What is a Micro Controller

What is a Micro Controller? It's the sort of question that an inquisitive child might ask, that could leave you wondering yourself. Well, you probably know it's something to do with small computer, but may not be sure what exactly.

Micro Controllers are an important part of our everyday lives. If you look around you now, you will be able to see a number of recognizable computers – including the one your reading this on. Even if you don't know much about them, you are probably aware that they have CPUs, memory and input and output devices. The CPU is what does all the work, it's the 'brains' of the machine, and an important thing to consider when buying a computer. Likewise, a computer is no good without memory, where programs and data are stored. Finally, computers are just boxes without keyboards, mice and screens to put data in and read the results from.

However, almost everything electrical these days, have computers within them – toasters, kettles, coffeemakers, you name it. So where are the keyboards and LCD screens? Of course the computers they have are more specialized than we are used to. They are called micro controllers and can be very small indeed, the size of a single silicon chip. But these micro controllers have all the components of a normal computer. They have a programmable CPU, although slower than a desktop, and with fewer instructions. The memory they hold is also much smaller as well, measured in kilobytes rather than gigabytes. The inputs are from sensors of different types. These can be measuring temperature, pressure, joystick position, door closure switches or even sonic range finders measuring the distance to a wall. There are electronic devices that can sense or measure anything you can imagine, all of which can be used with micro controllers. The outputs can be more switches, motor drivers, LCD screens or flashing LEDs.

Once you start thinking about using these types of sensors and controlling things with them, your, or your child's imagination will be the limit.

There are many different types of micro controllers. Designed for different applications, they usually are a balance between speed and cost. There are different manufacturers as well, who tend to take different solutions to how they are to be used and incorporated in to devices.

One of the most common is the Microchip PIC controller. This type can be found in almost every home or office, controlling cookers, fridges, mice, cars - you name it. Even as far back as 2008, Microchip announced they had produced the 6 billionth chip! It was originally designed to be cheap and affective, but new versions are more powerful.

Another type of micro controller is the atmega range of chips. The type 328P is the one used in the popular Arduino Uno hobbyist board. It has a bigger language than the PIC, and uses the Open Source compilers to program with.

Texas Instruments have recent launched a micro controller board MSP430, which is aimed at the hobbyist and professional markets. It uses TI's own family of chips.

Micro Controllers are very small, so you might be wondering how they compare to a typical desktop computer.

The memory size of the micro controller might surprise you, it about 100, 000 times smaller than a desktop. But, you usually don't need any more because the micro controller is used for very specific functions. And at such low cost, you can always use another.

If you want to learn how to use a micro controller, then the best place to start is with the Arduino Uno board. This has been designed for beginners and more experienced alike. Check out the internet for more information.