When we bring a microprocessor together with the other needed peripherals on a single integrated circuit, it becomes a microcontroller.Ī microcontroller can thus be defined as a complete microprocessor system where memory (RAM/ROM), clocks, system buses, I/O ports, etc, all the necessary components and peripherals(other devices) are integrated with the microprocessor on a single chip.
#Difference between microprocessor and microcontroller table serial#
It offers both serial and parallel I/O as system buses are provided externally.Supports a large instruction set, providing variations of the same operations based on different addressing modes.Offers built-in monitor/debugger program with interrupt capability.Von-Neumann Architecture-stores data and code together.Some popular microprocessors are: Intel 8085 (8-bit microprocessor) and Intel 8086 (16-bit microprocessor). Integrated Circuits: It refers to a miniaturized electronic circuit consisting of semiconductor devices(transistors), as well as passive components bonded to a substrate or circuit board.
Programmable: The microprocessor can perform different sets of operations on the data it receives depending on the sequence of instructions supplied in the given program. When combined and connected with other integrated circuits that provide storage for data, programs, input and output, it becomes the heart of a small computer, or microcomputer. In other words, it is an integrated circuit(IC) containing the arithmetic and logical unit (ALU), control unit (CU) and register arrays on a single chip required to interpret and execute instructions from a program. A microprocessor is a programmable silicon chip that contains a central processing unit(CPU), that is, it has computing and decision making capabilities.