500 Links on Microcontrollers

Microcontrollers have become firmly established in modern electronic circuits. These multi-legged beasts use programs to do all sorts of things. Depending on signal levels presented to them, micros are capable of taking decisions and controlling entire processes. A micro, then, offers a good way to add intelligence to your circuit. But where do you start picking the right type?Over the past few decades we’ve witnessed the increasing dominance of microcontrollers in electronics in general. These days, it is almost impossible (and a waste of time and money) to design new digital circuitry of some complexity without incorporating a microcontroller. In the past, designers when faced with complex logic did not hesitate to throw in dozens of TTL or CMOS integrated circuits resulting in a monstrous, current devouring circuit whose reliability was often inversely proportional to the number of parts on the board(s).