Things about microcontrollers for beginners

1: What is a single-chip microcomputer? A single-chip microcomputer can be regarded as a microcomputer. It has a CPU, memory, hard disk and interface.

2: Why do microcontrollers have memory and hard disk interfaces? This is conceptually divided. The memory of a microcontroller is commonly known as RAM, which is used to store temporary data and will disappear when the power is off. The hard disk is ROM, which is used to store programs. However, the hard disks of most microcontrollers are equivalent to "read-only", which means that after the program is burned, it cannot be changed while the program is running. The interface can actually be regarded as the IO port of the microcontroller. The microcontroller does not have the USB, PS/2, and HDMI interfaces that everyone sees now. The interfaces that microcontrollers have are generally relatively simple interfaces such as serial ports, I2C, SPI, ADC, etc.

3: What are the types of single-chip microcomputers? In terms of types, the main types of single-chip microcomputers are 51 single-chip microcomputers (the ancestor of all single-chip microcomputers) and AVR single-chip microcomputers.

PIC microcontroller ARM (strongly counted here)

4: Where to start learning MCU: I strongly recommend starting with 51. Countless experts have already talked about this issue. It is simple and easy to learn. Lay the foundation. Learning so many registers of ARM at once is really a disaster.

5: What are the models of 51 microcontrollers? Generally, the most commonly learned 51 is the classic AT89C52. Many are similar to it, but the most commonly used one is the STC microcontroller. Its pins are fully compatible with the AT89C52, and it has the characteristics of fast speed, strong functions, strong practicality and low price. If you want to learn, you can directly learn the STC12C5A60S2, which is very representative. There are other microcontrollers such as Philips' P87x52 LPC900 series C8051 series and Cypress's CY7C68013 series of microcontrollers with USB

6: Are there any textbooks or good books for learning microcontrollers? - Answer: Yes

7: What is a good book? The 51 introductory book I personally recommend is the 51 single-chip microcomputer (c voice version). It is an absolute good book of 51. Guo Tianxiang's New Concept 51 can be regarded as the second book. It is not recommended. Good books combined with videos are the best. There are two good textbooks. One is Guo Tianxiang's Ten Days to Learn 51 Single-chip Microcomputer and the other is his schoolmate Yu Zhennan. Zhennan takes you from the order of learning single-chip microcomputers. Zhennan's video in Tianxiang Zhennan is very clear. One word is good.

8: What should I prepare to learn MCU? This question is very important. I can only say that if you don't buy a development board, you will definitely not learn well. Where to buy it? This is a good question. I suggest you buy it on Taobao. Just choose one that costs more than 100 yuan. Expensive ones are not necessarily good.

9: Should I start learning 51 from C or assembly? This is indeed an extremely tangled question. Many people have been entangled in this matter. I will only talk about it based on my own experience. 100% start with C. C code is logical, fast development speed, structured programming is easy to maintain, many assembly languages ​​are difficult to understand, writing a large program is a pain, beginners should start with C

10: How long does it take to learn C? I think it is normal to learn C in one to two months if you study hard.

11: What are the knowledge points about 51 single-chip microcomputers: 51 has very few resources from its own chip manufacturers. For example, AT89C52 has IO port operation, timer/counter, serial port, external interrupt, and watchdog.  In fact, the charm of single-chip microcomputers lies in their expansion capabilities. The real fun of single-chip microcomputers is to combine with peripheral devices to create powerful functions.

12: What can a single-chip computer do: The most basic first program can make the LED flash as you wish, can control the LCD to display, can make a perpetual calendar, make an alarm clock, make an MP3, make a radio, make a calculator, make a thermometer, make a hygrometer, make a telephone exchange, make a small HTTP server. Of course, you can use a single-chip computer to realize all the above functions.

13: What else do you need to learn after learning these: If you know all the above, I can tell you that you have basically mastered the microcontroller. You can learn ARM instead of AVR. ARM is now cheap and good. You can start from M0.

14: I have written so much, please give me some applause for your support...