Microcontroller learning notes——Microcontroller learning methods and steps

Step 1: Basic theoretical knowledge learning

Basic theoretical knowledge includes analog circuits, digital circuits and C language knowledge. Analog circuits and digital circuits are abstract subjects, and it takes some effort to learn them well. Before you learn MCU, if you feel that the foundation of analog circuits and digital circuits is not good, don't rush to learn MCU. You should first review the knowledge of analog circuits and digital circuits you have learned to strengthen the foundation for learning MCU. Otherwise, your MCU learning journey will not only be difficult and long, but you may also give up halfway.

The author always believes that a solid foundation of electronic technology is the key to learning MCU well, which directly affects the speed of learning MCU. Some students think that MCU is difficult, and the more they learn, the more complicated it becomes, and finally they can't learn it. Some students seem to understand when reading, but they are a mess when they start to practice. The reason is that the foundation of electronic technology is not well laid, and they are confused by superficial knowledge first.

The single-chip microcomputer belongs to digital circuits. Its concepts, terms, hardware structures and principles are all derived from digital circuits. If you have a solid foundation in digital circuits, you can easily understand the complex hardware structure and principles of single-chip microcomputers, and you can easily take the first step in learning, and your self-confidence will also be established. On the contrary, if the foundation is not good, you can't understand this or that, and the more you learn, the more problems you will have, and the less confidence you will have. If you think single-chip microcomputers are difficult, you should put down the single-chip microcomputer textbooks first, review digital circuits, and understand the theoretical knowledge of triggers, registers, gate circuits, COMS circuits, timing logic and timing diagrams, and base conversion. After understanding this knowledge, look at the structure and principle of single-chip microcomputers, I think you will have a great enlightenment and double your confidence.

Analog circuit is the most basic subject of electronic technology. It lets you know what resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, transistors, field effect transistors, amplifiers, etc. are, as well as their working principles and functions in circuits. This is the basic knowledge that must be mastered in learning electronic technology. Generally, you should learn analog circuits first and then digital circuits. A solid foundation in analog circuits not only makes it easier for you to understand circuits designed by others, but also makes your designed circuits more reliable and improves product quality.

C language knowledge is not difficult. Anyone without any programming foundation can learn it. In my opinion, junior high school students, high school students, technical secondary school students, and college students can all learn it. Of course, people with a good math foundation and good logical thinking will find it relatively easy to learn. The knowledge that needs to be mastered in C language is just 3 conditional judgment statements, 3 loop statements, 3 jump statements, and 1 switch statement. Don't underestimate these 10 statements. The logic formed by their combination is as complex as it can be. When learning, you should learn one statement at a time, and use one statement flexibly. After learning and using all these key statements, I believe your C foundation will be established.

When the foundation is laid, you will feel that MCU is no longer difficult to learn, and you will become more and more motivated. When the MCU executes instructions according to your logical thinking and algorithms and achieves the expected control effect, the sense of achievement will make you full of confidence and devote yourself to the world of MCU day and night. It can be said that a solid foundation of electronic technology and C language can enhance the confidence in learning MCU and master MCU technology quickly.

Step 2: MCU Practice

This is the real process of learning MCU, which is exciting and tiring, helpless and unconvinced, lonely and fulfilling, infuriating and gratifying, with a sense of loss and accomplishment. Only those who have learned it can deeply understand the ups and downs. You must have the determination to study hard in your mind, a complete set of learning and development tools in hardware, and focus on combining theory with practice in software.

1. Determination to study hard

First, clarify the purpose of learning. First, answer two questions carefully: What do I want to learn MCU for? How long does it take to learn it? This is your motivation to learn MCU. Without motivation, I think you won't be able to stick to it for long.

Secondly, correct your learning attitude. The process of learning single-chip microcomputer is boring, lonely and lonely. You should know that there is no shortcut to learning knowledge. Only by taking a step-by-step approach, being down-to-earth and taking one step at a time, can you learn real skills. Thirdly, you should use your brain more and do it more. The study of single-chip microcomputer is very practical and is a technical subject that pays great attention to practical hands-on operation. You will not be able to learn single-chip microcomputer without hands-on practice.

Finally, communicate humbly. In the process of learning MCU, everyone will encounter countless unsolvable problems, and you need to humbly ask for advice from experienced people. Otherwise, blindly burying your head in exploration will lead to many detours and waste a lot of time.

2. Have a complete set of learning and development tools

Learning MCU requires cost. You must have a computer, a MCU development board (if the development board cannot directly download the program code, you will need a programmer), a set of video tutorials, a MCU textbook, and a C language textbook. The computer is used to write and compile programs and download program codes to the MCU; the development board is used to run the MCU program and verify the actual effect; the video tutorial is to teach you how to use the MCU development environment, MCU programming and debugging. For MCU beginners, video tutorials must be watched, otherwise, even if you read the textbooks several times, you still don’t know how to start, especially the MCU textbooks in colleges and universities. After learning, you may still be helpless when facing a real MCU; MCU textbooks and C language textbooks are theoretical learning materials, memos for reference. Don’t use Protur software simulation debugging without using the development board to save costs. This is no different from talking about it on paper.

3. Pay attention to the combination of theory and practice

The theoretical knowledge of single-chip microcomputer C language programming is not profound, and you can understand it just by reading the book without doing it. But it is not that simple when programming in practice. The formation of a program requires not only C language knowledge, but also your personal programming ideas and algorithms. Programming ideas and algorithms determine the quality of a program, which is a big problem in single-chip microcomputer programming. Only when you actually write it can you have a deep understanding. Whether a program can run normally according to your wishes depends on whether your ideas and algorithms are correct and reasonable. If the program is not normal, you need to debug it repeatedly (check and modify ideas and algorithms) until it succeeds. This process is time-consuming, brain-consuming, and mentally exhausting. Those who are not strong-willed often stumble here and give up halfway.

Learning to write programs should be done in the following process, and the effect will be better. When you see the routine title, try to conceive your own programming ideas first, then look at the code in the textbook or video tutorial, study other people's programming ideas, and pay attention to the differences with your own ideas; then copy other people's ideas and write the program yourself, and understand the role of each statement; try to modify the program according to your own ideas for any doubts, compare the program running results, and understand the mystery. If you insist on learning each routine according to this process, you will soon find the feeling of programming, take the essence and remove the dross, and over time you will form your unique programming ideas. Of course, at the beginning, reading other people's program source code is like reading a book of heaven. Just bite the bullet and read it. When you see keywords and statements you don't understand, look up the book and compare. As long as you can stick to it, you will get twice the result with half the effort.

In the process of practice, you should not only learn other people's routines, but also improve and expand on other people's programs to make them more powerful. At the same time, you should also know how to check the reliability of other people's routines by consulting the chip data sheet (DATASHEET) for the chip commands and data read and write timing. If you think the routine is unreliable, modify it and make it your own program. Not only that, you should often find some projects to do to consolidate the knowledge you have learned and accumulate more experience.

Step 3: MCU Hardware Design

When you can easily write your own programs and find problems when reading other people's programs, it means that your MCU programming level is quite good. The next step is to study the hardware. Hardware design includes circuit principle design and PCB board design. Learning to make hardware is more troublesome than learning to make software, with higher costs and longer cycles. However, the ultimate goal of learning MCU is to develop products - combining software and hardware to form a complete control system. Therefore, making hardware is also a must-learn content for learning MCU technology.