In this chapter we describe the fundamental material needed to understand the basic characteristics of microcontrollers. It includes topics such as typical microcontroller architectures, timing signals. An overview of pipelining and RISC vs. CISC, PIC18F functional block diagram is included. Finally, an introduction to programming languages is also covered.
7.1 Basic Blocks of a Microcontroller
In order to understand the functions performed by typical modules contained in a microcontroller, it is necessary to cover the basic blocks of a microcomputer.
A microcomputer has three basic blocks: a microprocessor (CPU on a chip), a memory unit, and an input/output (I/O) unit. Figure 7.1 shows the basic blocks of a microcomputer. A system bus (comprised of several wires) connects these blocks. The CPU executes all the instructions and performs arithmetic and logic operations on data. The CPU of the microcomputer contains all the registers and the control unit, as well as arithmetic-logic circuits of the microcomputer.
A memory unit stores both data and instructions. The memory section typically contains ROM and RAM chips. The ROM can only be read and is nonvolatile; that is, it retains its contents when the power is turned off. A ROM is typically used to store instructions and data that do not change. For ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month, and much more.
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
Julian F.
Head of Cybersecurity
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.
Addison B.
Field Engineer
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.
Amir M.
Data Platform Tech Lead
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
