
This gives us the same result as before (825 at 1000 rpm, 166 at 5000 rpm), but
division by 32 can be performed with a simple shift operation instead of a
complex software algorithm. A change like this may mean the difference between
a simple 8-bit microcontroller and a more complex and expensive microproces-
sor. All we did was change from measuring degrees of rotation to measuring
something that is easier to calculate.
Word Width
If you are connecting a processor to a 12-bit ADC, you will probably want a 16-bit
processor instead of an 8-bit processor. While you can perform 16-bit operations
on an 8-bit CPU, it usually requires multiple instructions ...