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From: ken@rahul.net (Ken Greenberg)
Subject: Re: Looking for a microcontroller
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Date: Mon, 26 Sep 1994 05:52:15 GMT
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In article <362i2c$74u@mark.ucdavis.edu>,
jwcollin@chorizo.engr.ucdavis.edu (Jeff Collins) wrote:
> Hello all.  I hope I don't start a flame war here, but I'm looking for 
> some advice on choosing a microcontroller.  I have read several FAQ's, so 
> kindly don't tell me to do so.

We're really nice people here and we wouldn't do that. However, you
probably should be cross posting this to comp.realtime, where this
kind of discussion takes place all the time. 

> 
> The features I need are 1. a good, free C compiler (pref. port of gcc), 
> 2. reasonably fast (16Mhz or better), 3. AD converters, 4. PWM's, and 5. 
> pulse accumulators (for optical encoders).  
> 
> So far, the only things that come close are the Intel 80196 (which doesn't
> seem to have a free C compiler) and the Motorola 68hc11 (which is 8-bit
> and can only run at <= 4Mhz).  I don't have data books from Hitachi or
> NEC, so I can't evaluate them.  Also, I can't handle a PQFP package (this
> shoots down some Motorola 16 bit thing that looked interesting).  

I suspect this is the 68HC16, the 16-bit version of the 68HC11. Too bad,
I was going to recommend that you take a look at it. You might also
consider the Hitachi H8/500 series (the H8/300 is really an 8-bitter)
and the Mitsubishi M7700 family. Both these parts have many variants
with different sets of peripherals. Both Hitachi and Mitsubishi should
be willing to provide you with data books if you tell them you are 
interested in designing in their parts.

> alternative.  Is there an embedded version of the Power PC?  Also, I heard

Both Motorola and IBM are developing embedded versions of the PowerPC.
Of course, they are 32 bit parts, not 16 bit parts. Sounds like you
have mostly been looking at 16-bit microcontrollers.

> a (possibly bogus) rumor about a new Intel chip, the 80166. 

The 80C166 is a Siemens microcontroller, not an Intel one (unless
Intel also produces it, but I have never seen any evidence that such
is the case).

-Ken
-- 
Ken Greenberg     |     The trouble with running your own
ken@rahul.net     |     company is that all your opinions
Los Gatos, CA     |     ARE those of your company....
