Microcontroller Applications
We have now looked at some of the main ideas to be used in explaining microcontroller operation: hardware, software, how they interact and how the function of complex systems can be represented using block diagrams and flowcharts.
The microcontroller provides, in a simplified form, all the main elements of the microprocessor system on a single chip. As a result, less complex applications can be designed and built quickly and cheaply. A working system can consist of a microcontroller chip and just a few external components for feeding data and signals in and out. They tend to be used for control operations requiring limited amounts of memory but operating at high speed, with external hardware attached only as required by a specific application.
As an example of a typical microcontroller system, a digital camera, is shown in Figure 1.8(a), with the microcontroller clearly visible as the large black chip on the main board. A block diagram is a useful way of identifying the main components and the connections between them Figure 1.8(b). This is called a mechatronic application, because it has a lot of mechanical components as well as electronics.