Talk:Microcontroller

message: That image "Microcontroller.jpg" now on the article doesn't seem like a microcontroller to me, as it's a PCB, not a chip.  It might have one on the board, but it doesn't seem like a good illustration of a microcontroller itself.  Can anyone with more knowledge comment or fix? -R. S. Shaw 21:36, 2004 Oct 23 (UTC)
:In the meantime, I suggest the image instead be placed in the Printed circuit board article, where it would fit in just splendidly, as that article only has got an extreme close-up of a PCB side without any components. The "µC.jpg" image, however, shows lots of stuff. :-) --Wernher 01:47, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Not quite the right illustration?

message: Since SX chips have only been available from Parallax for a while now, and are labled with their name, would it not be more appropriate to move the SX chip into a new Parallax category?
Ubicom's other processors would be better left as is, since Parallax has no involvement with them OwenS | T | C | 15:41, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  SX from Ubicom to Parallax? 

message: Do we really need this list?  There is a definite feeling around Wikipedia that lists like this serve no purpose.  At the very least have just list of manufactueres, not their products as well
Graemec2 13:25, 12 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: List of Manufacturers

message: Lots of external links that didn't meet WP:EL guidelines were removed.  Broken links, links to personal websites, excessive advertising, commercial websites, etc.  Calltech 23:09, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Those changes were much needed. Thanks. -R. S. Shaw 04:32, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: External Link Cleanup

message: In contrast to general-purpose CPUs, microcontrollers do not have an address bus or a data bus,
That may be true for some smaller hobby microcontrollers but the majority of microcontrollers used in industry certainly do have address and data buses. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 87.84.74.52 (talk) 12:54, 23 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Microcontrollers have data- and address bus. You just can't get to them externally.. Electron9 (talk) 13:25, 7 March 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  No databus! 

message: *Maybe you can merge embbeded into this article? but it can be a disambiguation problem.
*No this merge is not appropriate. Embedded microprocessors can be finished chips in embedded systems, or processor cores in any of ASICs, ASSPs or MCUs. An MCU is a distinct class of chip that contains an embedded processor core - one of many
*I oppose Electron9 14:14, 25 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Merge with [[embedded microprocessor]] 

message: * Atmel AVR Serial Port Programmer
* Atmel AVR USBasp USB Port Programmer  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gauravsangwan (talk • contribs) 19:16, 30 April 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  External Microcontroller Link Suggestion 

message: * To me, "predicable" as used in the fifth paragraph has nothing to do with "real-time".  
* Real-time indicates a synchronous response to a request for interaction with either human, sensor or interrupt input. By synchronous I mean the requesting process suspends further processing (by that particular process thread) until a response is received. The requesting process, stimulated by the response exits its wait state and resumes processing.  
* The response to a synchronous request is not "predictable" since the requestor may be required to wait a finite (or infinite) period of time. That time lag applies even if the system has carefully crafted a response timing protocol.  A myriad of external factors may still delay or preempt the response entirely.  The process is still considered synchronous even if it includes a response time-out.
* In contrast, an asynchronous interaction would entail a request which is not directly or immediately responded to, but is rather collected explicitly at some future point in time.  The asynchronus collection action may be driven by an interrupt or some other cue from the responder or by periodic polling.  Aynchronicity does not necessarily require the initiator to poll for a response, only that processing continues until the response is received.
* beckejc@gmail.com  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.223.116.200 (talk) 12:32, 13 June 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Jc Beckt - predictable 

