Most of us know what a computer looks like. It usually has a keyboard, monitor, CPU
(Central Processing Unit), printer, and a mouse. These types of computers, like the Mac or
PC, are primarily designed to communicate (or "interface") with humans. Database
management, financial analysis, or even word-processing are all accomplished inside the
"big box" that contains the CPU, memory, hard drive, etc. The actual "computing", however,
takes place within the CPU.
If you think about it, the whole purpose of a monitor, keyboard, mouse, & even the printer is
to "connect" the CPU to the outside world.
But did you know that there are computers all around us, running programs & quietly doing
calculations, not interacting with humans at all? These computers are in your car, on the
Space Shuttle and in all modern instruments.
We call these devices "microcontrollers". Micro because they're small and controller because
they "control" machines, gadgets, whatever. Microcontrollers by definition then are designed
to connect to machines, rather than people. They're cool because, you can build a machine
or instrument, write programs to control it and then let it work for you automatically. There are
an infinite number of applications for microcontrollers. Your imagination is the only limiting
factor! Hundreds (if not thousands) of different variations of microcontrollers are available.
Some are programmed once & produced for specific applications, such as controlling your
printer. Others are "re-programmable", which means they can be used over and over for
different applications.
Microcontrollers are incredibly versatile - the same device may control a printer, a counter, or
even your dosemeter.
So lets start and lets have a look what’s it all about.