Computer Hardware CPU / Micro processors / MicroControllers

Defined, Architectures,  Applications

• Families
  • 1802
  • 8031
  • 8051
  • 6800
  • 68hc11
  • ARM (Raspberry Pi)
  • Atmel (AVR-Arduino)
  • Xtensa ESP-8266
  • Intel Corporations
  • Hitachi (Cybiko)
  • MicroChip Technologies (PIC) and similar alternatives
  • Nippon Electrical Corporation
  • Oki Semiconductor
  • Rabbit
  • Ubicom (formerly Scenix) (SX)
  • Texas Instruments
  • Zilog Z8/Z80/8080
  • Intel x86 / "Wintel"
• Testing / Debugging / Development Systems
  • Comparison of types
  • Device Programmers
  • Current lowest cost entry points:
  • also:
    • EDN Access June 18,1998 "Debugging embedded systems: 10 common hardware problems and how to solve them"
• Notes
  • Unused pins
  • Watch Dog Timers
  • Clocks and Overclocking
  • Debugging

Suppliers@

See also:

• https://youtu.be/lC4YLMLar5I?si=IZnRcA27hpukRASj&t=1470 Part of a video about the retro video game "Elite", showing how micros work on the inside.+
• http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/technical/general-programming/a-journey-through-the-cpu-pipeline-r3115?fb_action_ids=10206495559661122&fb_action_types=og.likes How CPU pipelines work, including OOO (Out Of Order) advanced systems.+
• https://www.cs.drexel.edu/~bls96/museum/cardiac.html CARDIAC is a cardboard computer. But there is also a web browser simulator which can run the programs on the next page and an update with an animated diagram at:
  https://jamesnewton.github.io/cardiac/index.html
• http://www.visual6502.org/JSSim/index.html Shows the die of the 6502 with red or blue highlights for 1 or 0 so you can actually watch the signals on the die! Totally cool! Requires an HTML 5 browser.+
• http://www.microcontroller.com/, http://www.embedded.com,
• http://www.embedded.com/1999/9905/compilers.htm Comprehensive-ish table of compilers for embedded systems
• Steve Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar
• Berkley CPU Info Center
• Tom Engdahl's Microprocessors and Microcontrollers page
• Myke Predko's Microcontroller Reference Page
• http://www.dvanhorn.org/Micros/All/Index.php
• http://www.dontronics.com/auto.html DonTronics has a nice comparison and contrast of several CPUs (AVR, PIC, HC11, etc.) here.
• "The uPD7281 Processor, a non-vonNeumann chip designed for high-speed parallel processing of images" by Tom Jefferys, Byte Magazine, November 1985
• "A Versatile Low-Cost Microprocessor Controller Module" by David L. Craig, Byte Magazine December 1982 pg 486. (6802 with 2716 EPROM and 6820 or 6821 PIA)
• "The 8051 One-Chip Microcomputer" by Howard Boyet, Byte Magazine, December 1982
• EG3 Communications, Inc. Embedded Systems Internet Information Clearinghouse
• Softaid Articles inlcuding embedded design
• Finnish Academic and Research Network
• The Stanford FLASH Multiprocessor
• raw Architecture Workshop
• Free CPU f-cpu.org - designed collaboratively, implemented in FPGA (was: f-cpu.tux.org )
• David Cary's Computer Architecture page (was http://www.rdrop.com/~cary/ )
• Great Microprocessors of the Past and Present
• UMPs from VMDesign.com runs under Windows and simulates many processors and external hardware. New devices can be added by writing a DLL in C or pascal. Distributed in the US by wirz.com for $649
• Intel Museum - How Microprocessors Work

each of the above SHOULD include: ³PinOut ³ ³Timing and interface diagrams ³ ³Specifications ³ ³ Internal Data Path Width ³ ³ Data Bus Width ³ ³ Address Range ³ ³ Available Clock Speeds ³ ³ Size of instruction set ³ ³ Average cycles per instruction ³ ³ Special Features ³ ³ Cache ³ ³ Prefetch ³ ³ Other ³ ³ Common usage ³ ³Instruction Set ³ ³ Summary list of all the instructions showing ³ ³ syntax and brief description ³ ³ Reference as in the MASM 5.1 Pocket Reference ³ ³ Description as in "Organization and Assembly ³ ³ Language Programming" ³ ³ Tutorial as in the Visible Computer ³ ³History ³

David A Cary Says:

"I believe there are currently two simple approaches to getting involved with microcontrollers. The ATMEL AVR Micro and the Microchip PICmicro" --