28123 Parallax Inc, 28123 Datasheet - Page 11

• Manufacturer Part Number: 28123
• Description: TEXT WHAT'S A MICROCONTROLLER
• Manufacturer: Parallax Inc
• Type: Programmingr

Specifications of 28123

• Style: Book
• Title: What's a Microcontroller?
• Contents: Whats a Microcontroller? Text
• Product: Microcontroller Accessories
• Core Processor: PIC16C57c
• Flash: 128 Bytes
• Operating Supply Voltage: 9 V
• Board Size: 31 mm x 16 mm
• Lead Free Status / RoHS Status: Not applicable / Not applicable

Chapter #1: Getting Started
HOW MANY MICROCONTROLLERS DID YOU USE TODAY?
A microcontroller is a kind of miniature computer that you can find in all kinds of
gizmos. Some examples of common, every-day products that have microcontrollers
built-in are shown in Figure 1-1. If it has buttons and a digital display, chances are it also
has a programmable microcontroller brain.
Try making a list and counting how many devices with microcontrollers you use in a
typical day. Here are some examples: if your clock radio goes off, and you hit the snooze
button a few times in the morning, the first thing you do in your day is interact with a
microcontroller. Heating up some food in the microwave oven and making a call on a
cell phone also involve operating microcontrollers. That’s just the beginning. Here are a
few more examples: turning on the television with a handheld remote, playing a handheld
game, using a calculator, and checking your digital wristwatch. All those devices have
microcontrollers inside them that interact with you.
THE BASIC STAMP 2 - YOUR NEW MICROCONTROLLER
Parallax, Inc.’s BASIC Stamp
onto it. It’s the black chip with lettering on it that reads “PIC16C57”. The rest of the
components on the BASIC Stamp module are also found in consumer appliances you use
every day. All together, they are correctly called an embedded computer system. This
name is almost always shortened to just “embedded system”. Frequently, such modules
are commonly just called “microcontrollers.”
The activities in this text will guide you through building circuits similar to the ones
found in consumer appliances and high-tech gizmos. You will also write computer
programs that the BASIC Stamp module will run. These programs will make the BASIC
Stamp module monitor and control these circuits so that they perform useful functions.
®
2 module shown in Figure 1-2 has a microcontroller built
Figure 1-1
Every-Day Examples of
Devices that Contain
Microcontrollers