Home >Industry dynamics>Industry dynamics
Differences Between Development Boards, Microcontrollers, and ARM

To understand the differences and relationships between development boards, microcontrollers (MCUs), and ARM, it's important to first clarify what each of these terms refers to. Below is a simple explanation to help distinguish between them.

Related Article:

Comparison of ARM vs AMD

Overview: X86 Architecture vs. ARM Architecture

Differences and Analysis of RAM, ROM, ARM, MCU, and CPU

Development Boards

A development board (also known as a demo board) is a circuit board used for embedded system development. It typically includes a set of hardware components, such as a central processing unit (CPU), memory, input devices, output devices, data paths/buses, and external resource interfaces.

Development boards are often custom-made by embedded system developers according to their development needs, but they can also be designed for research and learning purposes. These boards are intended for beginners to understand and learn about both hardware and software. Some development boards provide an integrated development environment (IDE), along with software source code and hardware schematics. Common types of development boards include those for 51 microcontrollers, ARM, FPGA, and DSP.

2020716120426651.jpg


In short, a development board integrates many peripheral devices, such as LED lights, digital displays, buttons, stepper motors, servo motors, and LCD screens, for experimental and development purposes. Development boards serve as experimental tools (for MCU programming).

Microcontroller (MCU)

A microcontroller is not just a chip performing specific logic functions; it integrates an entire computer system onto a single chip. Essentially, it is a miniaturized computer. Unlike a regular computer, microcontrollers do not include I/O devices but can be programmed to control external devices.

In simple terms: A microcontroller is a "chip-sized" computer that is compact, lightweight, cost-effective, and convenient for learning, application, and development. It’s an ideal choice for understanding computer principles and structures.

MCU development boards build upon official ARM development boards by adding various peripherals. These boards offer numerous functional interfaces, such as TFT-LCD displays, LVDS interfaces, touchscreens, VGA, matrix keyboards, external bus interfaces, CAN, SPI, PWM, high-speed USB devices, SD cards, RS232/RS485 serial ports, audio, and microphones. Leading embedded solution manufacturers in China often use ARM-based development boards with multiple core platforms. These boards allow engineers in various technical companies to test ARM-based solutions easily, shortening product development cycles.

Microcontrollers are widely used in applications such as smart instruments, industrial control systems, communication devices, navigation systems, and home appliances. Once a microcontroller is incorporated into a product, it can "upgrade" the product, which is why many consumer goods are described as "smart," such as a "smart washing machine."

ARM Development Boards

ARM development boards are similar to MCU development boards, but they are based on ARM processors. These boards add various peripherals like TFT-LCD displays, LVDS interfaces, touchscreens, VGA, matrix keyboards, external bus interfaces, CAN, SPI, PWM, high-speed USB devices, SD cards, RS232/RS485 serial ports, audio, and microphones.

ARM development boards are used by leading embedded solution manufacturers for testing and rapid product development. In comparison to traditional microcontrollers, ARM-based systems offer more robust processing power, higher stability, and more advanced capabilities. However, they typically come at a higher cost.

Key Differences Between ARM and Microcontrollers

Software Layer Differences

  • Convenience: ARM-based systems offer the benefit of developing applications directly on an operating system, so everything does not need to be rewritten as it does in microcontroller-based systems.

  • Security: ARM-based systems often include advanced security features such as memory management, ensuring that a user's program error will not cause a system crash. Microcontroller-based systems lack such features.

  • Efficiency: ARM systems introduce process management and scheduling, which makes them much more efficient. Traditional microcontroller systems, especially 8-bit MCUs, rely heavily on interrupt-driven mechanisms and have limitations in multitasking management.

20207161158272508.png

Hardware Layer Differences

While 8-bit microcontrollers have made rapid advancements, they still fall short in comparison to 32-bit ARM systems.

Most ARM chips integrate controllers for SDRAM, LCD, and other peripherals directly into the chip, whereas many 8-bit microcontrollers require external components. ARM-based systems are essentially microprocessors with more integrated functions, making them much more capable for complex tasks.

Once an embedded operating system is introduced, ARM systems can perform tasks that microcontrollers simply cannot, such as running embedded web servers or Java Virtual Machines (JVM). These tasks are difficult or nearly impossible on microcontrollers, especially when considering resource constraints.

Differences Between Development Boards and Microcontrollers

A microcontroller is an 8-bit MCU chip that serves as the core of a 51-based development board. The MCU development board integrates common peripherals into a circuit board, forming a complete development system. By writing programs, developers can control the peripherals to achieve specific functions, making it a valuable tool for learning microcontroller programming.

Different development boards are designed for specific purposes, and some require connection to a computer. Some may need serial port drivers to download programs to the microcontroller via serial interfaces.

In summary:

  • Development boards provide the platform for embedded system development with peripherals and interfaces for real-world applications.

  • Microcontrollers (MCUs) are compact, integrated systems on a chip designed to execute embedded tasks, often found in simpler devices.

  • ARM processors are more powerful, complex microprocessors capable of handling sophisticated tasks, and ARM-based development boards offer higher performance, stability, and scalability.


Recommend