"If there's anything that people are overlooking as far as microcontrollers, it's that they are not looking enough outside the box," he said. "How can I use a low-cost peripheral onboard in place of an external analog front end chip? What can I use that's different, rather than some external fancy stepper motor driver?"
Curtis also discussed the differences between the application of 8-, 16-, and 32-bit MCUs, and he looked at the growing trend toward multicore MCUs.
For many applications, 8-bit control is still appropriate, he said. For decades, experts have predicted the demise of the 8-bit controller, but the technology continues to proliferate as new low-end mechatronic applications enter the market.
"The 32-bit (MCU) really looks like a processor out of a PC," he said. "It's designed to move data around and do it efficiently. The 8-bit is (targeted) more at the control side."
Curtis also predicted that multicore technology will begin trickling into mechatronic systems for automotive, aerospace, and factory automation applications. The trend will hit first in applications that already use a combination of 8- and 16-bit devices, along with a 32-bit MCU for management. Once an application reaches that point, he said, the next logical step would be to move to microcontrollers with multiple cores.
"We went to multicore PCs because we hit a brick wall in terms of processing power," Curtis explained. "As the complexity in mechatronics starts growing, we're going to have to do the same thing."
Listen to DN Radio's Internet Broadcast of "Microcontrollers for Mechatronics" here.
Agreed. As always, Chuck was a great host. I'll repeat the link at the end of the story. For readers who want to listen to the show, it's permanently available as an archive, go here to listen.
Many thanks to Keith Curtis of Microchip, who was great guest. With his backgorund in CNC machines, RF applications, and even gaming, Keith was able to provide a practical perspective to our radio show.
I fully agree with the thrust of the article. I am always impressed with the capabilities available on-chip with the new MCU's. These devices also make it quicker and easier to implement a design. One of the real skills that are often overlooked is the ability to match the device to the application. Not only is it important to utilize the capabilities given the designer by the vendor, but it is important to match the MCU to the application. I have seen these situations where a particular MCU was used when something less fancy (and expensive) would have sufficed.
I have had the chance to see several MCU's used fully and appropriately. The only issue i have noticed is life expectancy. I work in aviation where operating temperature has large swings from cold to hot. the life of an IC is truly tested in these conditions. It is probably the reason why MCU's have had such slow integration in automotive and aviation. Not claiming i have done any research on this. This is just my opinion.
That's an important observation, Ervin. In most of our discussions about MCUs, we talk about the hardware in terms of clock speed, # of bits, (and now number of cores), etc. On the software side, we talk about the application, whether it's real time, how do you write it (in C or with the new graphical drag-and-drop software tools). But rarely do we discuss thermals and environmental factors. These, as you write, are hugely important when it comes to aerospace apps. The same thing applies (perhaps to a slightly lesser degree) in automotive. Also any embedded app in a harsh environment (out in the field) will need to be robust enough to handle temp and humidity swings, may require encapsulation etc. So this is all very relevant stuff.
It is always possible to come up with a design less satisfactory and more expensive than the one that you chose. The assertion that an A/D converter is needed when reading speed is about the weakest that I have heard. Just read pulse period time and calculate speed. A count and a divide a constant. Of course using some simpler sensing mode that goes right to an input and does not need any conditioning would often be the best choice, if it would do the job adequately. But to read speed with a capacitive touch input you wil still need to have something that varies capacitance at the required resolution, and assure that that something runs true enough to not produce a cyclical error in the reading due to being off-center. In addition the relative effect of electrical noise in the area must be accounted for.
For some products, continued availability of a particular controller can be a serious issue, while for the product intended to be obsolete and out of production in six months continuing availability is much less of a concern.
But in all cases there is a great deal of merit in considering the various means of achieving the required sensing function. Tradition is not always the best guide. In addition, clearly understanding the performance requyirements is also vital.
I fully agree with William. In all cases there is a great deal of merit in considering the various means of achieving the required sensing function. Tradition is not always the best guide. In addition, clearly understanding the performance requirements is also vital.We got to get the NEED statement spot on.
Also the biggest issue to the life of a MCU that i did not mention is failure mode. It is difficult to predict how an MCU will fail. The worst part is that an MCU can continue to switch and mimic operation even in a failure mode by passing wrong data, or having a pwm continuously operate damaging other devices or falsifying information. So while MCU's give a simple solution to everyday life, in flight critical, life critical, or main safety systems they are a high risk device to use. There is some background noise in the market for a market ready MCU that is capable of checking if each internal component is working. The check circuit is built in. and supposedly this MCU has only one Failure mode. Inoperable pins and peripherals are off. No power out, high impedance setting. I have not looked into this as of now, however the moment i hear something other than rumors i will have a starter kit.
Texas Instruments has a new family of Hercules "safety critical" MCUs that use ARM Cortex cores. Each processor includes two ARM processors that operate in locksetp, cycle by cycle. Built-in self-test (BIST) operations demand no software, so you don't use code space for this capability. Memories and buses include parity for error detection and communications provide cyclic-redundancy checks. TI has several inexpensive development kits and small evaluation modules for each of the three device families. For more information, go to:http://www.ti.com/lsds/ti/microcontroller/arm-safety_hercules/tms570ls_rf4/getting_started.page. TI aims these provessors at industrial, medical, transportation, and similar products. --Jon
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
2 
