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1.38 Millimeter Microcontroller

ti.com

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Re: 1.38 Millimeter Microcontroller

#21

Post by dvh »

self_awareness wrote: post #2

It seems awesome, but I'm having a problem with figuring out how can a "normal" person use it. How would YOU use it, reader of this comment?

I have action camera with retarded user interface. To turn it on I have to: press main button for at least 0.3s but no longer than 2s, then I have to wait until it beeps, then I have to wait for 3s, then I have to press second button for at least 0.3s but no longer than 1s. Then I observe main led, if it blinks the camera is recording, if not I need to press second button again.

With tiny mcu like this one, I think it would be possible to add a bodge inside that would turn on recording automatically after single press of button. The MCU needs to be really tiny to fit inside camera.

Re: 1.38 Millimeter Microcontroller

#22

Post by HackerThemAll »

arnejenssen wrote: post #17

A silly question (from a non-HW guy). Why are digital bathroom scales so coarse? Some have a weight resolution of +/- 500 grams. Would a better microcontroller make a weight faster or more presise? I guess this TI micro controller is overkill for a bathroom scale.

> this TI micro controller is overkill for a bathroom scale

For majority of use cases nowadays it's much easier to use a programmable chip than invent a complex device using discrete analog electronic parts.

Re: 1.38 Millimeter Microcontroller

#23

Post by yoggodoggo »

arnejenssen wrote: post #17

A silly question (from a non-HW guy). Why are digital bathroom scales so coarse? Some have a weight resolution of +/- 500 grams. Would a better microcontroller make a weight faster or more presise? I guess this TI micro controller is overkill for a bathroom scale.

It's down to the quality of the sensor, the quality of the ADC translating the signals from the sensor, and the implementation of the software that deals with the ADC translation.

Re: 1.38 Millimeter Microcontroller

#24

Post by aa-jv »

myrmidon wrote: post #19
aa-jv wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe not practical as a cluster configuration, but it could certainly be used as a voice-generating device for a synthesizer, or as a controlling device for MIDI I/O, or .. both even of course, configurable according to the users needs/patch idea.

Yeah, but even for those applications you suffer from limited RAM a lot; with 16bit samples at 48kHz the thing has 10ms of audio buffer (stereo: 5ms) if you don't need RAM for anything else :S The ADC is really nice though, 1.5 MSPS is really good for such a small/low powered thing (fills the whole RAM in under half a millisecond).

True, you will have to write some tight code, but .. at that form factor and price, challenge accepted! Besides, 10ms is a LOT in that world ..

Re: 1.38 Millimeter Microcontroller

#26

Post by Cthulhu_ »

ant6n wrote: post #7

It's a bit low on RAM, otherwise it's similar to a game boy advance. Maybe after the GBA, GBA SP, and GBA micro, it's time for a GBA.. nano?

Nintendo releasing a new GB would be wild and awesome. Unfortunately it'd likely be overpowered and emulate games they downloaded off ROM sites themselves.

They'd be done already if they bought up or licensed Analogue though.

Re: 1.38 Millimeter Microcontroller

#27

Post by myrmidon »

arnejenssen wrote: post #17

A silly question (from a non-HW guy). Why are digital bathroom scales so coarse? Some have a weight resolution of +/- 500 grams. Would a better microcontroller make a weight faster or more presise? I guess this TI micro controller is overkill for a bathroom scale.

Higher resolution would let the user see that your scale is zeroed badly, that repeatability sucks and that the measured weight is not even constant under a constant load.

Decreasing resolution hides all of those.

Re: 1.38 Millimeter Microcontroller

#28

Post by 7734128 »

Does anyone know what would the price of this be, roughly of course, given that a customer ordered some thousands or tens of thousands?

I have no grasp of even the magnitude of the price for something like this.

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