The difference between 8051 microcontroller, ARM, PIC and AVR

microcontroller

The differences between microcontrollers mainly include what is a microcontroller, the difference between AVR, ARM, 8051, and PIC microcontrollers and their applications.

What is a microcontroller?

The microcontroller can be comparable to a small stand-alone computer; It is a very powerful device, which is able to perform a series of pre-programmed tasks and interact with additional devices. Packed into a small integrated circuit (IC) of minimal size and weight on a regular basis, it has become the ideal controller for robots or any machines that require some kind of intelligent automation. One microcontroller can be enough to operate a small mobile robot, an automatic washing machine or a security system. Many microcontrollers have memory to store the program to be executed, and lots of input/output lines that can be used to work jointly with other devices, such as reading sensor status or controlling the actuator.

8051 microcontroller

The 8051 microcontroller is an 8-bit family of microcontrollers developed by Intel in 1981. This is one of the popular families of microcontrollers that are used worldwide. Furthermore, this microcontroller has been referred to as a “System on a Chip” since it has 128 bytes of RAM, 4KB of ROM, 2 timers, 1 serial port, and 4 ports on a single chip. The CPU can also work with 8 bits of data simultaneously because the 8051 is an 8-bit processor. If the data is larger than 8 bits, it must be broken into pieces so that the CPU can easily process. Most manufacturers have 4K mode of ROMs even though the number of ROMs can be exceeded up to 64K.

8051 microcontroller

The 8051 has been used in a large number of devices, mostly because it is easy to integrate into a project or make almost any device. Here are the main focus areas:

Energy management: Efficient metering systems make it easy to control energy use in homes and manufacturing applications. These metering systems are set up by incorporating microcontrollers.

Touch screens: A large number of microcontroller providers are incorporating touch sensing capabilities into their designs. Portable electronics such as cell phones, media players, and game consoles are examples of microcontroller-based touch screens.

Automotive: The 8051 is finding wide interest in providing automotive solutions. They are widely used in hybrid vehicles to handle different types of engines. Moreover, functions such as cruise control and anti-brake system are set up more efficiently with microcontrollers.

Medical devices: Portable medical devices such as blood pressure and glucose monitors use microcontrollers to display data, thus providing higher reliability in providing medical results.

pic microcontroller

The Peripheral Interface Controller (PIC) is a microcontroller developed by a micro-chip, the PIC is fast and easy to implement when we compare other microcontrollers such as 8051. Its ease of programming and simple interaction with other peripherals has become a successful PIC microcontroller.

pic microcontroller



We know that a microcontroller is an integrated chip consisting of RAM, ROM, CPU, TIMER and COUNTERS. A PIC is a microcontroller that also consists of RAM, ROM, CPU, timer, counter, ADC (analog-to-digital converters), and DAC (digital-to-analog converter). PIC Microcontroller also supports protocols such as CAN, SPI, and UART for interaction with additional peripherals. PIC is mostly used to modify Harvard architecture and also supports RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) By the above requirements RISC and Harvard we can simply PIC faster than 8051-based controllers prepared from Von-Newman architecture.

AVR microcontroller

The AVR microcontroller was developed in 1996 by Atmel Corporation. The structural design of the AVR was developed by Alf-Egil Bogen and Vegard Wollan. AVR derives its name from its developers and stands for Alf-Egil Bogen Vegard Wollan RISC microcontroller, also known as Advanced Virtual RISC. The AT90S8515 was the initial microcontroller based on the AVR architecture, although the first microcontroller to reach the commercial market was the AT90S1200 in 1997.

AVR microcontroller

TinyAVR: - Less memory, small size, only suitable for simpler applications

MegaAVR: - These are mainly popular devices that have a good amount of memory (up to 256 KB), more built-in peripherals and are suitable for modest to complex applications.

XmegaAVR: - Commercially used for complex applications that require large program memory and high speed.

ARM processor

The ARM processor is also one of a family of CPUs based on the RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture developed by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM).

ARM microcontroller

ARM makes 32-bit and 64-bit multi-core RISC processors. RISC processors are designed to perform fewer types of computer instructions so that they can operate at a higher speed, executing millions of additional instructions per second (MIPS). By eliminating unnecessary instructions and optimizing paths, RISC processors deliver outstanding performance in a fraction of the power demand for a CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing) procedure.

ARM processors are widely used in consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, multimedia players, and other portable devices, such as wearables. Due to its size being reduced to the instruction set, it requires fewer transistors, allowing for a smaller die size for the integrated circuit (IC). ARM processors, their smaller size reduces difficulty and lower power expenditures make them suitable for increasingly miniature devices.

The main difference between AVR, ARM, 8051 and PIC controllers

 8051

AVR

arm

bus width

8 bit for standard kernel 8/16/32 bit 8/32 bit 32 bit is also mostly available also in 64 bit

Communication protocols

UART, USART, SPI, I2C PIC, UART, USART, LIN, CAN, Ethernet, SPI, I2S UART, USART, SPI, I2C, (Can support special purpose AVR, USB, Ethernet)

UART, USART, LIN, I2C, SPI, CAN, USB, Ethernet, I2S, DSP, SAI (Serial Audio Interface), IrDA

Speed

12 hours / instruction cycle 4 hours / instruction cycle 1 hour / instruction cycle 1 hour / instruction cycle

memory

ROM, SRAM, FLASH SRAM, FLASH Flash, SRAM, EEPROM Flash, SDRAM, EEPROM

he is

CLSC

Some features of RISC

RISC RISC

memory engineering

Harvard architecture, von Neumann architecture, modified architecture, Harvard

Energy consumption

medium low low

families

8051 variants PIC16, PIC17, PIC18, PIC24, PIC32 Tiny, Atmega, Xmega, Special Purpose AVR ARMv4,5,6,7 and series

social communication

very good very good wide

the creator

NXP, Atmel, Silicon Labs, Dallas, Cyprus, Infineon, etc. Microchip Average Atmel Apple, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, TI etc.

Another feature

Famous for its cheap and efficient standard high speed operation

Wide

Popular microcontrollers

AT89C51, P89v51, etc. PIC18fXX8, PIC16f88X, PIC32MXX Atmega8, 16, 32, Arduino Community LPC2148, ARM Cortex-M0 to ARM Cortex-M7, etc.

So, this is all about the difference between AVR, ARM, 8051 and PIC microcontrollers. We hope you have a better understanding of this concept. Moreover, any queries related to this concept or for the implementation of electronics and electrical projects, please provide your valuable suggestions by commenting in the comments section below. Here is a question for you: What are AVR and ARM applications?