If someone is new to Internet of things then most probably the question will arise that how should I start ? How I design my project ? What components should I use for my project? And many more questions keep bothering to our minds.
So let's dive into the answers of these questions and find a standard way which can be applied for designing every new project.
Step 1: Make a list of required hardware interface
Now to make a list of required hardware interfaces you need to first understand the requirement of the micro-controller need for its support.These interfaces could be communication one such as USB, SPI, UART, I2C, etc. In addition to communication interfaces these can be digital input and output, PWM's, analog to digital inputs, etc.
After determining the list you can find out the number of pins required by the micro-controller.
Step 2: Examine the software architecture
Software architecture and processing requirements majorly dictate the selection of micro-controller. As per the processing need (heavy or light) you go for 80MHz DSP or 8MHz 8051.
While determining the processing need you have to take care of computation power, algorithms, task running duration.
Step 3: Select the architecture
Now after using the above steps one should be able to develop a understanding that what type of software architecture and hardware interfaces will be needed. One should also find out the bit architecture. Is 8 bits architecture is enough or you need 16 bits architecture? One must consider the future need and features.
Step 4: Identify Memory Needs
In this step Flash and RAM memories comes into picture as micro-controller have these for their processing needs. Now the question which arises that how much these memories will be enough? It is always easier for someone to go for those parts which has lots of these memories(Flash & RAM) than with those have not enough. One should consider all the communication peripherals, software architecture as well as newer versions requirements while identifying memory needs.
Step 5: Start searching for micro-controllers
Now since you have a fine understanding of all your required feature of micro-controller you can start looking for it. So where should you start searching is that you should decide if you are already familiar with some silicon provider and have used their product before. You can go to their site, generally they have search engine and sorting tabs as per features which help in narrow down the list.
You can also search with a micro-controller supplier such as Arrow, Avnet, Future Electronics or similar.
Step 6: Examine Costs and Power Constraints
Now at this point of time your selection and searching process will be resulted in a list of potential candidates for your project. So its time to narrow down the list further by examining power and cost constraints.
While examining the power you must consider the use of your project and the method by which it will be powered, such as if it is powered by mobile or battery then it is necessary that the parts are low powered.
Now while examining cost constraints you required to consider your budget and the processors price.
Step 7: Check part availability
With the list of potential parts in hand, now is a good time to start checking on how available the part is.You don’t want to get stuck with a large order and have to wait three months to be able to fill it. Then there is a question of how new the part is and whether it will be around for the duration of your product life cycle. If your product will be around for 10 years then you need to find a part that the manufacturer guarantees will still be built in 10 years.
Step 8: Select a development kit
One of the best parts of selecting a new micro-controller is finding a development kit to play with and learn the inner working of the controller. Once an engineer has settled their heart on the part they want to use they should research what development kits are available. If a development kit isn’t available then the selected part is most likely not a good choice and they should go back a few steps and find a better part.
Step 9: Investigate compilers and tools
The selection of the development kit nearly solidifies the choice of micro-controller. The last consideration is to examine the compiler and tools that are available. Most micro-controllers have a number of choices for compilers, example code and debugging tools. It is important to make sure that all the necessary tools are available for the part. Without the right tools the development process could become tedious and expensive.
Step 10: Start Experimenting
Even with the selection a micro-controller nothing is set in stone. Usually the development kit arrives long before the first prototyped hardware. Take advantage by building up test circuits and interfacing them to the micro-controller. Choose high risk parts and get them working on the development kit. It may be that you discover the part you thought would work great has some unforeseen issue that would force a different micro-controller to be selected. In any event, early experimentation will ensure that you made the right choice and that if a change is necessary, the impact will be minimal!
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