Minesweeper Robot
Microprocessor Comparison
Feature comparison
Comparison of microprocessors features
| Microprocessor |
Homepage |
Languages supported |
H/W setup complexity |
I/O ports |
Price |
| Lego RCX |
Lego mindstorms |
Lego, C/C++ (using BrickOS or NQC), Java |
extremely easy |
3 input, 3 output |
$170 CAD (RCX brick) + requires IR tower from Lego |
| BASIC Stamp |
Parallax |
BASIC |
easy |
8, 16, or 32 |
$40 - $90 CAD |
| PIC |
Microchip |
PIC assembly, C (requires expensive compiler), Python |
complex |
8-64 |
from $5 CAD |
| AVR |
Atmel |
AVR assembly, C/C++ (free software) |
average |
6-86 |
from $7 CAD |
Decision table
| Microcontroller |
Pros |
Cons |
| Lego RCX |
- Easy to program using Brick visual language or C using BrickOS
- Programming capabilities are greatly extended when using BrickOS
- Does not require knowledge of electronics
- Available for use at the University (does not require purchasing the RCX)
|
- Very limited I/O capabilities (3 input, 3 output)
- The brick is heavy
|
| BASIC stamp |
- Easy to program using BASIC
- Built-in debugging capabilities using serial cable
|
- Slow execution of programs
- No built-in A/D converters
- High price
|
| PIC |
- Different models allow choosing the right microcontroller with required number of I/O pins and internal memory size
- Relatively fast
- Has several A/D inputs
- Low price
|
- Requires a knowledge of electronics in order to set up a working board
- Assmebly programming is slow and error-prone
- No free C compilers available
|
| AVR |
- Faster execution, lower power compared to PIC
- More features built into the chip compared to PIC
- Has several A/D inputs
- C and assembly compilers are freely available
|
- Requires a knowledge of electronics in order to set up a working board
- Slightly more expensive than PIC (by 1-2 dollars)
|