Hi everybody!! I'm a spanish strudent on Systems Engineerering, and I'm very interested on microcontrollers and its applications. In my degree I've been working with two types of them, a Spartan FPGA and a Motorola MC68HC11 microcontroller. I also know that is usual to use PICs as small microcontrollers. But a question is rounding on my mind, because I don't undestand completely which are the differences between them, apart of size. May anybody explain me which are them at an internal level?, that is, whitch are more powerful?, which has the bigger RAM memory... Thanks in advance!
Which micro controller?
Started by ●May 12, 2004
Reply by ●May 12, 20042004-05-12
Also check out http://www.atmel.com They have a more conventual memory layout with better instructions. -- ************************************************* Roy Hopkins :-) Tauranga New Zealand ************************************************* "Tomas Eroles i Forner" <tomas.eroles@wanadoo.es> wrote in message news:pan.2004.05.12.17.07.43.726061@wanadoo.es...> Hi everybody!! > I'm a spanish strudent on Systems Engineerering, and I'm very interested > on microcontrollers and its applications. In my degree I've been working > with two types of them, a Spartan FPGA and a Motorola MC68HC11 > microcontroller. > I also know that is usual to use PICs as small microcontrollers. > > But a question is rounding on my mind, because I don't undestand > completely which are the differences between them, apart of size. > > May anybody explain me which are them at an internal level?, that is, > whitch are more powerful?, which has the bigger RAM memory... > > Thanks in advance!--- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.683 / Virus Database: 445 - Release Date: 12/05/2004
Reply by ●May 12, 20042004-05-12
In article <pan.2004.05.12.17.07.43.726061@wanadoo.es>, Tomas Eroles i Forner <tomas.eroles@wanadoo.es> wrote:>But a question is rounding on my mind, because I don't undestand >completely which are the differences between them, apart of size.To first order, the 68HC11 and the PICs (and AVRs) are the same sort of thing. They're all 8-bit microcontrollers. If you want to know the subtle differences, read the datasheets for each part! FPGAs are a completely different sort of thing altogether. They're generic logic which can be made into anything you want. Larger FPGAs may be designed with a "core" which looks like a microcontroller, but they don't have to be. You could turn one into something completely unrelated like a 64-bit counter if you wanted to (something you couldn't do on an 8-bit uC because you can't increment a 64-bit number in one cycle there).
Reply by ●May 12, 20042004-05-12
Tomas Eroles i Forner wrote:> In my degree I've been working > with two types of them, a Spartan FPGA and a Motorola MC68HC11 > microcontroller.> > But a question is rounding on my mind, because I don't undestand > completely which are the differences between them, apart of size. >Easy: The spartan isn't a micrcontroller at all. It's an FPGA. An FPGA is "generic" logic. You can program a FPGA in a wa, that it becomes a microcontroller (softcore). Perhaps you worketd with the Microblaze? This is a softcore from Xilinx for some of their FPGAs. MfG Sebastian -- If you see light at the end of the wormhole it is most likely a photon torpedo.
Reply by ●May 12, 20042004-05-12
"Roy" <rdhopkins@ihug.co.nz> schrieb:>Also check out http://www.atmel.com > >They have a more conventual memory layout with better instructions.Can it be possible that these information is outdated with the present upcoming revision of the PICs? Also the new developement tool IDE2 makes everything easier with onbord programming and debugging of the new devices. Maybe someone makes the IDE2 cheaper by self-building. -- Paul dankt den Helfern, w�nscht jedem viel Spa� im Usenet und gr��t alle, die dies lesen. :-) Thanks to all usenet-helpers and regards.
