CURRENT ISSUE
Contests
Feature Article
|
|
Issue #204 July 2007
Are You Up for 16 Bits?
A look at Microchip's Family of 16 -Bit Microcontrollers
by Jeff Bachiochi
Start | Microchip's
16-Bit Family |Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe | PIC24F
| PIC24H | Need
DSP? | dsPIC30/33
| Standard Features
| Peripheral
Pin Select | DSP | DMA
| Jump-Start
PCBs | SMPS
for $750 | Think,
Enter, Win | Sources
& PDF
STANDARD FEATURES
Over the years, additional features have crept into Microchip’s embedded controllers. Many now contain an on-chip precision oscillator that can eliminate the need for external crystals, resonators, or clock sources. Low-jitter PLLs can boost clocks to full internal speed (lower-speed external sources means reduced EMI). Watchdogs have separate oscillators for independent operation. An on-chip clock monitor can restart the system using the internal oscillator in case of an external-clock failure. Power consumption can be optimized by shutting down peripherals or running at a reduced speed during idle periods. Internal reset and brown-out circuitry adds reliability without external components. Many I/O pins have a high current-drive capability (drives LEDs directly). In addition to individual interrupt vectors for each peripheral, 16-bit microcontrollers also have individual error trap vectors for oscillator failure, illegal access, stack over and underflow, and math errors.
Where would a good microcontroller be without good tools? MPLAB is the “free” integrated development environment (IDE) that has been helping users edit, build, and debug programs for many years (and continues to improve). This contains an assembler/linker/librarian, a visual device initializer, and a simulator. It supports Microchip’s hardware development tools: in-circuit debugger (ICD2), in-circuit emulator (REAL ICE), and production programmer (PM3). MPLAB also makes it easy to hook in your favorite third-party software. And remember, MPLAB is the only tool you’ll need for Microchip’s complete line of microcontrollers.
|
