & not on
microprocessor based system