message: The 4004 was a chipset, one of the design goals was to be able to change product programming. The 4004 had chips on an external bus for RAM and ROM and I/O.  A microprocessor System not a Microcontroller. 
The Texas Instruments TMS1000 (first single-chip microcomputer ever offered) and Rockwell PPS/4 were introduced 1972.
First member of 8048 was 1976, PIC1650 was 1977, Z8 and TMS9940 were 1979, 
Computer museum notes "calculator on a chip" products since 1970, the LSI of these "controlled" the operation of the calculator using clocks and state machines, and technically meet the minimum requirements of (harvard arch) "micro controllers", but maybe not microprocessor. 
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/4004/index.html
http://www.cpu-museum.com/
http://www.microcomputerhistory.com/f14patterson.htm/   "a 1970 microcontroller"
http://www.datasheets.org.uk/
http://www.datasheetarchive.com/
Microcontroller uses:
Television, Cable Box, Satellite Box, Cable Modem, Router, Printer, Microwave, Surround Sound System, Monitor, Digital Camera, Car (most all of them), Car stereo,
Dishwasher, Dryer, Washing Machine, Cell phone, Fluke Digital Multi-Meter, Calculator, Air Conditioner, Ovens, Bread Machines, Hospital Equipment (IVs, Heart Monitors, Defibs, etc), Answering machines, Traffic Lights, Fax Machines, Copy Machine, Security Systems, Fire Alarms, Sprinkler Systems
Shjacks45 (talk) 00:43, 29 June 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Check out the current version. Looks like the TMS 1000 beat the 8048 to market by a considerable interval. --Wtshymanski (talk) 04:22, 29 June 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: But were fuse-type PROM ever used in a microcontroller? --Wtshymanski (talk) 23:00, 5 March 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't know. If nobody does, it needs to be taken out. There's no citation there. I'll leave it to someone else to do a neat and consistent job of. 188.29.165.189 (talk) 22:08, 23 March 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  History wrong 

message: After reading the article, I would like to point out two things.
1. Either "microcontroller" or "micro-controller" should be used throughout the article. There is no consistency.
2. I moved the history section to the top. I believe history should be there rather than at the end of the article.
ICE77 (talk) 04:44, 10 December 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed, but looking over the internet, there doesn't seem to be any consistency, so it looks to be down to personal preference. 122.164.163.8 (talk) 05:35, 26 June 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Comments 

message: This article has been flipped back and forth a couple of times in recent edits. Are we looking at an issue of English language variants? I would use "a" since I would pronounce UART or "universal" as if it has a leading "y" sound. — jmcgnh(talk) (contribs) 07:28, 28 July 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: I've never seen 'An UART' or 'An universal' or 'An universe' come to that in any text anywhere. I think you're being generous for considering this but that 'an UART' is not a regional variant of grammar, it's just incorrect grammar by a tiny group or individual.ToaneeM (talk) 08:25, 28 July 2017 (UTC)
replies: text:  But , who I would not revert without a discussion, is the one who put it back to "an". Waiting for more enlightenment.... — jmcgnh(talk) (contribs) 09:04, 28 July 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: You could be right. I have raised the issue at Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style#"A UART vs "An UART". --Guy Macon (talk) 22:34, 28 July 2017 (UTC)
replies: text:  This same flip-flop has occurred over at the UART page as well, so I can't suggest that we simply follow on this page what is done there. Over there, the change was made by a 1-edit IP editor. Here, the change was made by a different IP, whose history doesn't show any other activity on these sorts of topics. I'm satisfied to leave both pages using "A" rather than "An". — jmcgnh(talk) (contribs) 01:58, 30 July 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: Based on the limited feedback at MOS, I am going to use "a UART" from now on. If the back and forth flip-flopping becomes a problem I can post an RfC and get a rule added to MOS. --Guy Macon (talk) 13:17, 30 July 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  "a" UART vs "an" UART 

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thread_title:  External links modified (January 2018) 

message: I propose that we either differentiate in the intro that the MOSFET is mostly modern technology or remove it from the top altogether. Best. AXONOV (talk) ⚑ 09:23, 26 May 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  MOSFET 

message: So what happened to microcontrollers between 1980 and 1990?
Personal computing went through several generations and microcontrollers were definitely around but as far as I'm aware they hadn't penetrated the hobbyist scene significantly though I can't cite anything to back this. I also get the impression that microcontrollers just weren't available to smaller manufacturers as it wasn't unusual to find a Z80 or 6802 shoehorned into an embedded application. In microcontrollers there seemed to be an emphasis on mask ROM rather than programmable devices limiting microcontrollers to high volume products. 
Then suddenly the Microchip PICstart and the Microchip forum appear in the early 90s and the PIC spreads through the hobbyist and small scale manufacturing scene.
80.229.249.36 (talk) 19:26, 8 September 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Missing a decade of history?