How to distinguish between 8-bit and 16-bit microcontrollers

1. The mainstream MCU includes CPU, 4KB RAM, 128KB ROM, 2 16-bit timers/counters, 4 8-bit parallel ports, full-duplex serial port, ADC/DAC, SPI, I2C, ISP, and IAP.

2. The system structure is simple, easy to use, and modularized;

3. The single chip microcomputer has high reliability and can work for 10^6~10^7 hours without failure;

4. Powerful processing function and fast speed.

5. Low voltage, low power consumption, easy to produce portable products

6. Strong control function

7. Strong ability to adapt to the environment.

The 4-bit microcontroller has a simple structure and is inexpensive, making it very suitable for controlling a single small electronic product, such as PC input devices (mouse, joystick), battery chargers, remote controls, electronic toys, small appliances, etc.

8-bit MCU is the most abundant and widely used MCU. At present, 8-bit MCU is mainly divided into 51 series and non-51 series MCU. 51 series MCU is called a "famous machine" for its typical structure, numerous logic bit operation functions, and rich instruction system.

The operating speed and data throughput of 16-bit microcontrollers are much better than those of 8-bit microcontrollers. Currently, the most widely used microcontrollers include TI's MSP430 series, Sunplus SPCE061A series, Motorola's 68HC16 series, Intel's MCS-96/196 series, etc.

Compared with 51 MCU, 32-bit MCU has greatly improved its running speed and functions. With the development of technology and the decline of price, it will keep pace with 8-bit MCU. 32-bit MCU is mainly developed by ARM. Therefore, when we mention 32-bit MCU, we generally refer to ARM MCU. Strictly speaking, ARM is not a MCU, but a 32-bit processor core. There are many types of ARM chips used in practice. Common ARM chips include Philips LPC2000 series, Samsung S3C/S3F/S3P series, etc.

The data bus width of an 8-bit microcontroller is 8 bits, and it can usually only process 8-bit data directly; the data bus width of a 16-bit microcontroller is 16 bits, and it can usually directly process 8-bit or 16-bit data.

The most essential difference is the different word lengths of the internal CPU, that is, the maximum number of bits that the CPU can process data is different. There are 8-bit and 16-bit CPUs. You can think of this as the word length of the ALU and registers. Some 32-bit DSP chips have a 16-bit external interface data bus, so it is not possible to judge based on this.

There is a difference in speed, which depends on the word length of the CPU and registers. An 8-bit microcontroller cannot process 16-bit data directly. It must be processed as 8-bit data and completed in several steps. A 16-bit microcontroller can process 16-bit data directly because its ALU, registers, etc. are all 16 bits. It can complete actions that an 8-bit microcontroller needs to complete in multiple steps at one time. Especially for data processing, 16-bit microcontrollers have their advantages. Moreover, most data interfaces of 16-bit microcontrollers are 16 bits.

Simply put, 16-bit is faster than 8-bit. 8-bit microcontrollers have been developed for a long time and are relatively cheap. The most important thing is that they can handle the development tasks in many application scenarios. 16-bit microcontrollers are much more powerful than 8-bit microcontrollers in terms of functions and are only used when needed.

The difference between the two can be best seen when doing calculations. For example, 400+500 requires two 8-bit addition operations and integration for an 8-bit microcontroller (2^8=2568-bit microcontrollers can only process 255 at a time), while a 16-bit microcontroller only needs one operation because 2^16=65536400 and 500 are both much smaller than this number.

Now, single-chip microcomputers are used more and more widely in the updating of household appliances and market development. For example, single-chip microcomputers are used in electronic toys or advanced TV game consoles to realize their control functions; washing machines can use single-chip microcomputers to identify the type and degree of dirtiness of clothes, and automatically select the washing intensity and time; single-chip microcomputer control in refrigerators and freezers can identify the type and freshness of food, and realize automatic selection of refrigeration temperature and time; microwave ovens can also identify the type of food through single-chip microcomputers to automatically determine the heating temperature and heating time, etc. After applying single-chip microcomputer technology, these household appliances have made great progress in both performance and function compared with traditional technology.

Modern medical conditions are becoming more and more developed, and people are paying more and more attention to medical sterilization technology. However, the sterilization equipment of some small hospitals and clinics in remote areas is still very simple and cannot effectively control the quality of disinfection. With the development of single-chip microcomputer technology, its small size, powerful functions, flexible scalability and convenient application are becoming more and more prominent. Therefore, it has been widely used in medical ventilators, analyzers and monitors, ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, bed call systems and other equipment.

In fact, the earliest single-chip microcomputers began to emerge in the industrial field. Today, they are still widely used in the field of industrial control. Single-chip microcomputer technology is used to form a variety of data acquisition systems and intelligent control systems, such as intelligent management of factory assembly lines, intelligent elevators, alarm systems, etc., all of which are secondary control systems formed through single-chip microcomputer technology and computer networking.

Single-chip microcomputers have the characteristics of high integration, small size, strong control functions and expansion flexibility, and fast processing speed and high reliability, so they are widely used in the field of intelligent instruments. To a certain extent, single-chip microcomputers have led to a revolution in traditional measurement and control instrumentation technology. Through single-chip microcomputer technology, instrumentation technology has been digitalized, intelligentized, integrated and multifunctionalized. Compared with traditional electronic circuits or digital circuits, they are more powerful and more comprehensive.