MICROPROCESSOR
AN OVERVIEW OF MICROPROCESSOR, MICRO COMPUTER & MICRO CONTROLLER
A. Microprocessor
It is basically entire Central Processing Unit (CPU)
fabricated on a single chip.
Silicon chip which includes ALU, register circuits & control
circuits.
Consists of a set of registers to store temporary data.
Consists of an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), where all
arithmetic and logical computations are carried out.
Consists of some mechanism to interface external devices
(memory and I/O) through buses.
Consists of a control unit that synchronizes the operation.
B. Microcomputer
A computer with a microprocessor as its CPU.
Includes memory, Input/ Output Devices etc.
Too complex and expensive for very small and low-cost
embedded systems.
C. Microcontroller
Silicon chip which includes microprocessor, memory & I/O
in a single package.
It is basically a computer on a single chip
Very inexpensive, small, low power
1
, DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MICROPROCESSORS & MICROCONTROLLERS
Sl No Microprocessor Microcontroller
Microprocessor acts as the heart of Microcontroller acts as the heart of the
1. computer system. embedded system.
2. It is a general-purpose computer CPU. It is a micro-computer itself.
It is a processor in which memory and It is a controlling device in which memory
3. I/O output component is connected and I/O output component are present
externally. internally.
Requires additional circuitry to perform Can function as a microcomputer without
4. its operation. any additional components
5. Expensive Less expensive
6. High processing power Low processing power
7. High power consumption Low power consumption
8. Higher accessing time required Low accessing time
9. Very few pins are programmable Most of the pins are programmable
Widely used in washing machines, air
Widely used in modern PC & laptops
10. conditioners etc.
Eg: 8085, 8086, INTEL Pentium series INTEL 8051, PIC16F877
11.
2
AN OVERVIEW OF MICROPROCESSOR, MICRO COMPUTER & MICRO CONTROLLER
A. Microprocessor
It is basically entire Central Processing Unit (CPU)
fabricated on a single chip.
Silicon chip which includes ALU, register circuits & control
circuits.
Consists of a set of registers to store temporary data.
Consists of an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), where all
arithmetic and logical computations are carried out.
Consists of some mechanism to interface external devices
(memory and I/O) through buses.
Consists of a control unit that synchronizes the operation.
B. Microcomputer
A computer with a microprocessor as its CPU.
Includes memory, Input/ Output Devices etc.
Too complex and expensive for very small and low-cost
embedded systems.
C. Microcontroller
Silicon chip which includes microprocessor, memory & I/O
in a single package.
It is basically a computer on a single chip
Very inexpensive, small, low power
1
, DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MICROPROCESSORS & MICROCONTROLLERS
Sl No Microprocessor Microcontroller
Microprocessor acts as the heart of Microcontroller acts as the heart of the
1. computer system. embedded system.
2. It is a general-purpose computer CPU. It is a micro-computer itself.
It is a processor in which memory and It is a controlling device in which memory
3. I/O output component is connected and I/O output component are present
externally. internally.
Requires additional circuitry to perform Can function as a microcomputer without
4. its operation. any additional components
5. Expensive Less expensive
6. High processing power Low processing power
7. High power consumption Low power consumption
8. Higher accessing time required Low accessing time
9. Very few pins are programmable Most of the pins are programmable
Widely used in washing machines, air
Widely used in modern PC & laptops
10. conditioners etc.
Eg: 8085, 8086, INTEL Pentium series INTEL 8051, PIC16F877
11.
2
