Microcontrollers

Microcontrollers (MCU) are the brain of an embedded system. They are computer scaled down to a single compact chip for managing a specific operation, and they are highly integrated single chips with a processor core, memory, I/O Peripherals, timer/counter, and communication ports contained within. They include a range of products offering digital processing under software control. The most important criteria in selecting a MCU for a particular application is the data bus width expressed in bits. MCUs are available in various data widths ranging from 4 to 64 bits. It is used in variety of general and special applications, including domestic appliances, handheld devices, servers, automotive, network infrastructure, image processing, and communication. MCUs can support RTOS (Real Time Operating System), but typically not a full blown O/S.