Embedded systems are not just complex projects in electronic laboratories--they are present in everyday devices. Every mobile device, galvanic toy or kitchen appliance has some electronic board which commonly includes a programmable device--microcontroller. This is a extra microprocessor with peripheral devices and I/O ports. Depending on the volume of the device the constructor can decree whether to manufacture an Asic--a dedicated integrated circuit which performs all functions for this device or to make a standard board with discrete components. In both cases some microcontroller is used, whether as a soft core in Asic or a standard integrated circuit.
There is a plethora of choices from open-source projects to discrete Ip cores with primary royalties for each device. Despite this choice there are few microcontroller families that are favorite because of their flexibility, remarkable amelioration tools or because of historical reasons.
"led Controllers"
Arm
This is currently the hottest Risc core used in approximately all mobile phones, transported devices and many other applications. It has remarkable study set, low consumption, offers easy integration and there are many good amelioration tools for easy amelioration and debugging. The Arm core is also used in many favorite microcontroller families from Atmel, Luminary Micro (now Texas Instruments), Nxp and many other manufacturers. These microcontrollers are very favorite among embedded engineers and are used in discrete applications from automotive business to hobby projects.
Avr
This is one of the most favorite microcontroller families from Atmel. It is also very favorite among hobby engineers and it is used in many projects from simple Led controllers to complex communication devices. The Risc architecture offers fast execution and low power consumption. amelioration tools are ready for free which is a great bonus for electronics enthusiasts. Avr is a direct competitor to Microchip's Pic. Some favor Avr, others like Avr. There is no clear winner. Both families work well. It is up to the developer/programmer what he like or prefers.
Pic
This is a prominent microcontroller house from Microchip. Pics are ready in very small packages with only few pins and also as remarkable 32-bit microcontrollers with many peripheral modules and I/O pins. They are very favorite among hobby engineers--in hobby projects you will find whether Avr or Pic.
8051
This is a very old 8-bit microcontroller architecture that has managed to survive for more than 30 years. Many exquisite compilers, a lot of code examples and simple amelioration has contributed to the popularity of this family. This core is still used in many contemporary microcontrollers from Silabs, Nxp, Atmel and many other microcontroller manufacturers. It is very likely that the 8051 is the most widely used core in embedded applications. Of course, many new designs will probably use Arm or some other industrialized architecture, but because of popularity of the 8051 house in the past and availability of amelioration tools it is still used in many applications.
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