JOIN USElectronics is the fastest growing stream of science in this modern era of engineering. In fact, many scientists and manufactures have emphasised their energy on reducing the size and the cost of components used in electronics, making all the devices much sleeker and cost-effective than ever before. The invention of microprocessors paved way for a more complex computing in a single chip. In today’s world, the knowledge of microprocessors is absolutely pivotal, irrespective of the field one belongs to.
Electronics has seen a complete transformation in the past decade with the introduction of software that is necessary for the function of devices, which was unheard of earlier, as the earlier systems used electronic design as the only medium for a work device.
All processors and associated components work on the basis of binary code (0’s and 1’s) or machine level language, which was hardwired in the device. This language was not only difficult to learn and implement, but also highly tedious. Software however, can be understood by a programmer and the commands could also be subsequently converted into terms that a processor can understand.
With the introduction of a software-enabled computing system, it was possible to
design a generic device in terms of hardware and mend the software according to the need. Although this was a boon to the industry, it came with a wrong notion that a complete working device or a system can only be designed by manufacturers and not by students or other professionals.
Intel’s 8051 microprocessor is one of the oldest platforms used for projects even today. The programming language used here operated on the machine level and was difficult to understand and implement. The size provided for programming was also very low, though the programming language used for this is taught by almost all universities. But engineering students are apprehensive to use this as it is complex and a time-consuming process, when compared to other languages. This effort by Intel inspired many other manufacturers to devise microprocessors for generic purposes, thus making the programming language much more simpler.
Over the years, many electronic platforms have been introduced. However, the
major players in the microprocessors and motherboards for electronic projects specially for beginners are PIC, Raspberry PI and Arduino.
Widely used
PIC microcontrollers made by Microchip Technology are used widely by both students and device manufactures. Invented in 1976 with a one-time programmable memory, these microprocessors were relatively easy to program and implement. The later versions of this processors came with a flexibility of using any programming language such as C or C++, which are the most common programming languages and later with the help of a programmer, can be implemented on to the system.
With PIC, all one had to do was to buy it and a programmer could write a code in any programming language and upload it on the chip. Once done, a separate motherboard had to be built according to the need and get the system up and running. Building a separate functioning board is one of the major drawbacks of using this platform. But once done, this system is accustomed to your project and one will have a vast knowledge of how an electronic system works.
The Raspberry Pi is a low-cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable device that enables people of all ages to explore computing and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you would expect from a desktop computer — from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word processing and playing games.
What more, the Raspberry Pi also has the ability to interact with the outside world, and has been used in a wide array of digital maker projects, from music machines and parent
detectors to weather stations and tweeting birdhouses with infrared cameras. Owned by the Raspberry PI foundation in UK, this project was started to initiate interest among
students to learn computing languages. The Raspberry PI platform comes with a user guide and online help for programming and is mostly used by beginners across the globe.
Flexible system
Arduino is by far the most easiest and user-friendly platforms I have come across. Arduino has its own programming language which is very easy to learn and is based on C programming, but it does not restrict you to using that alone and gives you the flexibility of using any language of your choice. Arduino also comes with a lot of advantages over other platforms — inexpensive, cross-platform (runs on any operating system including the MAC OSX), simple and clear programming environment. Arduino is easy to use for
beginners, yet flexible enough for advanced users to take advantage of as well.
Arduino comes in different models such as the Uno with the Mega 2560 being the most widely used. It also comes with built-in libraries such as robotics, GPS, LCD controller.
Hence, writing a code for the functioning of such components is almost reduced to zero, making it ideal for beginners. It supports almost all extention components such as speakers, sensors, output devices, GPS, GSM, based on Atmel’s ATMEGA8 and ATMEGA168 microcontrollers. It is built for agility and flexibility, not to mention the great amount of assistance one will receive online in the Arduino website. Undoubtedly, Arduino is one of the best electronic platforms for beginners.
Although Raspberry PI and Arduino look similar, Raspberry PI functions as a fully
functional computer and can do almost anything a PC can do, but Arduino is mainly built for communication between sensors and other components.
Choose any of the above platforms based on the type and need of electronics for your project. For example, if it is a mechanical-based project and there is a minor need for
electronics, then Arduino or Raspberry PI can be used. If it is a pure electronics project, the knowledge of using a PIC would help.
Although there are many other platforms available for use, the above mentioned ones are readily available in the country and are appropriate for beginners.