8 bit microcontroller market
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From: Jim Granville on 3 Sep 2006 17:25 Paul Carpenter wrote: > On Sunday, in article <tEDKg.116$Ue.85(a)nntpserver.swip.net> > ulf(a)a-t-m-e-l.com "Ulf Samuelsson" wrote: > > >>> A good, very current example, is the ZNEO from Zilog. >>> >>> Zilog pitch this as a 16 bit uC, as the base opcode is 16 bits, with some >>>larger opcodes. But it has 16 x 32 bit registers, and can do 64 bit >>>operand maths. Compare that with the CortexM3 (another new core), it has >>>16 x 32 bit registers, and the base opcode is 16 bits, with some 32 bit >>>ones. >> >>Great, this discussion pops up again :-( >>So the AVR with its 16 bit instruction is a 16 bit uP? >>And the PIC12 is a 12 bit controller? >> >>The only interesting thing is the width of the datapath in the instruction >>set. >>I.E: what is the maximum width the majority of the arithmetic instructions >>use. >>This probably puts the ZNEO in the 32 bit class. > > > Along with H8/H8S/H8SX/H8 Tiny. Correct - which is my point, that comparing these 'sectors' is worthless outside a very coarse scan, because companies make political decisions on where to place their stats. In Zilog's case, I can only guess it is to 'give some space' to their ARM9 offerings (which so far are looking flash-less?) -jg
From: Jim Granville on 3 Sep 2006 17:27 Ulf Samuelsson wrote: >> You can reality check this for 2005/2006 by comparing Atmel/Microchips >>annual reports : total shipped (all) AVRs [all cores, mask & ram & smart >>cards] passed 500M a little while ago, whilst (all) PIC's are into their >>3rd billion IIRC. > > > But then again, PICs have been shipping since the late 1970's True, but it's simple maths to subtract the 3B from 2B and so get the run rate for the most recent billion. Was it 18 months ? -jg
From: linnix on 3 Sep 2006 19:40 Ulf Samuelsson wrote: > >> The AVR does not make it into this most... list, yet but it is > >> definitely a another "force" in the 8-bit. > > > > Interesting because I found a news item from just a few years ago that > > claimed the AVR had 30% of the 8 bit market. > > I think you find that it was related to Flash Microcontrollers, not any > microcontroller. > The AVR has pretty high marketshare for flash micros, but I have no clue > about the absolute figures. AVRs have a high share of engineering prototypes, as judged from discussions in these news groups. However, final products may or may not be AVRs, since costs and logistics are more important than architectures.
From: Joerg on 4 Sep 2006 16:58 Hello Yuriy, > >>>> However, there is one thing that I regularly had to consider as a >>>> manager or when designing uC into otherwise analog circuitry for my >>>> clients: Availability of programmers. This is where (so far) the 8051 >>>> has beaten all others hands down. > > What's the difference? CPU core type does not matter as soon as it is > fast enough to handle the task. Programmer who can handle only 8051 core > shall be fired for the incompetence. > That's not how managers in the industry think here in California and those are the folks who make most decisions. It's simple: You have a task at hand and you need someone who can instantly jump on it. Zero learning curve. He or she should preferably be local. Also, it should be an architecture where you can instantly find a local replacement should that consultant not pan out for some reason. I found that the 8051 architecture is very adequate for most jobs. You don't need a fancy 16-bitter for a simple control function. >> However, all but the 8051 series has one common problem: Single >> source. In most industries people try their darndest to avoid >> designing in a single-sourced part. Only if there really, really is no >> other option. > > I feel pity for these people. Not much can be built out of only > resistors, capacitors ans 2n3904s... > A whole lot more than you think. I do this all the time and we have food on the table :-) Thing is, the number of engineers who are able to design something around a bunch of discretes or other jelly-bean parts is rapidly declining. To the point where many fresh graduates are not even able to understand my designs anymore. Suits me but what if us guys retire some day? Beauty is of no importance in an industrial design. Important are only these: a. Fulfills specs, but no more. b. Cost c. Cost d. Cost e. Two or more sources (now try that with any other micro) -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com
From: Frank Bemelman on 4 Sep 2006 17:47
"Joerg" <notthisjoergsch(a)removethispacbell.net> schreef in bericht news:Rr0Lg.5649$tU.2840(a)newssvr21.news.prodigy.com... > Thing is, the number of engineers who are able to design something around > a bunch of discretes or other jelly-bean parts is rapidly declining. To > the point where many fresh graduates are not even able to understand my > designs anymore. Suits me but what if us guys retire some day? Nothing special will happen. Stuff gets better every day. > Beauty is of no importance in an industrial design. Important are only > these: > > a. Fulfills specs, but no more. > b. Cost > c. Cost > d. Cost > e. Two or more sources (now try that with any other micro) Buy and open a dozen of random industrial black boxes and show me where the 8051 is. You'll be *very* lucky if you find one or two. -- Thanks, Frank. (remove 'q' and '.invalid' when replying by email) |