MicroController Comparison ???

give you an into into this.

Don...

Terry, I'd like to suggest something we are about to come out with. We will shortly be offering a 1.0x1.3" board with a 24-pin dual inline header, somewhat similar to the stamps. However, we are targeting $29 for a 60 MHz, 16/32bit ARM7 processor, with a fair compliment of RAM and FLASH. We think this board will come out on top of any comparison chart, for size, weight, processing power, and bang for the buck, etc. Plus learning on an ARM will be a very good choice for the future of the user, with access to many languages and development enviroments, and an upgrade path for ARMs all the way to some of the most powerful cores running.

This list seems fairly complete and up to date:

Note that in keeping with rules of disclosure, my MAVRIC boards are mentioned there, but certainly not exclusively. There are lots of fine products in the above survey.

-Brian

Hi

Is that the TiniARM for $69?

Cheers

Dale

No, the $29 board is not the current TiniARM, but it is almost the same thing, with just an amazingly low cost version of the same chip. Not as much memory, but same core processor.

Randy,

I use boards based on 8051-core processors now. Why use something modern when you can do the same job with 25-year-old technology in twice the time with twice the power consumption, right? ;^)

Seriously, though, I am starting to look at faster processors with more I/O. You have experience with many processors, and I was hoping you could make a recommendation based on the following requirements:

• Digital I/O - General purpose - PWM output (at least two channels) - Timers/Counters - Quadrature decoding (at least two channels) - External interrupts (at least two)

• Analog I/O (at least eight channels)

• Interprocessor communication support (i.e. networkable)

• Serial program download (in circuit)

• C development environment (Linux, preferably)

Since I plan to use a network of processors, each dedicated to a set of sensors or effectors, something less than $100 each would be preferable. With all the *POD, AVR, ARM, HC12, and other products out now, I really do not know what would be a good upgrade path from 8051s. And I welcome suggestions from anyone (not just Randy), of course.

Thanks,

Jeff.

Randy,

Sounds cool. Is there more information on your site? I didn't see anything in the $29 range?

Ken

Randy M. Dumse wrote:

Well, there's lots to be said for getting the job done, and if you can do it with what you know, there is a huge time saving on the learning curve. But sooner or later, you get so far behind on the technology curve, you start being out moded and out dated. Then it's time to modernize once more.

That's almost an exclusive list. While many processors have two PWM's, very few have Quadrature Decoding channels.

Okay, I asked around with the staff too. The only processor we know of with Quadrature is the DSP56F80x series processors. That's not saying there might not be a TI, AD or PIC DSP chip that also have some, but we don't know of any.

So for hardware quadrature, that means DSP56F80x.

No GCC here. For C development that means Code Warrior (which with all the amature nonsense we are routing out of their compiler and libraries, I just cannot speak kindly about) or our Small C version. Pete Gray is working on StatiC, which is a cut between C and IsoMax(TM).

The serial download to the DSP56F80x doesn't fit very well either. The usual load method is via JTAG. We all use Winduz, except for Pete who is Linux conversant, and the loading we do is by FLSH.

Networking of the DSP56F80x is by CAN, which is very sweet, and robust enough for automotive environments.

If you give up the Quadrature, then the ARMs fit your list very well, and picks up every other point I believe.

Most of the ARM's have and I2C and some both CAN and I2C. Development for ARM's exist in plenty. GCC for ARM is mature.

The European answer to this question is very loudly resounding: The ARM is the new 8051. (This is a bit odd, given the ARM has 6502 roots. But, you hear it often repeated.)

Now that we can buy a 32-bit 60-MHz ARM single chip for just over $3, with 32K Flash 8K RAM on the low end, you have to assume the 8051 core is past its prime. Then on the top end, you can easily find ARM variants running 200MHz up. With host USB ports, etc.

Even Motorola has gone head long for ARM now with their MX1, with built in CMOS camera interfaces, and Bluetooth accelerator interfaces.

Then further on the leading edge, 400MHz, 750MHz, and now even 1 GHz ARM's are being made.

Seems to me, if you want to learn one core processor for a long life duration, and applicability from lowend products up to high end super systems, the ARM would be that candidate.

Hi Randy.

Randy M. Dumse wrote: [additional input snipped]

The quadrature decoding is no problem on a fast processor, so I could drop that requirement. GCC is a big plus for me, since I already use it for the native Linux parts of the system.

Thanks for the excellent input.

Jeff.

Hi Ken, we will be announcing this board in a few days, it will be our April special. (And no, this is real, not an April-fools joke, no matter how too-good-to-be true this sounds!)

This new board will be very much like our TiniARM(TM) already up on our web site, but will have a slightly different processor, the LPC2131. The LPC2131 has 32K Flash and 8K RAM. Also two 32-bit timers, PWM, and 2 serials which can be UARTS, I2C or SPI (not all can be used at the same time though). We even brought out (upto) eight channels of 10-bit A/D.

You can read Philips info on the family here:

and look at their data sheets if you are interested.

Then we will also have a slightly more expensive version based on the LPC2138 (but identical PCB), which will have all this plus 512K of Flash and 32K of RAM. The current TiniARM(TM) is similar, but has the LCP2106 with 128K Flash and 64K RAM. So largest Flash will be new LPC2138 and largest RAM will still be with our LCP2106 version.

-- Randy M. Dumse

Caution: Objects in mirror are more confused than they appear.

[snip]

Randy,

Sounds like a great way for me to get my feet wet, ARM wise. Will there be a development kit (4x4" prototype board, etc.) based on the new board available also?

Jeff.

Hi Jeff, yes we'll package it with one of the existing prototype boards. We'll probably also have a Plug-a-ARM version as well.But we'll see how the reception of this one is first I'm sure.

Randy,

I was really impressed reading this thread and decided to compare (for purpose of possible use) your board with OOPIC (that I utilize now). After reading manuals from your web site I would like to get your agreement or disagreement with the following statements:

-1. OOPIC uses high level language that allows writing code that manipulates objects (motors, sensors). Newmicros's ARM board (later just ARM) does not have any library that would help user start not from scratch - robotics API is not included.

-2. OOPIC is better choice for beginner as programming with objects is easier.

+3. ARM CPU and software much faster that OOPIC, which just interprets code. +4. ARM has much more memory for writing sophisticated algorithms to control motors&sensors.

-5. ARM is more expensive. One can buy OOPIC for ~$70.

-6. I am kind of confused about jumper J11 that has to be set in order to load program into ARM. Does it mean that after loading a program user has to remove J11, reset ARM to run user's code? One can load code and control OOPIC via rs232 without playing with jumpers.

-7. ARM has fewer number of free I/O lines than OOPIC.

1. ARM uses Eclipse IDE for code development that is nice feature, I did not give it plus though.

Thank you. Ek

My Arrow technical guy, Peter Goad, got back to me with this link

Some of the new PIC DSP's have a quadrature channel.So there are starting to be a few other options with Quadrature built in.