Which is more capable?  8 bit AVR 40 pin DIP  or   32 bit PIC 24 pin DIP? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2015, 06:35:18 am
content: Which is more capable? 8 bit AVR 40 pin DIP or 32 bit PIC 24 pin DIP?I do not know enough about these chips to answer this question. A Cornell professor used a 8 bit AVR 40 pin DIP in 2012 and now he uses a 32 bit PIC32 DIP with 24 pins.I wonder if more pins make for better use with I/O pins so the 8 bit would be better for I/O work since it has 16 more pins?thanks

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2015, 06:44:12 am
content: Hehe it kindof pains me to say it, because I like avr's, but the pic totally wins.32bit mcus are much faster because they don't have to break up 16 and 32bit operations into may 8bit instructions.(Possible exception being if you only work in bytes but this is unlikely)The DIP package has no bearing on speed. A dip chip runs at the same speed as a TQFP.Having 40 pins is also irrelevant with regard to speed. It only better if you need that many inputs/outputs.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2015, 06:57:04 am
content: Check out this other threadhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/microcontrollers/why-do-you-think-this-professor-went-from-avr-to-pic-in-his-class/?topicseen

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2015, 07:17:14 am
content: Quote from: Psi on August 24, 2015, 06:57:04 amFrom all the answers there, I thought he changed because it "looks" better and that it would be a worse chip for lab work when I started thinking about 24 pins vs 40 pins. I did not know about working in 8 bit chunks as Psi statedthanks

author: JoeN
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2015, 07:37:13 am
content: The PIC32 is going to be a lot better at computational tasks - no AVR runs at 40/50Mhz and the PIC32 is obviously 4x wider than the ACR (the PIC32 is pipelined like the AVR so it should approximate one clock per instruction). That specific AVR, due to the number of outputs, is good if you really need those outputs. Of course, these days most ICs are interfaced with I2C or SPI anyway and that usually keeps your GPIO requirements down. BTW, I don't see any 24 pin DIPs for PIC32s. I only see 28 pin packages.

author: max_torque
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2015, 02:45:15 pm
content: Define "more capable"?If you need 40 pins then clearly 32 isn't going to be as "capable"If you need 32b maths and a 50Mhz clock then 8b at 20Mhz isn't going to be as "capable"The single biggest advantage the AVR has, imo, is the simple and free toolchain. And you can even use Arduino environment too if you really are code adverse!But if you need the processing power and wider feature set of a 32b device, well, that's a different matter..........

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2015, 03:22:54 pm
content: More processing power with less breadboard area used, what's not to like?Microchip's 28 pin DIP package is 0.3" wide , but all the 40 pin DIP chips I've ever used are 0.6" wide, which when inserted in a typical breadboard leaves only one spare contact hole on one side of the chip and two on the other which is a real PITA if you need a pullup resistor or similar on an I/O on the side of the chip that only has one hole free.

author: Godzil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2015, 03:36:35 pm
content: Asking which of the two is more capable is like asking which one from a banana and a carrot is the more capable.Both are something edible, but are not the same thing, not the same properties, not the same use etc..There is no better or worth each have it's own use (ok if the specs are really close you can compare, but even there, a small attiny, event if it's a 8pin device have it's use, and it not "better" or "worse" than an intel core i7, it's just not made for the same use.

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2015, 07:00:59 pm
content: QuoteMy mistake so I have 4 more pinsI corrected the title.This is what I have (used in the Cornell class)http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/51951B.pdfQuoteI did not realize this, I just looked at mine (Microstick II) to confirmMakes me feel a little better.QuoteAgreed, I should have said in a university teaching lab situation. Likehttp://people.ece.cornell.edu/land/courses/ece4760/#labsNow that I learned the physical size is different, I am going to think that size is one factor in using the PIC32. The professor said in his 2012 class that students (I think he has about 80) blow up about 40 chips a semester and it can be difficult to replace a 40 pin chip if they are not careful. A 28 pin smaller chip is much easier to replace. I think this would save a lot of TA time and the school $$.Bingo! The PIC32 is more capable with students in a lab.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2015, 07:12:41 pm
content: I think I misremembered the number of free holes with a 0.6" wide DIP in a breadboard. A 0.3" DIP fits nicely across the centre gap leaving you 4 holes each side. A 0.6" DIP covers up 3 extra holes. Assuming you don't deliberately choose to put it as far as possible off centre, that leaves 2 holes one side and 3 the other. I suspect I was working with a module with a 0.6" DIL footprint where the overhanging PCB blocked another row of holes each side which was indeed a real PITA.